Bagels

I sometimes can be overly ambitious. I'll decide on a goal and set an unrealistic timeline, then rush to try to accomplish said goal. Sigh. Well... Friday night, around 10:30, my usual bedtime, I come across this bagel recipe and decide to make them. But I didn't decide to make them Saturday morning, or even Sunday afternoon, I decide to make them right then and there. So there I am making bagels until well after midnight. But this wasn't my typical "Why did I do this?" type of idea. It was an AWESOME idea because these things were so flipping good. Waking up Saturday morning and have a fresh, homemade bagel made my experience well worth it.

This was my first attempt at homemade bagels and it was a huge success. They were so amazingly good. Nice and crisp on the outside, perfectly soft on the inside. The directions were extremely easy to follow and the end results were wonderful. They are best straight out of the oven but since you most likely won't be eating 8 bagels straight out of the oven (although you might be tempted...) it's best to store them in an airtight container. You can freeze any leftovers, just slice them, wrap them in plastic wrap, and then put the plastic wrapped bagels in a freezer bag. I can't wait to try different varieties- next time I am going to make cinnamon swirl and everything bagels!

Source: Ladybug's Delights, originally from Joy of Cooking

Bagels (makes 8 )

Combine in bowl of a heavy duty mixer and let stand until the yeast dissolves, about 5 min.

1 cup plus 2 tbs wam water (105° to 115°)
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

Stir in:

1 tbs melted vegetable shortening
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour

Gradually stir in:

3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Knead for about 10 minutes with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let rest, covered, 15 to 20 min.

Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 10 in long, tapering the ends. We the ends to help seal, and form into rings, stretching the top end over and around the bottom end and pinching together underneath. Let rise, covered, on a floured board about 15 min, until puffy.

Preheat oven to 425°

Bring to a boil in a large pot:

4 quarts water
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Drop the rings 2-4 at a time into the boiling water. As the bagels surface, turn them over and cook for about 45 seconds longer. Skim out and place on an ungreased baking sheet coated with cornmeal.

Sprinkle with toppings of choice.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.