Baking Extravaganza Part Un

It's been stressful around here so I saved satisfying my baking needs for one fell swoop. And what a swoop. I think I went through an entire 5-pound bag of flour. For starters, I made bagels. Now this is only my second foray into the land of bagels but I think they turned out pretty well.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1-1/4 c. warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts water
• Sesame seeds

(I doubled the recipe this time)

Ingredients!

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.

The yeast is going "om nom nom nom nom!"

Then add the butter, sugar, salt, egg yolk, and 1 cup of flour, beating until smooth. Then using a dough hook with an electric stand mixer, knead in remaining flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.

Delicious Dough

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. This lets the yeast go "oh! time to grow!"

My front porch seemed like a perfect place considering it was 80 degrees here (and yeah, we don't have AC in the Pacific Northwest.)

After the dough has doubled, punch down the dough (use your fist to deflate the risen dough).

It's allliiiiiiivvvveeeee!!!

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide into 12 pieces (24 if you doubled the recipe). Shape each piece into a ball.

Push your thumb through the center of the ball to form a 1-inch hole. Stretch and shape the dough to form a ring. Place on a floured surface, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Like doughnuts, only healthier...well, somewhat.

No bring a large saucepan (or stock pot in this case) to boil.

Double, double, boil and trouble.

Drop the bagels in, one at a time, into the boiling water. Cook for roughly 45 seconds, then turn the bagels over and cook for 45 seconds on the opposite side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Again, like doughnut, but sans the vat of frying oil.

Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown at 400 F. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. Enjoy with some lox!

Before...

After. Delish.