Yummy Bagels

One of Kolby's all-time favorite breakfast foods is a bagel with strawberry cream cheese on it.  One of his stories in his Reading Street book was about a boy whose parents own a bakery.  In it, was a recipe for Jalapeno Bagels.  We decided to try to make some home-made bagels. (minus the jalapenos)
Gather your ingredients for Phase I:

 All you will need for these bagels is:
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water                          1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp dry yeast                                            5-6 cups flour
2 tsp salt

Mix water, yeast, salt and sugar.  Add flour and mix into a ball.  Knead for 10-12 minutes adding more flour if necessary, until dough is stiff.

 Let dough rest 10 minutes, then cut into 12 pieces with a knife.

Roll each piece of dough on a table to form long, cigar-like shapes.  Then, for each of the twelve pieces, connect the two ends by overlapping them about 3/4 of an inch and rolling the ends together to make a ring shape.  This is where having 2 extra sets of hands comes in handy.

They roll fast, don't they?  Now, the hard part...waiting.  Cover them with a damp towel and let rise 1-1 1/2 hours in a warm spot.  Here they are, lined up and ready.  {I'm hoping that is the way they are supposed to look}

Now, that the waiting is over {phew}, Gather your materials for Phase II:

In a large pot, bring 1-2 gallons of water to a rolling boil.  Place bagels in boiling water and boil until they float (15-30 seconds).

Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  On a side note, make sure not to leave your stainless steel slotted spoon on the stove top while the oven is preheating and the water is boiling..{ouch!}

Bake at 400˚ for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Now, I'm not going to lie and say that everyone turned out this good.  Most were wonky and big..good, but wonky.  This way, we have a base to improve on. :)