Easy Homemade bagels

Hey everyone! Guess what today is- Bagel Day! I wanted to give you guys one of my favorite recipes to make for breakfast- Bagels. It only needs a few basic ingredients and a few hours for proofing and voila- you have a warm tasty breakfast. 

ingredients

• 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
• 1.5 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 Cup Water for Yeast
  
• 1 Cup water for the rest
• 3.5 cups of unbleached flour or bread flour, plus extra for kneading
• 1.5 teaspoons of salt
• 2.5 tsp of cinnamon [optional]

steps

1. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar into a 1/2 cup of water at 105 to 110F in a bowl or Styrofoam cup. Stir the yeast and sugar in the water and wait five minutes or more for the yeast to become foamy. 
2. In another bowl, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the mixture.
3. When the yeast foams, pour the yeast and 1 Cup of water into the well and mix the dry and wet ingredients together. The best mixing method is to use one hand. Add more water if need be. Form a firm and moist dough. 
4. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface such as your clean countertop. Knead the dough for ten minutes until its smooth and elasticity. The dough will also feel easier to knead. Add as much flour as needed. Although, if you use too much flour, then the dough will have cracked seams.​

5. Using a different large bowl, oil it with butter or pam, and put your kneaded dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise until its doubled in size. This will take an hour in a retarder and three hours if left in your kitchen with room temperature.

6. When it has rised, punch down the dough and cover for another 10 minutes. After covering, weigh your dough and cut the dough into eight equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Make sure its smooth on top. Insert a ring into each ball by inserting your finger in the middle and making a hole. Keep spinning your dough so the hole takes up 1/3 of the diameter.

7. Place the bagel on a lightly oiled baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover for ten minutes to rest the dough.
5. This step is the fun part. You will get a large pan of water to a boil and then reduce the water to a light simmer. Using a perforated skimmer, lower one or two bagels into the water. You should boil them for thirty seconds and then flip them for another thirty seconds. Once done, transfer the bagels to another oiled baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes. 
6. Enjoy when cooled. Serve with cream cheese or jam.

Don't they just look delicious!
Out of all the recipes on this blog, please try this bagel recipe. They are so soft and delicious- and goes really well with your own homemade goat cheese and homemade cream cheese.