While we are all shut up in our houses with the Corona pandemic many people occupy their time painting the bedroom or kitchen walls or doing handyman projects, Not me . I just cook. I try to learn to do something new every year that I didn't know how to do before. I had made bagels in the long ago past but didn't think they came out that  good. 

I finally found a bagel recipe that is most excellent.It is the best recipe in the world. Everybody agrees, ( Just ask Trump) I found it on the Smitten Kitchen web site where profoundly wondrous recipes are to be yours with just a click,  https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/bronx-worthy-bagels/    You start with a bowl,,,, the BIG BOWL!!    Bagel dough is more dense than the dough for your average loaf of bread, If you have an electric mixer with a dough hook it's better to use that than hand kneading.Just get it started in the big bowl. It has to come out with a satiny non tacky or sticky finish , No leftover flour flakes. I won't discuss the recipe details here.... that's why I posted her site so that if you are interested in making your own bagels you got the SECRET RECIPE !!!!    However, once the electric mixer has gotten about 3/4's of the way done you will realize this is a heavy dough. Therefore ~  divide the dough in half. When you get to the part where the last 3/4 of a cup of bread flour is done, add half of it to the first half of the dough then the last half of it to the last half of the dough. DO you follow me?

 Now you need another BIG POT but for boiling water with a TB of baking soda.  Bagels are boiled before baking.But the process goes very fast. 1 minute on one side then 1 minute on the other side, NO MORE, Remove from water with a slotted spoon. I have one of those basket ladles which works perfect.

 Remove from water. Brush an egg white wash over the top and dip in toppings, We love Everything bagels so mix sesame seed, poppy seed, Kosher salt together. First I have a little bowl of rehydrated onion flakes ( takes a couple of minutes in hot water) that I spread over the bagels with a butter knife. Then I dip the top of the bagel in the sesame, poppy seed ,salt bowl and put on a parchment paper covered baking sheet to bake them Follow Smitten Kitchen's directions,

 To keep the holes from closing up during the overnight refrigeration process I rolled little cylinders of card stock and stuck them in the holes. when the dough starts to rise it closes up the holes otherwise.

 Then my parchment paper ran out so I cut the cardboard roll in sections to use for next time.

 Mine baked for about 12 min total.

 They were SOOOOO   YUMMY !!!    No preservatives but they freeze well. Bagels come out best if you let them thaw naturally to room temp.