First Time Making Bagels

Many appliances are in the cabinet taking up space and don't get used very much.  Our bread machine is NOT one of those appliances.  We have gotten lots and lots of use out of it.  In fact, I would be very interested to know how many dozens of loaves of bread that that thing has made.  I wish it had an odometer on it.  Anyway, we've used it to make all sorts of items.  One thing we've never tried to make was bagels.

There's a first time for everything, right?  Tricia made up some dough and after the first rise, you get it out and let it rest for five minutes.  

She formed the dough into little balls and then shaped them into doughnut-like objects and placed them on a cookie sheet and let them proof for fifteen minutes.

I missed the next step, which is an important one.  The next step that I have no photos of is that you drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds.  What we surmise happens is that the boiling stops the yeast from continuing to rise, giving bagels the dense and chewy texture.

Once you remove them from the boiling water, put on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit.  When they come out, they look like regular bagels.

We sliced one open while it was hot.

And put lots of cream cheese on it.  The cream cheese melted into the steaming hot bagel.  Delicious!

Then, Tricia made some scrambled eggs with peppers, onions and cheese and made a concoction she called Egg McBagels.  Here are the two ingredients before assembling them into an Egg McBagel:

We will definitely make bagels again!