Bagels

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 3 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• cornmeal

Recipe

• 1 stir together water and yeast (4 1/2 tsp = 2 pkgs) in large bowl of electric mixer; let stand 5 minutes to soften yeast. stir in the sugar and salt. gradually mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat at medium speed for 5 minutes. with a spoon, stir in about 1 1/4 cups more flour to make a stiff dough. turn out on a floured board and knead until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, (about 15 minutes); add more flour as needed to prevent sticking - dough should be firmer than for most other yeast breads. place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled ( about 40 minutes to 1 hour).
• 2 punch dough down and divide into thirds. set 2/3 of dough aside on a floured board; cover with clear plastic. form remaining 1/3 dough in a log and cut into 16 equal pieces.
• 3 to shape, knead each piece into small ball and poke thumbs through centre. with one thumb in hole (hole should be at least 1/2 inch) work fingers around perimeter, shaping ball into a small donut- like shape about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. place bagels on a floured board or tray and let stand 20 minutes.
• 4 bring water-sugar mixture to a boil in a 4 to 5 quart pan; adjust heat to keep it boiling gently. lightly grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. lift bagels carefully and drop into water (about 6 at a time) boil gently for 1 minute turning only once (30 seconds each side). lift out with slotted spoon and drain very briefly on paper towels, and place on baking sheet. brush with 1/3 of the egg yolk glaze, sprinkle with seeds and bake in a 400° oven for 20 minutes or.
• 5 until richly browned. cool on racks.
• 6 repeat with remaining 2/3 dough (you may need to punch it down before shaping,) working with 1/3 at a time. makes 48 cocktail size bagels, or 12 to 18 larger bagels.