Everything Bagels

Um...where did my last post go??? It just disappeared! Very weird...I guess my blogging noobness got in the way of things again.

I realize that from reading a lot of my most recent posts it seems like all I ever do with my free time is sew. That my friends, is false. I have plenty of other things I like to do, and one of them is cook. I LOVE to cook. I watch Food Network all day to hone my skills and I love to try out new recipes. One of my all time favorite things to do is to try a recipe for the first time. I was lucky enough to have this experience this weekend.

On Sunday, I was craving bagels. Not just any bagel, a hearty everything bagel. However, I don't shop on Sundays, so I couldn't go out and just buy one. What's a girl to do?? After moping for a few minutes, I realized that it should be easy enough to make one, right? Right! I found this recipe in an amazing cookbook my mom got my for Christmas, Family Dinner Cookbook by Debbie G. Harman. I tweaked it a little bit to turn it into everything bagels, but you can just omit that part if you're not an everything fan like me.

Everything Bagels
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot!)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 1/2 cups flour (plus 2/3 cup more to incorporate while kneading)
baking soda
1 Tbs cornmeal (optional)

To make it everything:
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp salt (kosher works best)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine yeast, warm water, and sugar together to dissolve. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine seeds and spices and reserve 1/4 of it for topping. Add the rest while gradually adding 4 1/2 cups of flour to the yeast and sugar mixture. Beat with a dough hook using an electric mixer or knead on a floured surface for 6-7 minutes until smooth. When smooth, knead in the extra 2/3 cup until a stiff dough forms. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water. For every cup of water, add 2 teaspoons baking soda. Dust cornmeal onto a baking sheet. (This just gives the bagels more of a bakery feel) Bring water and soda to a boil. Divide dough into 12 pieces (this will make mini bagels, to make regular sized bagels only divide it into 6 pieces). Shape each pieces into a flatted round disk. Press thumbs into the center and pull dough outward to make a center hole. Drop each bagel into boiling water for about 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drip for 10 seconds before placing on the cornmeal dusted baking sheet. Use the remaining 1/4 of the spice/seed mixture to dust the bagels. Lightly press the seeds down to keep them from falling off. Bake for 8-10 minutes (8 for the mini bagels, 10 for the larger ones) until golden brown. Cool on wire racks and enjoy!

These are DELICIOUS! They taste just like they came fresh from a bakery down the street.

Enjoy!! They're very good with a nice hot cup of lemon tea. Just make sure when you try to be good and add less brown sugar, you don't "accidentally" pour a scoop in your mouth.

I'm linking this recipe up to Craftaholics Anonymous' Recipe Swap!