Homemade Bagels

I don't know about you, but I love having that feeling of learning how to make something from scratch that I would have normally bought at the store. You normally buy it because you had no idea in the first place how to make it, but then you finally found out how and it ended up tasting ten times better than the store bought version, and you know it is healthier too! I absolutely love this feeling, so much!! And this probably partly what I have become such a fan of this book:

 I got this recipe book as a wedding gift, but didn't "venture" through it till recently, and now that I have browsed through it, I don't know why I haven't done it sooner, cuz I just love the recipes in here, and will prob share some more recipes that are from it. This book is full of fun ideas of how to make things from scratch, especially things you'd have in your food storage like wheat, rice, beans, etc. It is so great to have cuz it gives great ideas that I'd prob never think of making out of those basic simple supplies we've be encouraged to store.

So long story short- I love the feeling of accomplishment in making yummy healthy food, that ends up being super cheaper in the long run, and here is my first "sharing" of one of my new favorite yummy recipes: Whole wheat Bagels!
Here is the recipe straight from the book:

Whole-Wheat Bagels

1 pkg (2 and half tsp.) yeast

1 and half Cup warm Water

¼ cup brown sugar

4 and ½ whole-wheat flour

Baking Soda

Combine yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let stand 5 min. Add flour and beat with dough hook until smooth (I just used a fork), or knead on floured surface 6-7 min until smooth. Let rest 5-10 min. Meanwhile, fill a saucepan ¾ full with water. For every cup of water, add 3 tsp. Baking soda. Bring water and soda to a boil. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a flattened round disk (we used a large rimmed cup as a “cookie cutter” to cut out the disk shape). Press thumbs into center and pull dough outward to make a center hole. Drop each bagel in boiling water for about 10 sec. Remove with a slotted spoon (or a fork). Place bagels on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 8-9 min or until browned.

Here is what ours looked like when we were done, they turned out a little smaller than what you'd get at the store, but they were oh so yummy!

 They worked great for a breakfast meal, or for a lunch/dinner meal they worked really great in making "Pizza Bagels!" as seen below:

This bagel we used our "heart" cookie cutter to get this shape, but to make into the pizza all we did was cut them in half, added tomato sauce (if you don't like the sauce to be as bland you can add Italian seasoning), cheese, and we added some chopped onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes- but you could really add what ever you want- that's the joy of making things on your own at home!

Anyway, hope you have a wonderful day! Till next time....