For a couple years now I have been buying mediocre bagels and calling it good. What have I been thinking? OK, Costco used to make really decent bagels. But the last few times we tried them, we felt they were lacking. Now I can’t really describe what the difference was. But we both noticed it. So we stopped buying them.

Our local grocery store sells a reasonable bagel. But they are bloody expensive and not quite up to my standard. Of course, you have to realize I have very high standards when it comes to bagels. I lived in Bellevue for 37 years. And for part of that time, at least until the mid-90s when the bakery/delicatessen closed, I was a patron of Brenner Brothers Bakery. And a fan of Yetta. (She was the sister and always worked the front counter. A very independent woman with her own sense of style. She always wore glittery pins, flowers and ribbons in her platinum blond hair, and red fingernail polish. Always a joy to be waited on by her.) But I digress…..

Now, not only did Brenner Brothers bake some of the best bread I ever tasted, they sold bagels. (They also made the best sandwiches I ever wrapped my mouth around.) Sigh……… So I know what a really good bagel should taste like. It should have a truly delectable dense, chewy, doughy interior, with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior. Again, heavy sigh.

Well I have to tell you in full disclosure, these bagels aren’t quite as good as the bagels I adored all those years ago. But they are still darned good. And better than anything I can buy in my area of the world. And they are easy to build. And why I waited all these years to make bagels is truly beyond my comprehension. I guess I just assumed they would be hard to prepare.

But in reality, they are not at all difficult to make. Even the boiling step is easy. Really! And when I think about what I was spending on purchased bagels, compared to what it costs me to build my own, I’m almost embarrassed to even bring it up. It’s like about ten cents on the dollar. So, I’ve decided that my store bought bagel buying days are over.

So on that triumphant note, I encourage you to try this recipe and see if you don’t agree that building your own bagels is well worth the effort. And of course you don’t have to make “everything” bagels. You can top your bagels with anything your big old heart desires. Or leave the top plain so you can fill your bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, for example.

As always – stay adventurous in the kitchen, stay healthy, and above all keep your sense of humor.

As a side note, I actually built these bagels 2 days in a row. With the first batch, I forgot to let the dough rise the second time. So the bagels were pretty darn flat when they came out of the oven. I was not happy with myself when I figured out what had gone wrong. But you know what, this kind of thing happens. And it happens to every cook. And the only thing that separates the people who just carry on and learn from their mistakes, from the people who get so upset with themselves that they just give up, is a bit of self-directed diatribe at their own expense. And the names I called myself after figuring out my mistake. Suffice it to say, they would all have had to be redacted if they had been included in a legal document! Then, after sharing a good laugh with Mr. C. at my ineptitude, I had a big old martini. Yesterday morning, I simply started over, after first underlining the part about rising the dough after forming it into bagel shapes. As if I could have forgotten that step. Not bloody likely!

1 c. sourdough starter, room temp.

½ c. + 3 T. slightly warm water  

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more to use in the mixing bowl and shaping the bagels

½ c. whole wheat flour

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 T. milk

“Everything Seasoning” (see recipe below)

Mix the starter, water, oil, whole wheat flour, 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, and salt together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Knead the dough with a dough hook for about 4 minutes, adding more all-purpose flour as needed. The dough should be very stiff.

Pour a bit of oil over the dough, and using your hands roll the dough into a ball making sure that the entire ball of dough is lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 4 hours.

Lightly punch (deflate) the dough and form into 8 equal sized balls. (I use a bit of olive oil to grease my hands while I shape the dough.)

Shape the bagels by forming each piece into a ball and using your thumb, punch a hole through the middle of the ball, stretching to make the center hole larger. Set the shaped bagels on a lightly greased large parchment paper lined baking sheet.  

Cover the shaped bagels with a tea towel and let sit for about 60 – 90 minutes. (They are not going to rise very much.)

Fill a large 12-inch skillet ½ to ¾ full with water. Add the tablespoon of soda. Bring the water to a boil. When the water is boiling, drop the bagels, one at a time, into the boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning after half a minute. Then using a slotted spoon or spatula, place the bagels back on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Continue until all the bagels have been boiled.

Brush the bagels with milk, then sprinkle with “everything” seasoning. 

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in a pre-heated 450 degree oven, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack before slicing.

“EVERYTHING” SEASONING

2 T. poppy seeds

2 T. sesame seeds

1 T. dried finely minced onion (I crush the dehydrated onion in my mortar and pestle before adding it to the other ingredients)

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container.