New York-Style Bagels

During our last trip to New York, I had the best bagel of my life (so far). The warmth, the smell, the chewiness...awww I miss them so much! Although New York-Style bagels are not common here in Portugal, they are not difficult to make. I've made bagels with this recipe many times, and they come out perfect every time!

If you prefer more New York-ish (meaning chewier) bagels, boil both sides of the bagels for 2 minutes each.

Ingredients：

*makes 8*

2 tsp active dry yeast 1 1/2 tbsp sugar 1 1/4 cups warm water (plus a bit more) 3 1/2 cups bread flour 1 1/2 tsp salt

A pinch of caraway seeds, poppy seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, coarse salt, sesame seeds etc (optional, if you prefer plain bagels)

I like to pair my bagels with cream cheese (kimchi cream cheese this time). Be bold and play with different ingredients to create your own cream cheese flavour!

Steps：

1. Pour sugar and yeast into ½ cup warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir.

2. Mix flour and salt in a mixer with dough hook attached. Pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.

3. Pour 1/3 cup of the remaining warm water in (you can add a little bit more water in if it seems dry). Mix at low speed for at least 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

4. Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

5. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.

6. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball.

7. Gently press your thumb into the centre of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring a bit, then place on a lightly oiled parchment paper. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

8. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 220ºC

9. Reduce the heat once the water is boiled. Carefully put the bagels in. Let them sit there for 1 minute, then flip them over to boil for another minute.

10. Take the bagels out of the water and drain well. Place them on a lightly oiled parchment paper.

11. Brush the bagels with egg wash, then sprinkle on the toppings. (optional)

12. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

13. Let cool before serve.