I know this sounds like a daunting task, but you will be astonished at how easy these really are! I know I was… and I am a beginner at breads and baking. The whole deal takes around an hour and that includes baking time!
One thing you should know about bagels is that they have a two step cooking process. First you boil them, then you bake them. It is important that you do both. A bagel that isn’t boiled is just a roll with a hole!
Homemade Bagels
4 c. bread flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups of warm water
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. {You can mix these on the dough setting of your bread machine, or mix them in a stand mixer – I have done both}. The dough should be stiff, but add the extra water is it is REALLY stiff or you can’t get all the flour incorporated.
Put the dough on the counter and knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth. {If you are using the dough setting on your bread machine it will do this for you. If you are using a stand mixer with a dough hook, it will do this for you too!}.
Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls (These will make nice BIG bagels like you would get at a bakery or I have cut it into 10 for smaller bagels. If this is your first time making them I suggest sticking with 8). Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Now, take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll it into a little snake on the counter. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap around your dominant hand. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Now take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish/roll these two end together. Once the dough is fused, you should have a perfectly circular bagel. It will look very similar to this when it is cooked. It won’t really change much. Getting a perfect circle will take a little practice, but even if they don’t look beautiful on your first {second or third} try, they will taste delicious!
Let your bagels rest on the counter for about 20 minutes and bring a pot of water up to a boil. Grease a large baking sheet {or 2}. you can just rub a light splash of vegetable oil around. Preheat your oven to 425.
After 20 minutes, it is time to get them boiling! Add them to the boiling water as many as you can without crowding them. They will float on the top of the water. Boil for 1 minute and then flip! Boil for 1 more minute and then take them out to dry for a minute before you place them on your baking sheet.
Once all the bagels are boiled put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, flip the bagels and bake for another 10 minutes. Take them out and place them on a rack to cool for at least 20 minutes. (If you can possibly wait this long!)
Note:You can add toppings to these. Just have the topping (such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon sugar, etc) in a plate and when the bagels come out of the boiling water place them face down into the toppings. Then, add to the baking sheet. Bake and flip just like you would the plain ones.
