The finished product..some cheddar cheese, some poppy seed, some honey and oats and some plain 🙂
I’m fairly sure that if I was a food I would be a bagel. Every since I was young bagels have been my go to food of choice. When my Mom was making something for dinner that I didn’t like, I’d pop a bagel in a toaster. Need a snack? Grab a bagel. They’re great to use for sandwiches (breakfast or lunch) and you can make them sweet or savoury.
One of the best perks of cooking/baking at home (beside that it’s fun) is the fact that I have control of the ingredients. No preservatives, not high fructose corn syrup, no unnecessary fats, and no crazy amount of sodium. Having complete control of what you eat really is something special. The recipie that I use is found here. I usually double it because I like a big bagel and if I’m going to be making them anyways I should just make enough to last the week and/or freeze . I use half unbleached white flour and half 100% whole wheat. I also add a 1/2 cup flax seed and a tad bit more water seeing as whole wheat flour tends to need more moisture.
I mix everything in a bowl before putting in the bread machine. Ingredients go in the bread machine as instructed by the manufacturer.
I use to make my bagels by hand, without a bread machine but my mom gave me her old one so now I use the dough cycle (way easier). After the dough cycle is done I pop the dough out, punch it down and cut it in pieces of approximately the same size. Then I roll the piece out like a snake (kind of like how you roll play-dough) and squish the two ends together to for the bagel. I place them on a cookie sheet and cover while I wait for my pot of water to boil.
I put them in the oven with the pilot light on (covered usually with a towel) while the water is heating up. That way they have a low level heat source to help them puff up again
Once the water is boiled I place 3 bagels in the pot and let them cook 3 minutes on each side. Using a slotted spoon, I take them out, pat a paper towel on them to get some of the excess water off and place them back on the cookie sheet (which I have lined with one of my favorite cooking tools ever…the silpat mat!).
They're on their way to becoming yummy pieces of goodness!
The possibilities are endless regarding what kind of toppings you want on your bagel.
At this point you can put whatever you want on your bagels. I use and egg wash and then place whatever toppings I feel like. Today it was honey and oats, poppy seeds, and cheddar cheese (not pictured). Then I bake them at 375 for 25-30 minutes and voila! They’re ready to eat!
Yummmm
Savor The Sweet Life 