SUNDAY WITH MARLENA- OY! BAGELS

This is a good one, I love bagels. I've made them a time or two before quite a few years ago so this is the first time I've made them in a long time. Marlena's recipe is quite easy to follow and it turns out well. Try any of her bread recipes, they all work really well.
Bagels are first boiled to give them their chewy texture then baked for the crunchy exterior.

makes 10-12 bagels

7g packet of rapid rise yeast
11/2tsp salt
41/2C bread flour
11/2-2 C lukewarm water-depending on your flour you may need more or less water
oil for greasing
2Tbsp sugar
corn meal for sprinkling
1 egg yolk
sesame seeds,poppy seeds, (opt)

In a bowl combine the yeast, salt and flour. Pour the lukewarm water into a separate large bowl. Start with 11/2 C of water then increase if the batter is too stiff.
Gradually add half the flour to the water, beating until it forms a smooth soft batter.
Knead the remaining flour into the batter until the mixture forms a firm smooth dough.You may need to add more water to get a constancy of dough. It should not be dry. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough by hand for 10-20 minutes (great upper body work out)
or 5-8 minutes in a bread machine until shiny and smooth. If the dough is sticky add a little more flour, the dough should be firmer than regular bread dough.
Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in it and turn to coat. Cover with a clean dishtowel and leave in a warm place for about 40 min. until it doubles in size.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch down the dough. Knead for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Divide dough into 10-12 balls. Poke your thumb through each one working with your fingers to open the hole to form a bagel measuring 21/2-3 inches in diameter. ( This is the point at which you can cover the pan with foil or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator and bake the next day.) Place on a floured board and leave to rise for 20 minutes or until doubled in size. It will take about an hour if the dough is cold.
In the mean time preheat the oven to 400 degree, Bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pan and add the sugar. Lower the heat to a gentle boil.
Lightly oil a baking sheet and sprinkle with corn meal. Beat the egg yolk with 1Tbsp. of water(egg wash).
Add the bagels one at a time to the boiling water until you have a single layer of bagels. Cook for 8 minutes turning occasionally so that they cook evenly. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, draining and place on the prepared baking pan.
Brush each bagel with the egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Variations you can do: Add dried onions, garlic granules or poppy seeds to the bagel dough or top the bagels before baking(after brushing with the egg wash) with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, dried onions or granulated onion.


They are nicely crispy on the outside and fluffy chewy on the inside..shmeer with some some cream cheese and jam or lox or just butter hot from the oven..heavenly!

We are nearing the end of our cooking through Marlena's book but Shankari and Mel still have some great recipes for you.