Bring on the Bagels!

Talk about tackling the breads lately, eh?  I feel for anyone that has gluten allergy,  I love my breads! There's just something about the warm, tasty, melt in mouth, goodness of a fresh made bread. These little circles of yummy aren't hard to create once you've got some practice in.

Ingredients:

4 cups Bread Flour
1 3/4 Cup warm water
1 tbsp Dry Active Yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Salt
Corn Meal


Directions:

1. In a large bowl add the warm water (at about 110*F), sugar, and yeast.  Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes until frothy.

2. Add the flour & salt and beat with an electric mixer equipped with dough hooks.  Mix for 7 minutes or until dough is smooth and pulling away from the the sides.

3. Remove from the bowl and form into a ball. Lightly grease the bowl and return the dough.  Cover with a damp dish towel and keep in a warm spot to let rise until it's doubled in size (about an hour).

4.  On a lightly floured counter fold out the dough and cut into 12 equal pieces.  Form into balls and placed on a up side down cookie sheet lightly greased with vegetable oil. Let rise again for about 30- 45 minutes.

5. Put a large pot of water on to boil with about a tablespoon of sugar.  While you wait for the water to boil carefully poke a hole in the middle of the dough balls with your fingers and stretch slightly, just so the hole is a tad bigger than you'd like for the finish product.  Replace on the oiled sheet and let rest, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 400*F.

6. Once the water is boiled reduce to simmer and very carefully add bagels 2 - 4 at a time.  You need flipping room so don't crowd the pot.  Let simmer on the first side for 2 minutes, flip, and simmer the second side for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon (the flatter & wider the better - I use my wok spoon) and let drain for a few seconds and place on a baking sheet that's been lightly buttered and sprinkled with corn meal.

7. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl and brush the bagels with the egg wash. At this point you can add any toppings, like cheese, sesame seeds, etc.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the tops are golden.  Transfer to cooling racks & let cool completely.

Stay Sweet!
Tammy