kay.em.kay: Bagel Recipe

Bagels are my favorite breakfast food. I love how they are so chewy and dense and have a great crunch.

Well, that is, East Coast bagels do.

Sorry California. I just haven't found a legit bagel here. I shared my love of the perfect bagel with a friend (a CA native)... "Oh? Yeah, I've had one like that. I don't like it."

Crazy.

Bagels here are bread in the shape of a donut. They are not chewy. They are not dense.

Anyway, I have found a way around my difference in taste. I now have a bagel recipe. And while it's super laborious, every now and then, when the craving hits, I won't have to book a flight home.

Step 1:

Make Dough:

1 packet of yeast

1 Tbs Sugar

1 tsp Salt

3/4 Cup Warm Water

2 Cups All purpose flour

Mix yeast with sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add 3/4 cup of warm water. Mix until dissolved. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until its all incorporated into a large ball.

Step 2: Dump out dough on lightly floured surface and kneed for 10-12 minutes. (If you have a KitchenAid and a hook, you are lucky!) Then cut dough into 6 equal parts

Step 3: Let dough rest of 1o minutes.

Step 4: Roll each ball into a snake, about 10 inches wide, then pinch 2 sides together. (I used a bit of water on the tip to make it stick.) Smooth shape by placing 4 fingers through the hole with the pinched side down and roll again, slightly.

Step 5: Let dough sit for 20 minutes. After 15 mins, preheat oven to 375 and add about 3" of water to a saucepan. Boil.

Step 6: Once boiling, add bagels. They will expand, so don't crowd them. I could fit 3 at a time. Boil for one minute per side. Then place them on a greased cookie tray.*** If you want to add a topping, like sesame seeds, just pulled the bagels out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate of the topping. Place bagel, topping side up on the bake tray and bake as normal.***