Freezing - After buying your fresh bagels you can slice them and place them in a plastic freezer bag. You can hold them for months, and when you want to eat them, place them directly into the toaster.
Rejuvenating - If your bagels are several days old and you did not have them in the freezer, you may freshen them up by toasting or putting them in an oven for a few minutes.
Storing - When storing bagels, make sure they are cooled before putting in a plastic bag or they may sweat and become soggy.
1 cup scalded milk
2 tablespoons dry yeast (2 packages)
Pinch of sugar
2 cups of warm water
8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
3 quarts of water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Sesame, poppy or caraway seeds
1. Melt margarine in the scalded milk.
2. Proof the yeast with a pinch of sugar in the warm water.
3. Combine the two liquid mixes and gradually blend in the flour and the salt until a soft sticky dough is formed. Knead well and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size. (About one hour).
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil about 3 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons kosher salt.
5. Knead dough again on a floured board. Break off a piece about the size of a plum and roll out into a 5 1/2 inch long snakelike shape, tapering the dough at the extremities. Twist into a circle and press the ends together. Place on a floured board. Continue until all the dough is used up. let stand, uncovered, until the dough begins to rise (About 10 minutes).
6. Drop the bagels one by one into the boiling salted water, boiling a few at a time. Cover and wait until the water begins to boil again. With a slotted spoon, turn the bagels, cover again, and wait until the water boils about 2 minutes. Remove to a greased cookie sheet.
7. Sprinkle with sesame, poppy, salt or caraway seeds and bake about 30 minutes or until golden.