I posted this recipe for homemade bagels a few years ago with the promise that I would do it again soon and take better photos. Ahem. So here we are two years later!
Same easy recipe! Sans the cell phone pictures.
This recipe yields 8 large bagels with a soft interior and a thin crunchy outside. Like every good bagel should. TRY THIS RECIPE! My dad taught me how to make these and they are amazing.
Homemade Bagel Recipe
4 cups bread flour
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 Tlbs vegetable oil
2 tsps instant yeast
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups of warm water
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. The dough should feel stiff, but if you can't get all the flour incorporated add the extra bit of water.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until uniform and smooth.
Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls and rest for 10-20 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 425F or 220C.
Now, we roll the dough into bagel shape, and there are several ways to do this. My favorite is to roll the dough back into a ball and poke through the center. This opens the dough and you can tug the round of dough into the shape of a bagel.
OR
Roll the dough into a a little snake on the counter that is longer than the width of your two hands, then wrap it around your dominant rolling hand. Wrap the dough rope around your hand and squish the overlapping ends together.
Let the bagels-to-be rest on the counter for 20 minutes, grease a large baking tray, and bring a pot of water to boil.
After the bagels have rested they will begin to look puffy and are ready to be boiled. Boil the bagels for a minute on each side, then let them dry out for a minute or two before placing them on the baking tray. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.
Bake the bagels for 10 minutes, flip the bagels over, and bake for another 10 minutes... and Wah-LAH! Perfection. (This last time I made them I didn't flip them over, just baked for 20 minutes and they were great!)
Let the bagels cool for at least 20 minutes before eating them.
I like them served warm when they're freshly baked or toasted the next day with butter and cream cheese, or with my new favorite, sun dried tomato pesto.
