Bagels!!

I was shopping today and craving bagels. Big, fresh, doughy, delicious bagels. The specialty bagel shop was already closed when I got there, and I won't purchase the supermarket alternatives, so I opted to make some myself!

Bagels are extremely simple and rewarding to make. Breads can be daunting to some, but I found a fantastic recipe that start to finish, takes less than an hour.

Their shelf life is not as long as their grocery store counterparts, but that's a good thing. The best thing about making your own bagels at home: you know what's in them! My boyfriend bought some recently at the grocery store that eight weeks later still appeared to be good - scary!

4 cups AP flour

1 tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. canola oil

2 tsp. instant yeast

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if it's really stiff or you are having trouble incorporating all the dry flour.

Drop the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth.

Cut the dough into eight equal-sized balls, and let rest for 10-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll into a little snake on the surface. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around one of your hands. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish/roll the two ends together. Once the dough is fused, you should have a perfect circle.

Let the bagels rest on the counter for about 20 minutes, and meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil, and line a baking sheet with parchment. Rub parchment with a splash of vegetable oil.

After 20 minutes have passed and dough has risen, add them to the pot, as many as will fit at a time without crowding them. Boil for about a minute, turn them over, and boil another minute. Take them out and let dry for a minute. Place them on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.

Bake bagels for 10 minutes, flip them over, and bake 5 to 10 minutes more until they are golden brown.

Let cool for 20 minutes and enjoy.