Bagels

I am a real Brunch fan, and for me, brunch is warm bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon with a froffy cappuccino. This is a real Sunday treat! Now, obviously it would be incredibly simple to grab a pack of bagels at the supermarket whilst you pick up the cream cheese and smoked salmon, however, if you are a bagel fan, try this recipe one, that's all I ask, if you don't like them, you needn't try them again, however, for me, I have never gone back to packet bagels, I make them fresh every single week!

Bagels

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of warm water

1 sachet of active dry yeast

1 tbsp. brown sugar

4 cups of plain flour

2 teaspoons salt

Water Bath

8 cups of water

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

Method

Pour the water in a large mixing bowl, add the yeast and the brown sugar and leave for 3 minutes.

Whilst your waiting weigh out your flour.

Add the flour and the salt to the mixture and mix.

Flour the work surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes.

Place the dough in the mixing bowl and cover. Leave for 1-2 hours. I usually make this dough at night and leave over night, so that I needn't do it in the morning but the dough only needs to be left for a couple of hours really. However if you like to be prepared ir you are busy, you can leave it over night.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 8 identical balls. Place on a tray and leave for 30 minutes. While they are resting prepare the water bath.

In a saucepan combine the sugars with the water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling bring to a simmer.

Once the dough has had 30 minutes, use your pointer finger to poke a hole through the centre of the dough, then twirl the dough around your finger o stretch the dough until it is about 2 inches in diameter.

Transfer the bagels, one at a time to the water, leave for 1 minute, then remove the bagel and place back on a tray, repeat with the remaining 7 bagels.

Bake the bagels at 190 oc for 25 minutes until they are golden brown.