Bagels

1. 1. Combine flour, salt and yeast in a mixer bowl

2. 2. Add sugar and oil to the water and pour over the dry ingredients.

3. 3. Knead well for about 7-8 minutes using the kneading attachment on your mixer. You should use the med/low speed. The dough should barely cling only to the bottom of the mixer bowl and definitely not the sides.

4. 4. Form into a ball and put into an oiled bowl turning once to coat dough.

5. 5. Cover with plastic and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours... or until at least doubled.

6. 6. Take a lemon size chunk of dough and form into a ball. Do not punch dough down and deflate. I noticed that it won't rise as much if you do this.

7. 7. Poke hole in the middle and stretch out a bit (in the form of a bagel). Make sure the hole is at least the size of a 25 cent coin piece ...this way you can still see the hole after it has risen. Make about 15 pieces.

8. 8. Let rise 20-25 minutes in a warm environment. The bagels will not rise if it is too cold of an environment. You should see that they have puffed up a bit. You don't want them to over-rise either, as they will absorb too much water when boiled.

9. 9. In a large pot, boil about 6-8 cups of water and add 5 tsp baking soda along with 2 TBS sugar.

10. 10. Bring water to a boil.

11. 11. Reduce heat to low and boil 2- 3 bagels at a time for about a minute on the top side of the bagel . I usually do not turn the bagel to boil on the underside as I noticed that it can get too soggy.

12. 12. Lift each bagel with a slotted spatula and drain all the water.

13. 13. Place on an oiled cookie sheet (bottom side down) or on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

14. 14. Brush the bagels with a beaten egg and sprinkle your favorite toppings.

15. 15. Preheat oven to 190C, place in middle rack, and bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned.