Nothing beats a warm bagel on a Sunday morning

This past week was pretty uneventful - I did try a recipe out for Drunken Pork Chops but completely forgot to take photos, so when I do it again in the next two weeks you can be sure I'll post about it. My husband fell in love with them.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy a fantastic lobster dinner with my whole family on Saturday at my sister's place - it was great seeing everyone. I made cupcakes - from a box. I did start something from scratch, and take photos, only to realize halfway through cooking I forgot to add the oil. Silly me.


Sunday morning I woke up with the hopes of trying this new recipe out to make bagels in two hours - a process that normally has to be done overnight. Homemade Bagels Link. Boy were they delicious!! I have great memories of Sunday mornings at home, dad bringing home warm, fresh bagels, cream cheese, lox, and all kinds of other wonderful things.


Homemade Bagels
Makes 8
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading
• 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt (I used regular salt because I didn't have Kosher)
• Poppy seeds (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the water. Continue to mix until the dough comes together in a mass, about 4-6 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and knead for another 8-10 minutes until soft and smooth. Put the dough in a bowl sprayed lightly with non-stick baking spray. Cover with a towel or lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Gently push down to remove any gas from the dough and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425º F and bring a large pot of water to a boil; then reduce to a simmer.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces.  Press each piece down to get rid of air bubbles.  Form into balls and roll the balls between your palm and the work surface, rotating to form a smooth ball. Coat a finger in flour and press it through each ball to form a ring.  Twirl the ring around the index of one hand and the thumb of the other, stretching the dough and widening the hole to about 1/3 of the bagel’s diameter. Place the bagels on a lined baking sheet lined and cover with a towel. Let rest for another 10 minutes

Gently lower the bagels into the water in batches, 2-3 bagels at a time. Boil uncovered for about 1 minute. Turn them over once and boil for another minute. Using a perforated skimmer, remove the bagels from the pot, letting the water drain; return to the baking sheet. (Optional:  sprinkle the top of the bagel with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or both). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Bread by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno

*I'm not really sure why blogspot is messing around with the orientation of my photos, but I'll do my best to fix it!!