bagel love

prepare.... to bake

i heart baking

sprinkes

mmmmm......

delish x

as i mentioned earlier today, on my to-do list was making bagels. a priority today as kneeding the dough is a great way to release the pmt mentalistic-ness that has me firmly in its grasp.

this recipie was pinched from miss jemma, a super mummy who makes all her own baby food and bakes and her son sleeps when he should....like i said - super mummy! its quick, simple and they look super impressive when you take them out of the oven. here's how......

ingredients

7g sachet dried yeast

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp salt

450g bread flour

poppy, fennel or sesame seeds

1.tip the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar into a large bowl and pour over 100ml warm water. leave for 10mins until the liquid becomes frothy.

2.pour 200ml warm water into the bowl, stir in the salt and half the flour. keep adding the remaining flour until your dough is soft but not sticky. *you may not need all the flour.

3.kneed for 10mins on a lightly floured surface until the dough feels smooth and elastic, shape into a ball and put into a clean, lightly oiled bowl. cover loosly with clingfilm and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size - approx 1 hour.

4.heat oven to 22oC/fan 200C/gas 7. divide the dough into 10 pieces, shape into balls and use the handle of a wooden sppon to make holes in them. *i find it works best if you swing the dough around the handle to make the balls look like dough bangles as the hole with get alot smaller at the next stage.

5. meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and tip in the remaining sugar, stir well. slip the bagels into the boiling sugar water - no more than 3 at a time. cook for 1-2 minutes, turning over occassionally until the bagels have puffed up slightly. remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

6. once they are all cooked, sprinkle with your favourite topping, then bake in the oven for 10 - 15mins. *this is a total judgment call depending on how hot your oven gets. go by the colour of them, yummy golden brown is perfect....jet black is not!

7.place on a cooling rack and eat as soon as possible. *i had mine while they were still scorching with butter and razzberry jam.