You will need 3 sets of the following amounts. One for each color of dough.
1cupwarm water
1/4-ouncepacket active dry yeast
1 1/2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
3cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoongel paste color1-2 squirts
1teaspoonvegetable oilfor each bowl when rising
Instructions
The following steps will need to be completed for each of your three colors, starting with the lightest color. We have yellow, blue, and red in this recipe.
Add yeast and sugar to cup of warm water for each color and let sit for 10 minutes.
For the first color, take one bowl of yeast mixture and add to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
Add in half of the flour and food coloring, starting with the lightest color first.
Mix until incorporated, add the second half of the flour.
Let mix until it comes together as a stiff dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is no longer sticky.
Add oil to the bottom of a bowl, place the dough in the bowl and refrigerate until all of the colors have been made.
Repeat for each color, then remove all bowls of dough from fridge and place in a warm area to cover and proof for 40 mins.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and knead slightly.
Roll each color out into one inch thick rectangles.
Lightly grease a sheet of parchment paper and stack each color on top of one another, making sure they are the same size and length.
Cut the stacked dough in half and add the stack on top of the other.
Cover and let meld together for 30 mins.
Now that your dough is combined, we can shape the bagels.
Slice 1 inch by 6 inch strips.
Twist the dough to create a spiral and join the ends.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Place on a lightly greased surface (baking sheet), cover and let double in size (20-30 mins)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Bring a large pot of water (12 cups) to a boil.
Boil bagels on each side for 30 seconds in batches of 2-3.
Add to a lightly greased and parchment paper lined cooking sheet and bake for 5 mins.
Turn bagels over and bake for an additional 15-18 mins or until done.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Serve and enjoy
Notes: Read through these notes before getting started if you haven't worked with bagel dough before.
Be careful not to over-proof the bagels or leave them in the boiling water too long or they will come out flat. A little goes a long way!
Bagels should be doubled in size before adding them to the pot of water and they should feel lighter than before.
A high gluten flour will give you a very chewy bagel. Bagels can be made with bread flour or all purpose flour. All purpose yields a softer bagel.
For a crisp crust make sure the water is boiling before adding the bagels.
If micro-blisters appear on the surface of the bagels that is from the fermentation of the bagels. The taste will not be altered.
Check your yeast! At the beginning of the process of mixing yeast with water, the yeast is blooming and you should see bubbles at the ten-minute mark. If not, the yeast is bad. If your bagels are too dense its because they were under-proofed or the yeast was bad.