With bagels sold on every corner and in the supermarket frozen food section why bother to make them at home? Sadly, many of those so called bagels are nothing more than soft rolls with holes in their middles. In Poland and in the Jewish neighborhoods of the early 20th century US, bagels were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, and they had large holes-so they could be fished out of the boiling water used in their production.
Bagels are an ancient food-the first known reference to them dates to medieval Krakow. In Poland they were a beloved snack, sold in the marketplace and at street corners.
In the US bagels have been upgraded to a special treat. Though many people eat them every day, bagels are often on the menu at post circumcision brunches and post funeral meals. Food historian Gil Marks suspects that this has to do with the bagels round shape which alludes to the cycle of life.
If you are hankering for an old fashioned bagel, you may have to make your own. Fortunately bagel baking isn’t at all complicated though it does take time. My recipe takes over 24 hours from start to finish though most of that is waiting time.
This recipe is adapted from Inside the Jewish Bakery, Recipes and Memories from the Golden Age of Jewish Baking” Stanley Ginsberg and Norman Berg

New York Water Bagels
Dough
5 cups of whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
1 and 2/3 cup of warm water

Dissolve the yeast in water. Add sugar or honey. Then add flour and salt. You can knead this with a mixer. Knead until the dough forms a ball. Expect a stiff dough. Ket the dough rest for a half hour
Shape the dough into a dozen bagels
Set on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover the outside of the tray with cling film and leave to rest overnight in the fridge

The next day boil up pot of boiling water. Add two tablespoons of brown sugar to the water
Preheat your oven to 460 F or 240 C
Insert the bagels into the boiling water. When they float remove them to drain.
While they are draining add toppings-sesame seeds, poppy seeds, rock salt or anything else or nothing at all
Bake for 18 minutes
Let cool for thirty minutes then enjoy or freeze