bagel-rolls

this was my second attempt at bagels. the first time, operating with very vague shaping instructions, i elected to cut the bagels out like biscuits and then cut out a hole in the center. it worked fine, but the hole was too big, and then i was stuck re-rising, re-rolling and re-cutting three times before i gave up and went ahead with the bagel-holes as if they were bagels too. i also had to throw out some dough. this time around i was smarter than the dough. another problem i had the first time around was that, owing to the VERY vague recipe, i didn't dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm enough water. thus, my bagels didn't rise quite right.

also: my instructions are for those working with a standing mixer (and dough hook!). if you're not... um, deal. i don't really know what to tell you. i guess you'll be kneading your dough.

ingredients:

• 1 package of active-dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups of water at the temperature suggested on the yeast package (110?)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 cups flour
• (toppings or flavor to be mixed in, if you like)

prep:

• dissolve yeast & sugar in water
• put your biggest pot on to boil
• preheat oven to 375 degrees
• sit around for 10 minutes

actual cooking:

• add flour & salt, mix until dough comes away from the edges pretty much completely and picks up most of the scraps (and whatever you want to flavor with: herbs, spices, garlic, bacon bits, whatever! [within reason])
• cover dough with a cloth and leave in a warm place until almost doubled (a while-- like, maybe 40 minutes to an hour)
• punch down dough and put it on a floured surface
• roll dough into a log about 3 inches in diameter
• cut into 8-12 pieces (8 gives you big rolls, 12 gives you dinner rolls) and hand shape into flatish circles
• place the dough on a floured baking sheet and cover with a cloth to rise about 30-40 minutes
• (don't panic if they're still small, they'll rise more in the next step)
• simmer the dough, uncovered, in small batches, for 7 minutes
• drain dough on a towel
• place dough on a greased baking sheet
• (put on any toppings, like sea salt, parmesan cheese, etc.)
• bake bagel-rolls for 30 minutes or until golden brown

and... that's it. don't eat them all in one sitting, i know it's tempting. oh! and one other thing. these last for ABOUT 18 hours. if you want them to last longer, freeze them.