You've GOT to try this! {From my kitchen}

  Our family LOVES bagels, but it is very hard to find any "healthy" options out there. Even if we can find them at the health food stores, they usually go bad very quickly and we end up wasting a lot of money!
So, we decided to try to make our own bagels. Now, I am NOT much of a baker. A cooker, yes. A baker, not so much. I wasn't sure how this was even going to turn out, but I figured I would only have time and a few ingredients to lose.

 I always buy Organic Rice Milk, and wasn't sure how it would work for the bagels.

 Kneading the dough. My little photographer, Elle, gets credit for this photo:)

 Now, we just have to wait for the dough to double in size. {insert Jeopardy music here}

 I formed the bagels and put them on a flour-dusted pan to rest. Covered them with a towel so they didn't dry out.

 Dropped them into a pot of boiling water. Once they floated to the top, they are ready to be baked.

 We decided to make a few variations. Some with cinnamon/sugar sprinkled on top, some with raisins and some just plain old whole wheat.

 Baked them in the oven and put them on wire racks to cool down a bit.

 Oh, my.................they were sooooooo good!! I will never buy bagels again!! Well, I will, but they will never taste like my very own. These were a bit time-consuming to me, but well worth it!

Let me know if you try these! You won't be sorry:)

This is how they looked toasted the next morning.

Seriously, you have GOT to try this!

Here's the recipe:

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 enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. *I put mine in the microwave where I had melted the butter and it was perfect!* Punch dough down. Shape into 12 balls. Push thumb through centers to form a 1-in. hole. Place on a floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes; flatten. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Drop bagels, one at a time, into boiling water. When bagels float to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. *I also lightly dusted my pan with corn meal so they wouldn't stick on the bottom.* Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Blessings, 

Aria:)