My sister in law LOVES these bagels. Any mention of making a batch sparks a ridiculous excitement in her. I will admit, they are good... which makes it even more difficult to save them for her. See, at most times in my household, there are between 1-4 adult males wandering the kitchen, opening cupboards, and looking in the fridge for food. Even if they're not particularly hungry, if it's food, and it's not nailed down, they will eat it. Here's where the slightly threatening notes come in. The only chance to possibly keep something from being eaten. Yesterday, I decided to whip up a batch of bagels for my lovely sister in law. As I was making them, several people swarmed the kitchen, "Whatcha makin'?" "When are they ready?". I explained they were for Laura, and put my brother (her husband) in charge of keeping them for her. He must have learned something from my notes, because he made a nice own of his own! And the bagels did make it to her in one piece!
The recipe I use is from the King Arthur Flour Baking Companion. I usually egg wash them, and make a few different kinds - poppy, sesame, cheese etc. For the cheese, I add it in the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent it from burning. Tasty!
