Bagels

I have an obsession with Panera (among other things).  But I especially love their asiago bagels.  Too bad for me, the nearest one is close to two hours away.  And yes, there have been times where I have made an excuse to make the trek up there for a stop there specifically.

Recently, though, as I find myself channeling Susie Homemaker a little more each day, I decided that I should jump right in and learn how to make my own bagels.  I even put it on my Mission 101 list; it was that important.

And talk about jumping right in-I made bagels today (not asiago, sadly, because I don't have any), and I made bagels today using my own recipe.  I browsed around looking for a cheese-y conconction but found nothing.  I may or may not have been a little impatient with Google for letting me down when my mind was made up on bagel type.

[Also, I did some online shopping..if I keep this up, Jimmy is never gonna leave me home by myself.  I get into trouble that way.  Maybe I'm onto something.]

Just in case you wanted to dive right into a fun (and easy!) baking project, you can follow along here.

Mix these things together:
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons instant yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water

I didn't even use a spoon-I mixed it all together and then kneaded it for about 8 minutes (you will know when it's well-combined).  Split this dough into 8 equal-sized chunks and roll those into nicely-shaped balls.

Place on wax paper and allow to rest (and grow!) for about 20 minutes (hint: now would be a fantastic time to do your bagel dishes).

Here's your change to relive your playdough days.  Roll the balls into ropes.  When the ropes are about 10 inches long (I never claimed to be good at math or estimating things), wrap the rope in a circle and seal the ends together.  I found this to be easiest by wrapping the dough rope around one hand and pushing the unsealed ends together against the counter.  You'll have to roll it again slightly to allow it to regain a round shape.

The shaping was honestly the hardest part of this whole process.  This is where my rookie bagel status can be affirmed.  Once you have rolled all of your ropes into bagel shapes, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and fill a GIGANTOR* pot with water and allow to boil.

*your pot doesn't have to be this over-the-top but I figured I was going all out, so the GIGANTOR pot fit.

After your bagel shapes have rested for 20 minutes,

(and your water is boiling):

put 2-3 in your pot (depending on your pot size and your bravery) and let them sit on each side for about a minute. 

Remove them from the boiling water and drain the water for about a minute.  I did this on paper towels, but was a little concerned about the stickiness-I'll have to come up with something better next time.

When all 8 bagels have been boiled, place them on a well-greased baking sheet and place in your oven for 10 minutes.

Flip.

Bake for 10 more minutes on the other side.