Mini Cake Bagels

Steps

• 1

  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, salt, water and sugar. Add in flour and mix until the dough starts to come away from the sides (do not knead).
• 2

  Pour dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
• 3

  Place risen dough in the refrigerator overnight, covered loosely with greased plastic wrap.
• 4

  The next day, lightly flour a countertop and divide the refrigerated dough into 10 to 15 golf ball-sized balls (to shape into a ball, stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom all around, rotating as you go). Cover balls loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rest on floured countertop about 20 minutes.
• 5

  In the meantime, preheat oven to 400°F with a broiler pan in the oven. Then bring to a boil about 6-8 quarts of water in a large pot on the stove. Once boiling, add sugar and baking soda and reduce to a simmer.
• 6

  Take each ball and with floured fingertips, poke a hole through the middle and stretch to about the size of a quarter.
• 7

  Drop bagels into simmering water one a time, careful to leave enough room so they don't crowd each other and stick together. Simmer for 2 minutes on each side and flip using a slotted spoon.
• 8

  Remove bagels from boiling pot and place on floured paper towels to absorb some of the water. Place bagels on a floured baking stone or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle bagels with seeds or minced onion, if desired.
• 9

  Place stone and/or baking sheet in oven and pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan, closing the oven door quickly. Bake 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.
• 10

  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.