Hole-y deliciousness.

Bagels! I love bagels. First of all, they are bread--I love bread. Second, they are a great vehicle for toppings--butter, almond butter, cream cheese, jam, pesto, and more. Third (and most importantly), they have holes! Although the holes exist to help bagels cook evenly, I think they add a certain flair to what would, otherwise, be a breakfast bun.

Recently, I came across a simple recipe for cinnamon raisin bagels in an old copy of Mother Earth News. The whole process took about 30 minutes (excluding dough-resting and baking times). They weren't the prettiest, but they made up for it in personality--by which, I mean flavor, texture, and general deliciousness!

Cinnamon Raisin Whole Wheat Bagels
adapted from Mother Earth News
makes about 10

2.75 c. whole wheat flour *
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour *
1 pkt. of yeast
1/2 TBS. salt
1/8 c. vital wheat-gluten
2 c. luke warm water

2 TBS. sugar
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. raisins

For the boiling pot:
6 quarts of water
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda

1. Sift or mix together dry ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, gluten). Slowly incorporate warm water into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon (without kneading). When everything is uniformly moist, cover loosely with plastic and let it rise for about 2 hrs at room temperature.
2. With hands and rolling pin, flatten dough to a thickness of 1/4 in. Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, and raisins onto the dough and roll it up--jelly-roll style. Then, Shape the roll into a ball.
3. Cut of a small piece (about the size of a small peach), dust it with a bit of flour, and shape it into a ball. Repeat this step with the rest of the dough. Let rest for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare boiling pot by bringing water to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and add sugar and baking soda.
6. Punch your thumb through the dough balls to form the HOLE! Stretch it open so the hole's diameter is 3 times the width of the bagel wall. Drop bagels into simmering pot, one by one. Don't crowd 'em! Once they float to the top, let them simmer 2 minutes. Flip them over and let them simmer for another 30 seconds. Remove boiled bagels from water with a slotted spoon and place on a floured kitchen towel to to absorb some of the excess water.
7. Place bagels on a floured cookie sheet and pop it into the oven. Before closing the oven door, pour 1 cup of water into the broiling pan--carefully and quickly. Let them bake for about 20 minutes or until browned and firm.
8. Enjoy warm with your favorite topping!

*I used a combination of Nash's freshly ground hard red wheat, some all-purpose flour (wheat with the bran sorted out) from the Fairhaven Cooperative Mill and that magical vital wheat-gluten that has helped my bread move beyond a brick's consistency.