Homemade bagels

Well it's been a good start to the year with me tackling one of those things that been on my to-do list for a good long time - homemade bagels. Even though i'm a bread maker from way back they always seemed fiddly and difficult somehow. I couldn't have been more wrong. Not only were they simple to make but they rise and cook in a shorter time than most breads. 

I forgot to take pictures of the early process but  the instructions are easy to follow. I used the recipe and instructions from the sophisticated gourmet . I prefer a more wholemeal product though and made this with half wholemeal and half white flour.

It's a standard bread recipe to start, once risen i divided it into 9 bagels, mostly because i can't count well and thought i had 8.

Each piece is rolled into a ball and a hole poked in the middle.

The hole is stretched out to allow for rising and put on a tray.

 The initial rise only took an hour and the second rise only about 10mins. 

That's a great speedy rise for bread in a hurry.

Then into the pot for a brief boil. This was the fun bit watching them bob around.

Once boiled they're into the oven for baking. A few sesame seeds were added to a few for some interest.

This is a great recipe and these were totally yummy. We ate them with salad, cold chicken, cheese and some fresh basil pesto for a delicious summer meal.

I was enjoying these so much i forgot to take a picture before i had eaten most the dinner! but you get the idea.

Still sitting on the to do list is homemade crumpets and english muffins. The other half wants to have a go at making hollandaise and suggested we team it up with homemade english muffins. Hello eggs benedict....

Guess i know what i'll be making next weekend.

Have a great week everyone

I'm sharing this week over at Nourishing Joy, drop over and check out what everyone else has been up to this week.

xxx