Simple Bagel Recipe.

Makes 6 bagels.
Ingredients:
1. 1.5 cups of water
2. 4 cups of flour
3. 4 tablespoons of gluten (optional)
4. 6 tablespoons of sugar (or honey)
5. 1 teaspoon of salt
6. 2.5 tablespoons of yeast (active)

Steps:
1. Pour the water, half the sugar or honey (3 tablespoons) and yeast in a bowl. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. (This is called proofing. The yeast should rise and foam, if it doesn't the yeast is bad and you don't want to continue with it, you want some better yeast.)

2. Add the flour, salt and gluten to the yeast/sugar/water mix. Stir/Mix as you add it. Towards the end you will have to knead the flour in because you won't be able to stir/mix it in. Add more or less as the consistency seems right. Let rise for 10-20 minutes in a lightly greased bowl (I just use the original mixing bowl.) BTW - the gluten makes the bagels chewier - some recipes suggest you use high gluten flower. Either/or.

3. Form the dough into a bagel shape and let sit uncovered for about 10 minutes. (I just roll them into balls then punch a hole in the center with my thumb.)

4. Get a large pot of water boiling (just a little under or over) and add the other 3 tablespoons of sugar. Put the bagels in, a couple at a time so you don't get them all jumbled up. Let them boil for a minute or so then turn them over with a spoon and let them boil on the other side for another minute or so. (I think the boiling process makes the bagels crustier, the sugar helps the crust also. It might inhibit the yeast as well so the bagels don't keep rising in the oven.)

5. Take the bagels out of the water and put any poppy/sesame seeds, salt, etc on the top of the bagels at this point. (They may not stick to the top to your satisfaction. To address this issue some people paste the tops with egg whites as a glue.)

6. Put the bagels on a greased pan and bake at ~400 degrees (fahrenheit) for 20-30 minutes. (Basically till they are brown enough. Also, many people coat the pan with corn flour so the bagels don't stick. This is a pretty good idea cause they like to stick.)

Let them cool before eating.