Heidi's Bagels

Heidi’s Best-Ever Bagels

2 C warm water
2 T honey
1 T yeast
2 t salt
5 C all purpose flour
1 egg white
desired bagel toppings (cinnamon sugar, asiago cheese, salt, poppy seeds, etc.)

Let yeast melt into warm water and bubble (5-10 minutes). Add honey, salt and flour. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Auto knead in bread mixer for 10-12 minutes. Dough should be heavier than regular bread dough. Let rest and rise until double (45-60 minutes).

Take out and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll into balls. Poke thumb in middle to create hole and twirl dough around finger until you have bagel shape. Let rest on lightly floured surface for 10+ minutes. Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil. Add 3 T sugar. Place bagels in boiling water for 1 minute, flipping once.

Place on large cookie sheet with parchment paper covered with ground cornmeal. Preheat oven to 400. Brush bagels with whipped egg white. Sprinkle toppings immediately onto wet tops of dough.

Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes, or until golden.
Yields about a dozen large bagels. I often double the recipe and have a stash to put in the freezer for quick morning grabs.