Homemade Bagels

2 c. warm water (about 110°)
2 (¼ -oz) packets active dry yeast, or 1 T & 1 ½ tsp yeast
3 Tbs granulated sugar, plus 1 Tb
5-6 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tb yellow cornmeal (opt – to spread on pan after boiling bagels.)

Combine the water, yeast, and 3 Tb of the sugar in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 cups of the flour and the salt, and mix until the mixture comes together.
Add 1 to 1 ½ c. additional flour ½ cup at a time to make a stiff dough, either stirring with a wooden spoon or working with your hands. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes, adding just as much flour as needed. (Dough should be stiffer than regular yeast bread dough. This works using a Bosch mixer as well.)

Grease a large bowl with 1 tsp of the oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces, about 2 to 3 ounces each, measuring about 4 inches across. Form each piece of dough into a ball. Roll each ball into a 4-6 inch log. Join the ends and place fingers through the hole and roll the ends together. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place on a lightly greased surface, cover with a clean cloth, and let rest until risen but not doubled in a draft-free spot, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Grease a baking sheet with the remaining teaspoon of oil, or sprinkle with cornmeal.
In a large, heavy pot, bring about 12 cups of water and the remaining Tb of sugar to a boil. (This takes like 10 minutes, so start boiling it early!) In batches, add the bagels to the water and boil, turning, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip bagels onto the prepared sheet pan.

Bake for 5 minutes, turn over and cook for another 30-35 minutes. **(I have found that this is too much time, at least with my gas oven. This works better for me: Cook for 20 minutes (without flipping them over), then remove from oven and liberally sprinkle asiago (or you could try parmesan) cheese on top. Return to oven for 1-3 minutes, until cheese is melted and bagel is cooked.)

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

This recipe wasn't as daunting as I thought it was going to be. The only thing I didn't get quite right was the making of the actual bagel, my ends didn't stay together very well when I boiled them. Not sure exactly how to get them to stay together and be uniform in size all the way around. You also have to plan ahead if you want these for breakfast, as they do take some time for the rising process.

Original recipe from Sisters Cafe