Sunday Bread: Bagels at Home?!

Listening to the radio while driving a few years ago, I heard a feature on a Montana woman who lived so far from city life she even had to "make her own bagels." *Insert a car screeching to a halt on the road's shoulder* What?! MAKE YOUR OWN BAGELS? I don't know where I thought bagels came from, but they certainly did NOT come from home kitchens. They required fancy equipment not available to an amateur home cook. Didn't they?

A few years (and Anthony Bourdain episodes) later, I'm happy to report that I now have a better idea how bagels are made. They're actually boiled. Well, at first anyway. Brunching at a little restaurant in Newburyport a few weeks ago, as I sat comatose after an amazing homemade bagel spread with fresh smoked salmon and a divine horseradish sauce, I thought about how much better this would be enjoyed at home some lazy Sunday among friends and family. And so, I present my first (of many, I hope) batch of homemade bagels. Everything bagels, to be specific, because Magnolia prefers the bagels with "sprinkles."

Original recipe can be found here.