Not exactly Panera, but pretty darn close :)

Earlier in the year, I decided to try making bagels. They turned out to be much easier than I originally thought. Since I don't have a lot of time to spend watching bread rise, I'm all about making EASY and fast recipes. I personally don't want to have to find something else to do while the dough makes all of its gluten-y goodness. Call me impatient, whatever, I just want to make the stuff and EAT it! :) 

So, this was a super easy basic dough. Not a lot of rise time, (to be perfectly honest, I don't remember how long it was. It's been a while since I've made these and am just now getting around to posting this.) 

**Side note: I went back and read the recipe; it says to let the dough rise for 2 hours!!! Yikes. I don't remember doing that at all but maybe I did. Forget my earlier comment about "not a lot of rise time". [shakin' my head]

 I initially thought that the whole "boiling" thing was going to just be a big mess and wasn't really that appealing (I'm grossed out by wet dough- blech) however, it is a necessary part of the process. Boiling the bagel dough helps create the crusty, chewy bagel crust. It didn't take that long either. Plop the dough in the water for a few minutes on each side and you're done.

 Remove the boiled dough from the water and place on cookie sheet. I lined mine with parchment paper so that my "toppings" wouldn't become a baked on mess.

 Top with whatever spices you like and bake! :)

L to R: Onion Poppyseed; Roasted Red Pepper; Garlic & Herb; and last but not least CINNAMON SUGAR! 

 The recipe said that it would make 6 bagels. In typical "streeeeetching" fashion I made 12 small bagels. They were squat and compact instead of larger and more spread out. Next time, I may follow the directions and make them a little bit bigger.

Roasted Red Pepper 

 Well, they didn't turn out exactly like Panera but they were delicious and I will definitely make them again. Hehe!

Cinnamon Sugar

Recipe Used:  "Real Homemade Bagels" on Allrecipes.com --> here