Bagels

​It's no secret that I have an ongoing love affair with bagels.   I can think of no more wonderful breakfast than a warm, fresh from the oven bagel.  Ever since my favorite bagel shop in Athens closed last year, I have been going through some serious bagel withdrawal.  Don't get me wrong, I haven't boycotted my favorite carbohydrate breakfast altogether but my experiences with bagels have been less than satisfying lately.  I have made attempts at homemade bagels in the past but they turned out to be somewhat disappointing.  My homemade bagels were tasteless and tough.  Last weekend, I was browsing through my new issue of Cooking Light and I found a recipe for "Real Bagels."  The recipe promised a "chewy revelation."  My interest was peaked so I decided to give them a try.  I figured that I had nothing to lose.

Bagels 
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
6 cups flour
2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 cups water
3/4 cup sugar

Combine water and yeast in mixer bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.  

Add 5 c. flour and salt to yeast.  Knead 2 minutes.  Add remaining flour and knead 8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes.  

​Divide dough into 12 equal portions.  Shape each portion into a ball.  

Make hole in the center of each ball using a finger and stretch to 1.5” in diameter.  Place bagels on a silpat lined baking sheet.  

Spray bagels lightly with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 10 minutes.  

Combine water and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Gently lower 3 bagels at a time into water and cook 30 seconds.  

​Transfer to a greased wire rack.  Repeat with remaining bagels.  

Divide bagels between 2 baking sheets and bake 14 minutes, at 450, rotating halfway through cooking. 

​The bagels came out of the oven golden brown even though my photograph didn't really show their color well.  Since I was serving the bagels for our usual Sunday night "breakfast for dinner" meal, I decided to make them into bagel sandwiches.  

A sunny side up egg, a slice of colby jack cheese, a slice of rosemary ham and a warm bagel = sandwich perfection.  We ate our bagels sandwiches while they were still warm from the oven and - oh my goodness - they were good.  I concur with Cooking Light that these bagels were  a "chewy revelation."  My love for bagels is rekindled and now that I have a great recipe to make them in my own kitchen I am ready to try new bagel variations.  I can definitely some see whole wheat and cinnamon bagels in my future. 

​Ciao!

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