Bagels, Bagels, Bagels

A few weeks ago, Dave put forth a challenge to Sarah to look up bagel recipes on the internet and see if she could learn how to make bagels (with mom's and dad's help.) She was so cute and kind of squared her shoulders and decided she was up to the challenge. She is always wanting to save money for different mission opportunities, so Dave said maybe if she got good at them, she could sell them for her missions money. (Right now we are trying to save up for some kind of animal for a poor family through  World Vision.) Anyway, we have tried several different recipes. We tried plain bagels, whole wheat honey bagels, and tonight we tried cinnamon raisin bagels. We are getting better. The first ones fell apart when we boiled them. The second ones were heavy. I think we are starting to get the hang of it, though. We will see. I write that and next time we try them, they won't work at all, I am sure!

The cinnamon raisin ones do smell really good, though, tonight! Here are a few pictures of them (and some of our sweet, mission-minded sweetie.)

The Cinnamon Raisin version that we made tonight

 Our sweet little bagel maker

Anybody want to buy some bagels? :)

Or you could just make your own... Here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels (from Eating Well website)

INGREDIENTS

BAGELS

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour, or white whole-wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3-4 cups bread flour
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

KETTLE WATER

• 6 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

• PREPARATION

  1. Put raisins in a small bowl and add enough boiling water to cover; let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and blot dry with a paper towel.
  2. Whisk lukewarm water, 1/4 cup brown sugar, honey, yeast and oil in a large bowl until the yeast dissolves. Stir in whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, salt and the raisins. Stir in enough of the bread flour to make a soft dough, about 21/2 cups.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead, gradually incorporating more flour, until the dough is smooth and quite firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Cover with a clean cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 10-inch-long rope. Form bagels by overlapping the ends by 1 inch. Pinch together firmly. Set the bagels aside, uncovered, to rise until slightly puffy, about 20 minutes.
  5. To kettle & bake bagels: Preheat oven to 450°F. Line 1 large or 2 small baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring 6 quarts water and 2 tablespoons brown sugar to a boil in a large pot.
  6. Slip several risen bagels at a time into the pot"the water should be at a lively simmer. Cook for 45 seconds, turn them over with a slotted spoon or tongs and cook for 45 seconds longer. Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and drain on a clean kitchen towel; place on the prepared baking sheet(s). Brush with egg white.
  7. Place the bagels in the oven, reduce heat to 425° and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the bagels over and bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes more.