Bagels

My dear friend, M, once asked if she could send me anything with her sister who was coming to visit. I inherited my mother’s desire for having lots of different recipes available to try. So I asked her to send me recipes. She sent me a bagel recipe. I miss bagels. Every once in a while, I wake up and tell Joél we should go out for breakfast for a bagel with cream cheese. But they aren’t available here, unless you make them. I have made M’s bagels twice and they are lovely.

Here’s the recipe so you can try them too (especially for those who aren’t in bagel land):

Bagels

¾ cup water
1½ tsp yeast
1 tbsp oil
2¾ cup flour
1 tsp salt

Combine ingredients. Knead and let rise (dough will be stiff). Knead again for 10 minutes. Shape with 2 inch hole. Let rise on greased cookie sheet until almost doubled. Drop into boiling water with 1 tbsp salt or brown sugar, 2 minutes each side. Drain. Coat with desired toppings. Sprinkle greased cookie sheet with cornmeal. Bake at 400º for 23 minutes.

Yield: 6 bagels

This time I experimented. I used half whole wheat and half white flour. Then I added ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 ½ teaspoons of mixed herbs (a mix I get here: thyme, sage, oregano, basil, and marjoram). Just before baking, I sprinkled Parmesian cheese on top. Yum!