Sourdough Bagels (recipe)

Hello!  Tonight I am going to share a recipe for homemade bagels that I made yesterday (and are gone already!!).  I posted a photo to my instagram account (@belleandrew) and the recipe is below: 

SOURDOUGH BAGELS:
1 cup sourdough starter*** (see below)
2 eggs
3 tbsp oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar

In addition you will need a large boiling pan (like you would use for spaghetti noodles, say) filled 3/4 with water and 2 tbsp sugar.  

In a stand mixer bowl (with dough hook attached) combine the starter with eggs and oil.  Mix together flour, salt and sugar.  Add to starter mixture.  Mix on low speed for approx 8 minutes, adding enough additional flour for the dough to leave the sides of the bowl.  Cover with a cloth and place in a warm area until doubled in size.  (1 1/2 to 2 hours).  Turn out onto lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces.  Round into a ball and poke a hole in the center using your fingers and stretch/pull gently to create the bagel shape.  Cover again and let rest 20 minutes.  Meanwhile boil the pan of water with sugar in it.  Drop each bagel into the water one at a time.  Only boil a few at a time.  Cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain; place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 375* for 25-35 minutes (depending on your oven...mine only took the 25 min), rotating pan halfway through baking.  Bagels should be golden brown.  

Makes 1 dozen bagels.

Once you get the hang of making them, you can add various extra ingredients for a variety of bagel  types!! Store in an air-tight container or large ziplock bag.  Enjoy!

***A quick note about the sourdough starter... I keep one on hand all the time in my kitchen, but many people don't.  You can look up a basic sourdough starter recipe online (try www.allrecipes.com) and use just about any you find to your liking.  Be sure to use it at its bubbly peak for this recipe to get the extra punch and tang of sourdough!  

Any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to drop a line! :)