Food Network Homemade Bagels

When I was in college I spent most of my mornings at the bagel shop before school and work. There were some great bagel shops around campus and I tried every one of them. On weekends when I was too tired and unmotivated to go out for bagels I had a stash at home that I would toast and slather real butter on. After having kids I started trying to cook as many things as I could from scratch. One of the first things on my list was bagels. I figured that they couldn't be much harder than making homemade bread which I had already successfully tackled. I tried a number of recipes that didn't work out as well as I expected and almost gave up on trying to make the perfect homemade bagel. Then about a year ago I finally found a few recipes that worked and tasted great. One of my favorite Homemade Bagels recipe is by the Food Network and has the prefect balance of soft chewy inside and thick outside.

This recipe has seven ingredients plus toppings. It takes approximately 2 and a half hours to rise and bake and makes 12 bagels. All the ingredients are basic and I had no problems finding any of the ingredients. For whatever reason the recipe states that it only takes an hour and a half, but if you add up all the time it takes around 2 1/2 hours. Additionally, I don't flip my bagels over during baking, I leave them right side up so that they keep a nice rounded top. For the topping for this batch of bagels I used sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are my favorite bagel topping since they work well with sweet or savory bagel toppings. Finally, I form my bagels slightly differently than the recipe. I roll my dough into a bowl, then stick my thumb through and pull making a nice round hole. I followed the remainder of the recipe as stated.

Homemade bagels are a great and easy way to have fresh baked goods in the morning. This recipe has a great outside since it is boiled before going in the oven. The result is a great chewy bagel that is perfect with a variety of toppings. These work great with cream cheese, smoked salmon, real butter or whatever your preferred topping. Overall, a great and easy bagel recipe that will make you never want to buy store bought again.

For the recipe go to Homemade Bagels.