Bagels

When I was growing up I spent a lot of time watching movies and the one movie food that always fascinated me was the bagel. It summed up New York for me and seemed exotic and distant. Until I learned how to make them, that is. Bagels still hold that lofty title of "exotic movie food" for me but now I make them at home for my family to enjoy, at any time and without too much fuss.
Allow some yeast to prove in a small bowl with warm water and two teaspoons of sugar. Once bubbly (about 20 minutes), add to a bowl that contains 500g of flour and a teaspoon of salt. Mix everything together, adding little bits of warm water until you have a dough ball. Turn this out onto your work surface and knead until smooth and elasticy. Return to the bowl and allow to prove until double in size.
After about an hour, remove the dough from the bowl and break up into ten balls (more for smaller bagels, less for bigger ones). Once you have a smooth ball, use a wooden spoon and poke a hole through the middle. With the dough ball impaled on the spoon, gently move the spoon in a circular motion so that the hole becomes ever bigger (like a hula hoop dancer). The hole should be about 3cm in diameter. Leave on the work surface and repeat for all the balls.
Meanwhile, bring a bot of water to the boil and add 2 tablespoons of sugar to it. By the time the water boils, the bagels would have puffed up quite a bit (the hole will be somewhat smaller) and as you gently lift them up to drop them into the boiling water, they will feel puffy and light. Boil for about 1-3 minutes, turning them over halfway through.
As you remove them from the water, allow them to drain and then dip them in a topping of your choice (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc). Place the bagels on a buttered baking tray and bake until brown and crispy.
Enjoy with cream cheese, cheese, jam or whatever you like for a breakfast or brunch snack.
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