What it's about...

My daughter, Annie is sick. It totally stinks for her, she's been coughing coughing coughing. I've had to keep her home from school and we have been having fun resting together, lots of stories in bed and down time. Being a stay at home mom can be tough, your job doesn't end, and when Annie goes through unhappy times I'm at the brunt of it. But, it's actually a really sweet job. I'de even do it for free! Ha Ha!

So today I was a little bored and I asked Annie, what do you want to do? She said "I want to go buy bagels"! Ha, this is where super mom comes in, "Hey Annie, let's MAKE bagels" (Plus tomorrow is pay day, not for me, cause I work for free, but for Troy, who thankfully is a good sharer, and the food envelope has a grand total of $1 in it).

I love my job, its times like this, spontaneous, that we enjoy together, that I know I wouldn't get if I was sitting in a cube chasing the $$ (like my poor Troy, who I'm sure wishes he was a stay at home dad). So, grab yourself a kid, make them wash their hands like ten times (especially if they are sick like mine is) and put them to work.

Have your kid dump about 3 cups of flour along with 2.5 teaspoons yeast, 3 Tablespoons sugar, and 1 Tablespoon salt into your mixer, or your food processor, or at worst...a bowl. I find it best to measure the ingredients if you have a 4 year old, but that's optional. Try to keep your kid from eating all the flour, mine likes flour...like plain...she's going to be in for a rude awakening some day.

Then have your kid slowly drizzle 1.5 sups of water into the mixer while it's going. You are looking to make a wet dough.

Then slowly add in about 0.5-0.75 cups of flour to the mixer until the dough cleans everything off the sides of the bowl. Attach your kneeding attachment and let it go. You can add more flour if needed, but the ideal is a dough that you can pinch and it isn't sticky.

Once your there. form it into a ball and throw it in a bowl to rise for an hour.

Like I said, one hour. Want my tip for rising dough in cold Colorado? Stick a coffee cup of water in your microwave and heat it for 2-3 minutes. Then open the door, pop in your dough bowl, shut the door and let it rise in there. Works great.

Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, put on a pot of boiling water with 3 Tablespoons sugar in it, and turn on the oven to 400 degrees. After one hour, dump your dough out, have your kid wash their hands like 10 or maybe 20 more times and then they can pat down that dough.

Divide the dough into 10 chunks and have your kid make them into bagel shapes. This part is super fun for them, Annie ate a lot of dough, and had a blast here.

Now, dump those bagels three at a time into the boiling water. Teach your kid about boiling water and being safe, but let them flip them after 30 seconds. Leave them in there for 1-1.5 minutes and then have your kid lift them out and onto a towel.

You can put toppings on them now if you want. Usually salt, onion, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, cheese, whatever you want. We left ours plain...cause like I said...payday is tomorrow. Then pop them into the oven for 25-30 minutes.

Your kid can watch, although this isn't necessary.

And in a half an hour. whah-la. You have yummy and full of GLUTEN bagels.

I went to find Annie to deliver her a wonderful hot and tasty bagel, and this is what I found. Poor little thing, but, I'm sure she'll want one when she wakes up.