Bagels! I Made Bagels!

This is very exciting. I actually made bagels. And, they are so very, very good - and, so easy to make...

I cheated a little...

and used my bread machine's dough cycle to do the dirty work. It worked out so perfectly, I am just beside myself. I will never buy bagels from a store again.

The sheer excitement caused by my new bagel-making abilities resulted in an impulse purchase of flavored cream cheeses last time I went to the grocery store. I made a second batch today just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

It worked. I really can make bagels...

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup warm water (not to exceed 110º F)

3 cups bread flour

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon

2 1/2 tsp rapid-rise yeast

3 quarts water (for boiling)

1 tbsp honey (for boiling)

Egg Mixture (brush on before baking):

1 egg

1 tbsp

Directions:

Set bread machine to dough cycle. Add ingredients into bread machine pan in order listed. Run through initial dough cycle, approximately 20 - 30 min (in my machine this took a little over 30 min). Remove from machine after kneading, and machine moves to "rise". Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Separate dough into 6 balls. Set aside one or two 1/4" balls for testing in the next step.

Preheat oven to 400º. In a large pan, set 2-3 quarts of water and 1 tbsp of honey to boil. Poke a hole in center of dough ball with your thumb and stretch to form an even circle. Set on floured surface and lightly cover in plastic wrap to rise (approximately 10-15 minutes). The plastic wrap keeps a skin from forming on the bagel surface and restricting the rise. I also covered the plastic wrap with a dish towel. I don't know that this was necessary, but it just felt like the right thing to do.

After dough has risen, check boiling water. Water should be heated to a steady rolling boil before beginning this step. Drop small "tester" dough balls into the water. If the "testers" immediately sink, and then pop back up to the surface, your water is ready for the bagels.

Drop bagels into water 2-3 at a time for 1 1/2 min on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside on a wire rack to cool for a minute or two. Repeat with remaining bagels.

Set cooled bagels on a jelly-roll pan, or like baking surface lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. 

Brush tops of bagels with egg mixture (1 egg + 1 tbsp water). (I also saved my egg mixture for the next batch).

Bake for 15 min at 400º. Remove and cool on racks.

The really awesome part: 

Since I buy my flour in bulk (25 lbs of bread flour is $6.99 at my local warehouse store), these (fresh & oh-so delicious) bagels cost under 75¢ to make. Wow!

My last batch stored very well for one week without any noticeable staleness or spoilage.