Bagels
Ingredients:
- ½ teas yeast
- cups bread flour
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ¼ teas yeast
- 1 ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp bread flour
- 1 1/3 teas salt
- ½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- Cornmeal
Preparation:
Make the sponge by combining 1/2 teas yeast, water and flour. Mix with a spoon and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 2 hours.
Add remaining 1/4 teas yeast, 1 ½ cups flour, salt and brown sugar. Stir (or mix with dough hook in stand mixer) until everything comes together. Add remaining flour until the dough becomes stiff. Knead by hand for ten minutes. The dough will be pretty stiff, but smooth and moldable.
Split dough into 6-4/5 ounce pieces. Form into balls and cover lightly in plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Next, poke a hole in the middle of each ball and run it around your fingers to widen the hole to about 2 inches.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment and lightly coat with spray oil. Place bagels 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Recover bagels with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.
Fill a bowl with water and drop one bagel in. If it floats, dry off the bagel and place the covered bagels in the fridge overnight. If it doesn’t float, let stand for another 20 minutes and test again. Continue allowing the bagels to sit until they float.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking oil. Sprinkle on a thin layer of cornmeal. Heat oven to 500 F and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add baking soda to boiling water and stir. Boil bagels for 2 minutes per side. Place boiled bagels on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 5 minutes. Rotate pan 180 degrees and reduce heat to 450 F. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before trying to eat.
This was my first attempt at bagels. Now I’m rather excited about the whole process and can’t wait to experiment with more flavor combos.
My name is Kita. I am a 20 something girl geek and website/graphic designer who can rock an apron like there is no tomorrow. 
bug up your booty
Time to change the bee in your bonnet adage (since I don’t know anyone who wears bonnets but I certainly know lots of people with booty.) I went through the same thing a few days ago. (the dejunking/cluttering/cleaning) But now my house is a bigger mess than when I started because I couldn’t finish what I started…it was worse than I originally thought. Guess it’s time to make bagels
[Reply]
From boogers to bagels … hmmm.
Love them! Umm… i meant the bagels. Now first I gotta find me some space in the fridge. Gawd! I’m hopeless at clearing up!
[Reply]
I would love a homemade bagel right now! They look good! I wish I was clean, neat and organized. I try to buy new containers, set new rules, etc., but I have 4 things against me! Three I gave birth to, and one I happen to marry, a losing battle for sure! LOL!
[Reply]
I’ve been wanting to make bagels forever, they are one of my favorite carbs! These look wonderful! Great job for your first time:-)
[Reply]
Oh my goodness yum!!! Bagels are my favorite food ever. (obviously!) These look sooo good and I really want one of your homemade bagels right now.
[Reply]
I love fresh bagels. I wish I had the time to make them more often.
[Reply]
Yummy, I love bagels! I haven’t had a good one in a really long time. It would be great to make them and then just have them in the house for sure! Thanks for the recipe!
[Reply]
I love your pictures they are beautiful!!!!!
and those bagels look yummy! I would love to have one with some cream cheese!
[Reply]
Oh, these look delicious! I love bagels!!! Great pictures too!
[Reply]
I do the same thing all the time. It’s always that one little thing that starts a cleaning frenzy. I’m feeling that way about my fridge at the moment. The bagels look delicious and did a great job of taking my mind off of my fridge for a few seconds!
[Reply]
We are currently having a big clean out at our house and I spend half my time overjoyed and the other half in despair of ever seeing the floor again. But it has to be done. Your bagels look great. I have a constant debate with myself as to whether they are too much work, but I do want to give them a go.
[Reply]
They look wonderful. I have that book and everything I make out of it except for the crackers just doesn’t work for me. You must have the magic touch. I use America’s Test Kitchen bagel recipe and they too are very tasty.
[Reply]
Kita Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
Oh, Ill have too look for that recipe and try it! I love ATK
[Reply]
I’ve never really wanted to bake my own bagels, until now. These look amazing. And what a treat they must be for you after you clean up. I need to catch a bit of that cleaning craze. I need to clean out my basement. Yikes! I think I’ll make bagels instead.
[Reply]
I like the segue: cleaning bathrooms to enjoying bagels
Your bagels look fabulous – I’ve never made them, will you make some whole wheat sesame seed ones next?
[Reply]
Kita Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 8:18 am
I want to try blueberry next because I have been on a blueberry kick lately but I don’t see why I couldn’t try some whole wheat sesame seed ones too!
[Reply]
I love bagels and home made is always best! I’ve made a few breads that start with a sponge – and they give the bread such an amazing flavor! These look terrific!
[Reply]
Great first attempt, looking forward to your variations. And, I’m trying to ignore the stain in the sink just a few more days, my energy is gone!
[Reply]