Bagels, Bagels, Bagels !

So the chain bagel places in our neighborhood just were not cutting it for me, and I am far too lazy to venture to the college neighborhoods where an awesome bagel can be found on every corner. I decided I would just have to make my own...

This recipe will yield approx. 8 large or 12 medium size bagels. I modified directions from a few bagel recipes found online and this is what has worked for me. I often cut this recipe in half because we can't eat our way through 12 bagels before they get somewhat hard/stale. One thing I have found that works well is to make croutons out of the stale (2 day old) bagels. They are much denser than the croutons made from bread and therefore hold up much better in a bisque or chowder

BAGELS:

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the butter, sugar, salt and egg yolk; mix well. Stir in the flour and form a soft dough.
Place dough on a floured surface and knead for about 6 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Grease a mixing bowl with olive oil or butter and place ball of dough in and turn so the dough is coated on all sides. Cover and let rise for approx 1 hour in a warm place until dough has doubled in size.
Transfer dough back to cutting board or flat surface. Shape into 8-12 balls depending on the size of the bagel desired. Be careful to make as round and smooth of a ball as possible, or the bagel may not hold together well when baked. Push thumb through centers to form a 1-in. hole. Place on a floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. It is important that the sauce pan have deep enough water so that bagels can be completely submerged. Drop bagels, one at a time, into boiling water. When bagels float to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon. If you want plain bagels, place the bagels 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
If you want to add toppings you remove the bagel from the water and place in a bowl with that particular topping (Italian seasoning, salt, Cinnamon+sugar,etc) I suggest using a non stick baking tray or some type of parchment paper to bake on. I had a few problems even with a greased sheet where the bagels would burn to the sheet. We ate them anyway, but that is not the point ;)
Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

"Home-made" Cream Cheese Recipe
2 packages of store brand lo-fat cream cheese + one of the following ideas for fillings:
Veggie: celery,chive,carrot, green peppers,1 teaspoon dill, 2 pinches of salt
Dill: 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped fine, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 2 pinches of salt
Lox: 3-4 slices fresh lox (finely chopped or processed in blender), add capers if you like them...
Cinnamon Raisin: 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon white sugar, 1/2 to 3/4 cup of raisins
Chive: 1/2 cup of chives, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 2 pinches of salt
Peanut Butter: 1 cup peanut butter (you can add some oats or ground flax seed for fiber)Chocolate: 1/2 cup - 1 cup of Nutella spread
Strawberry: 1 cup (chopped or processed in a blender) fresh strawberries, 1 tablespoon sugar
Strawberry Banana:1/2 cup each (chopped or processed in a blender) fresh strawberries and bananas, 1 tablespoon sugar

If you find that the consistency of the cream cheese is too thick to manipulate, you can either leave at room temperature for a bit, or you can add a few tablespoons of sour cream and it won't drastically alter the taste, but the consistency will be creamier. Refrigerate and enjoy !