Start by adding warm water to a mixing bowl. The bowl from a stand mixer works best if you have one, so that you can mix it with the paddle attachment.
You add the yeast to the warm water…
along with the sugar. Sugar and warm water are the best things to activate yeast quickly. Mix those together and let the yeast begin to bubble.
Once the yeast doubles, you add the oil.
Then comes the flour and salt and the whole thing gets placed into the mixer with the paddle attachment.
You could also simply do this in a heavy glass bowl and use your hands to mix. They are the best tools in the kitchen, after all.
But if you have a mixer, you use the paddle attachment until it all comes together. (I know. That’s not my paddle attachment. Don’t be like me.) Like Meredith recommended, I used a sprinkling of water along the way and scraped down the sides of the bowl a few times.
Then you cover the bowl and put it in a warm place to help it rise.
Now at this time of year, it can be hard to find a warm place, depending on which part of the country or world you are in. Where I am in New York, it’s still snowing, so I opted for a spot near the fireplace. You could also put it near the stove or a heater.
The varying conditions will affect how long it takes the dough to double. For me, it was about an hour.
Once it has doubled, you punch it down and put it on a floured surface.
Then you knead it for a few minutes.
Then you cut it into portions. I cut mine into four since I wanted a bigger bagel, but you can also do six portions and it will work well.
Roll each ball of dough into a long rope, long enough so that when you bring the edges together you have a nice circle in the center. Remember that the dough is still going to puff up again so the circle will become smaller!
When you have it as long as you need, wet the edges a bit to make it easier to join them together.
