Bagels

This month's have the cake challenge was to forgo the sweet route and bake up some bagels.  I've been sugared up enough with all the Christmas baking I did so this was something I could truly enjoy trying.
A look throughout the Internet gave me a multitude of bagel recipes.  There were long and tedious recipes and relatively quick and easy... guess which route I went?! Long and tedious have their rightful place in my life but I didn't think it was the right route to go for a simple bagel.  A look through one of my favorite sites, Allrecipes.com, and I chose one that had been favorably reviewed and used the boiling method. Don't ask me why... I'm not a bagel expert... but boiling seemed the best method in my thinking.  After all, didn't it turn out great when I made the pretzels?  The recipe I found was a fabulous base recipe.  I will be making bagels again and when I do I'll be adding other things like flax seed, whole wheat, dried fruit, cheese... the possibilities are endless!

Boiled Bagels
By: Jandl


Ingredients

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

1.In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.               

2.Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.

3.Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes.

4.Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering. When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.

Another option to bake them was with Broiling option but I didn't go this route

For a glossier surface, place raised bagels on an ungreased baking sheet prior to boiling them. Broil them five inches from heat for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Then put them into the hot water to be boiled as above. Note: do not bake broiled bagels as long as non-broiled ones, 25 minutes should be long enough.