Bagel me.

I'll start off by saying this is hands down the best yeast bread I've made thus far...

On my third day at home because of health issues I was going a little neurotic finding things to do. I made a 1/2 recipe of pumpkin muffins yesterday and gave 1/2 to my mom so there are only a few left. Which means it is completely okay to bake something new today, right? I figured bagels are baking feat I've never attempted and quite different from pumpkin muffins. My last justification...I never allow myself to enjoy bagels because of the calories--well, I put this recipe through my new-found recipe calorie calculator and learned that each bagel only has 145 calories! And these are regular sized bagels! Woohoo! I love this whole baking at home and knowing exactly what healthy and not-so-healthy ingredients I'm consuming!   

This recipe is wicked easy, doesn't take too long to rise or bake. I also love that this is a small recipe--it only makes 4. I don't want a dozen bagels at a time...I want A fresh 'n tasty ONE. So, I started with a plain bagel recipe but will definitely add some kind of flavor to my next batch!

Recipe from: Poires Au Chocolat 

Makes 4 plain bagels. 

1 tsp quick yeast

3/4 tbsp sugar

150 ml warm water 

1 cup bread flour (I used King Arthur), plus extra for kneading

1/2 tsp salt

I use REDSTAR active yeast--with this kind of yeast simply add it to the dry ingredients. Then add the warm (not hot) water to it and mix in mixer until the ingredients combine. Slowly add as much flour as you can (I added an extra 1/2 cup) until the dough pulls away from the mixing bowl but remains thick and smooth. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a slightly damp tea towel and let rise in a warm environment for about an hour or until doubled in size. 

Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Shape the pieces into a ball using your hands and rolling it along a surface, pressing down to get rid of air bubbles. Use your finger to make a hole in the middle of the ball, widen it out to about 1/3 of the diameter of the whole bagel.  Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet to rest for ten minutes under a damp tea towel. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Turn down to keep it at a strong simmer. Use a slatted spoon or similar to lower 1-2 bagels into the water. Boil for about a minute, turning halfway through. Remove, draining any excess water, to the baking sheet. When you have boiled them all, coat tops with either a little butter or (healthier) a whipped egg white wash. Put them into the oven for about 20 minutes.  They should be gorgeously golden. Cool on a wire rack.