Bagel

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, sugar and dry yeast. Add the lukewarm water and work into a smooth dough. The dough is a little harder, but that's normal.

Put the dough in a bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour. The dough should have doubled in volume, if it hasn't, let it rise for a little longer.

After rising, divide the dough into eight equal parts. Shape each part into a ball and make a hole in the middle approximately 3 cm in diameter. Place the bagels on a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to rise again for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring water and honey to the boil in a saucepan. Place the bagels in the boiling water and cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side. The dough will firm up and take on a firm shape as it cooks. I use the water and honey to give the bagels their typical golden colour and pleasant taste. Put the bagels back on the baking sheet.

Sprinkle the bagels with sesame seeds, poppy seeds or coarse salt, according to your taste. Bake in a preheated oven at 210°C for about 20 minutes until golden brown. My experience is that a nice crispy crust forms when baking.

Then let the bagels cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, they are ideal for eating straight away. Cool bagels are easy to slice and spread.