Bagels

Basic Bagels
makes 8 bagels

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp yeast
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

1 tbsp sugar (for boiling bagels)
cornmeal (for preventing bagels from sticking to stone/sheet)

Mix water, salt, and honey in mixing bowl.  Add yeast and allow to proof for 5-15 minutes (or one large tantrum, or 2-3 minor interruptions).  Add flour, and mix slowly, preferably with dough hook. Dough should hold together, but not be too sticky to handle.  Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes (or equivalent child-mandated episode).  Shape the dough into a cylinder about 12 inches long.

Slice the loaf into disks about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Push thumbs through the center of each slice...

...and pull into a bagel shape, rounding all surfaces.

Cover lightly and let rise 15-20 minutes.  

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tbsp sugar.  Immerse the bagels in the boiling water with a spoon or skimmer for about 20 seconds.  The dough should be a little puffy, and the bagels should float (if they sink, either the dough is too heavy or they need to rise longer).  Place the wet bagels on a cooling rack to dry (you can blot them as well).  Give them a few minutes to dry so they don't stick to the cookie sheet/pizza stone.  Preheat oven to 400 F.  If you're using a pizza stone, now is a good time to sprinkle the cornmeal evenly on the stone (still a good time if you're using a cookie sheet, but you're less likely to get burned by waiting).  Gently place the bagels on the sheet or stone, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until bagels sound hollow when tapped on the bottom (the bagel's bottom, that is).

Variations we like:

Whole wheat bagels:  substitute half of the flour with whole wheat flour.  These will take a little longer to rise, and need a little more boiling time.

Oatmeal bagels:  substitute 1 cup of oats for 1 cup of flour.

For "wet" additions (salsa, berries, etc.) reduce the amount of water by approximately the amount of liquid added (typically 1/4-1/2 cup).  For dry additions (e.g. jalapenos, (c)raisins) don't worry about adjusting water or flour.

Our favorites: cinnamon raisin, whole wheat, onion, blueberry, sun-dried tomato, jalapeno, oatmeal, plain.