One of our favorite breakfast foods are bagels but they don’t always make it onto the grocery list. Good thing these bagels are not only delicious, chewy, and crunchy, they don’t take a lot of babysitting to get right. Cut in half, toast them, and serve with cream cheese, or scramble some eggs and fry bacon to make a yummy sandwich before heading out the door.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
In a mixing bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Give it a quick stir, then let it sit for five minutes until it dissolves and starts to foam. Sift together the flour, vital wheat gluten, and salt. Attach the bread dough hook and slowly add in flour mixture. If the dough is too dry, add up to 1/4 cup more of water. Knead for about ten minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Coat dough with oil, then place in an oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place for an hour, until its doubled in size. Punch down the dough, and let it rest for another ten minutes. Divide the dough into even pieces and shape into a ball. Coat a finger in flour and gently press a hole into the center of each ball. Stretch into a ring and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and let rest ten more minutes. Preheat oven to 425F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Lower the bagels into the water. Once the bagels rise, let them simmer for a minute or two (the longer, the chewier the bagel). Flip and boil another minute or two. Place back onto the lightly oiled baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, until golden brown.
