Cinnamon and Raisin Bagels

As promised, here's a recipe that's a little bit more on the healthy side this week. To start with, there's only 3/4tbsp of sugar in the whole recipe and there's some fruit in it too. Bonus. I can kid myself that this makes up for all the calorific recipes I've made in the last few weeks, but in reality, I'll probably have to cut sugar out of my diet for the next few months if I want to make up for all that! 

Anyway, I've been meaning to bake bagels for a while now, because you just can't beat a buttered bagel in the morning for breakfast with a generous layer of jam. And why buy them, when you can make them yourself for far less money. They're so fun to make as well! Not only do you get to spin them around on a wooden spoon to make the hole in the middle, but it fascinates me as well that they have to be boiled before you bake them in the oven. That's what makes their surface so perfectly smooth. Well, in the case of mine, not so smooth and more rustic-looking! But appearance isn't everything. I used this recipe as my starting point and made a few of my own alterations because I just can't seem to get enough of cinnamon and raisins at the moment. And in my opinion, they're the best type of bagels. They go together wonderfully and the smell when they're cooking is divine. I think I possibly may have cooked mine for a little too long, as they were perhaps a bit too crunchy on the outside, but the inside was still soft and eating a fresh bagel straight out of the oven was a lovely start to my day! I froze the ones I didn't eat immediately so hopefully they'll still taste just as fresh defrosted. Give them a go and try something different to wake up to!

Cinnamon and Raisin Bagels (makes 4)

Ingredients:

1tsp Quick-acting Yeast

3/4tbsp Light Brown Sugar

150ml Warm Water

250g Strong White Flour

1/2tsp Salt (I actually didn't add this, but you should!)

1tsp Cinnamon

3tbsp Raisins

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl with a wooden spoon so it forms a dough.
2. Tip out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.
3. Place in a lightly oiled bowl covered with cling film and put in a warm place for roughly an hour or until it has doubled in size. 
4. Punch down and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Divide into 4 equal size pieces and shape into a ball with your hands.
6. Make a hole in the centre of each piece and spin on a wooden spoon to enlarge the hole (so it's about 1/3 of the diameter of the whole bagel).
7. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with cling film for 10 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
9. Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil.
10. Keep it at a low simmer and lower 1-2 bagels into the water.
11. Boil for about a minute, turning half way through.
12. Remove and get rid of any excess water, then place on a baking sheet.
13. When they have all been boiled, bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until they are golden in colour.
14. Remove and cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!