Bake It -- Don't Buy It: Homemade Bagels

I consider one of my big "from scratch" successes to be my homemade bagels. Bagels have a certain air of mystery about them, so I was shocked to find out how really simple they are to make. You wouldn't think that it would be easy to boil bread dough, but there's nothing to it! My husband insists that my bagels are much better than store-bought, and who am I to argue with that? :-)

I use my bread machine for the dough and use this recipe, but I'm sure it wouldn't be that much harder to make the dough by hand. Here is the dough after it has risen:

Then you simply shape the bagels and let them rest for 10 minutes. To shape them you roll them into balls, poke a hole in the middle, and twirl them around your finger.

Then you boil them in sugared water for just a minute. The dough doesn't separate or anything. I use a slotted spoon to get them out and set them on a towel to cool.

Brushing the boiled bagels with egg white before baking gives them that nice sheen and enhances the chewy exterior. Yum!

Final Analysis: Homemade bagels are surprisingly simple and very cost-effective to make. In my family's opinion, they far surpass grocery store brand bagels and taste more like real "New York style" bagels from a bagel shop.

Approximate costs:

Store bought - $3.79 for 12 mini name brand grocery store bagels ($.32/bagel), much more for bagel shop bagels

Homemade - $.89 for 9 medium sized bagels ($.09/bagel)

PS - Check out more Frugal Fridays here. This is Crystal's last week hosting Frugal Fridays. Best of luck to her in her new adventures!