This recipe was selected as star baker recipe during bread week of Van Bake off 2020. Bagels in a van are awesome, even better when used as burger buns!
Add sugar and yeast to warm water in a bowl. Leave for around 10 mins until foamy.
Mix salt and flour in a bowl, make a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture. Stir together until a dough forms.
Turn out onto a work surface and bring together and knead for around 10 mins.
Put a little oil in a clean bowl and leave dough mixture in a bowl covered with a damp tea towel until it has doubled in size. Approx. 2 hours.
Once proved, punch down and leave again for 10 mins.
Divide dough into 8 equal balls, roll around on work surface until you have a neat tight ball. Then, dip a finger in some flour and make a hole in the middle of each ball and stretch and shape to get a bagel shape. The hole should be about a third of the size of the diameter.
Heat up a large pot of boiling water, once boiling, reduce to simmer. Carefully boil each bagel, you can boil as many at the same time as you feel comfortable doing. Boil for 2 mins on each side. The longer you boil the chewier the bagel will be. 2 mins is that nice sweet spot.
Heat the oven to 220 degrees celsius. Once all the bagels have been boiled, place on a baking tray together. Brush beaten egg wash and bake until golden brown all over. Around 25 mins.