Homemade Honey Whole Wheat Bagels

This is how Rebecca eats her bagel :)

I finally did it...I made homemade bagels!  I do most of my baking projects with Rebecca these days.  But I knew the process for bagels was too much for a toddler...too long, too much waiting, too many steps, too much hot stuff.  So I've been putting them off.  I decided to get up early today and go for it.  And they were done just in time for breakfast...literally took them out of the oven a few seconds before we sat down.  I got the recipe from Heavenly Homemakers.  They really are quite simple to make, but they do take time.  These are really good.  And I'm excited to have a stash of homemade bagels in the freezer now!  I LOVE bagels.  I eat one at least 3 times a week.  Some days I'd like to eat one for every meal :P  So I've been anxious to make these.  They are a bit denser than the bagels you buy at the store.  But that's probably due to baker error :P  I really need to do some research on bread baking and learn the details about it.  It seems like I always have issues with my breads being too dense.  I'm just never sure quite how much flour to add.  And I'm never quite sure how long to knead the dough.  So I always mess up step 1 in the process, which means the end product is ok, but not exactly what I want.  So this will be a work in progress.  I will definitely be making these again.  And my goal is to experiment with different flavors.  That's one of the main reasons I wanted to make my own bagels in the first place.  At the store you can get whole wheat OR a flavor...but not a flavored whole wheat bagel.  It's quite annoying.  I LOVE blueberry and cinnamon raisin bagels, but I don't like to eat a bunch of white bread.  So now I can have the best of both worlds...I can make my own :)  And hopefully at some point I'll be grinding my own flour which will make them even better!  I'll just post the recipe here.  If you want step-by-step photos visit Laura's site.  We had them fresh out of the oven this morning with pineapple cream cheese and peanut butter (not together...on separate halves:).

**Updated to add that Rebecca loves them.  She had to have one as soon as she got up and saw them.  Couldn't even wait to get her sleep sack off :)

Honey Whole Wheat Bagels

4 to 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 pkg yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1 1/2 cups warm water (if you put your finger in and it hurts, it’s too hot and will kill your yeast)
3 Tbsp. honey + 1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. sea salt (I used kosher salt)

Stir together 2 cups of the flour, the salt and the yeast. Add in the warm water and 3 Tbsp. honey. Gradually add in the remaining flour.

Dump it out and knead the flour in until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover the dough and let it take a nap for about 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into twelve equal parts.  Set a timer for 20 minutes. Begin shaping each piece of dough into a nice ball. Stick your finger in the middle of the ball and pull it apart to create about a 2 inch hole. Lay it onto a buttered cookie sheet or baking stone.  Continue until all the bagels are formed. Let them sit until your timer goes off.

After your 20 minute timer goes off, turn the broiler on in your oven.  Broil your bagels for 2 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile…bring a big pot of water to a boil. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp. honey.

Put 4-6 bagels into the water, turn down the heat and simmer for seven minutes, turning the bagels over once during that time. Continue to boil your bagels until they are all done. Let them drain on a towel.

Bake at 375 ° for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.