Homemade Bagels

Our roommate Paul is sort of a renaissance man- at least in my opinion! He bakes, he cooks, he has a record player, he plays an instrument.. you have to admit that he sounds pretty cool, right? Anyway, the reason I'm bragging about him is that he makes lots of homemade goodness that I get to try. Last week, he made BAGELS!

Let me just say- This family loves us some bagels. We almost always have bagels on the countertop, and they can get expensive! My favorite local ones, Barry's Bagels, which taste like smooshy semi-cooked chunks of dough (in the best way possible) are $3 for 4 bagels at our local co-op. When Paul made these homemade bagels, they were amazing; they even looked bagely! He was nice enough to make a batch with me, so I could learn.

Today, I made a batch all by myself; I'm going to share the recipe with you, because they are easy to make, and I want to bestow the skills of bagel-making upon everyone who reads this blog. Best of luck- tell me how your bagel-making experiences go!

Paul's Homemade Bagels

These are onion bagels- mm!

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (I use 1 cup bread flour and 2 cups white wheat flour)

1 1/4 cup warm-hot water

1 tbs olive oil

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar (to activate) & 1 tbs sugar to sweeten

2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast

1 egg white

3/4 cup wheat germ

Directions:

• Add the yeast and 1 tsp sugar to the warm water, and stir briefly.
• Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes- a 1-3 inch foamy layer should develop if yeast is properly activated.
• Once the yeast mixture is ready, pour it into a large mixing bowl.
• Add the cups of flour, mixing in between each. Add the salt & sugar.
• Next, flour your countertop and place the dough onto the surface, kneading it for 5-10 minutes. Once it gets to the right consistency, it should just barely stick to the surface when you pick it up and drop it.
• Spread the olive oil on the inside of the mixing bowl, and then place the dough in the bowl to rise.
• Cover the bowl with a towel, and place in a warm, dry spot for 25 minutes.

• While you're waiting for the dough to rise, You should get the remaining steps ready:
• Fill a large pot with water, and set it to boil
• Crack an egg into a small bowl, and leave only the white
• Stir the egg white for several minutes until it is foamy-looking
• Fill another small bowl with the wheat germ, and set aside
• Place your baking pan on the counter so it's ready
• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree
•  Roll each piece into a 4 to 6-inch log. Join the ends and place fingers through the hole and roll the ends together. Repeat with the remaining dough. Now you should have 8 un-cooked bagel shapes!
• Take the bagels (4 at a time) and place them into the boiling water, for 1 min 30 seconds on each side. 
• When all the bagels are done, pat them dry. 
• Dip them on one side in the egg whites, and on the other side into the wheat germ (this side becomes the bottom of the bagel)
• Place the bagels evenly spaced on the tray, slide the tray into the oven, and set the timer for 20 minutes! Bagels are usually done in 22-23 minutes, but check them at 20 minutes just to see how they're doing. When they're browned a bit on the top you know they're ready!

Enjoy!