#3643 - Bagel Croutons

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 - day old (or stale) bagels
1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Slice each bagel in half. Cut each bagel half into large crouton sized pieces. In a bowl add olive oil, salt (your choice of amount) and Italian seasoning--stir to mix. Add the bagel pieces to the olive oil mixture--toss to coat. Spread the coated bagel pieces on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

#3240 - Bagel Chips

(by Shirley McNevich)

stale bagels
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder (more if you wish)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Use a large bread knife and, cutting sideways, slice each stale bagel into thin (1/8" thick) slices. Place the bagel slices in a single layer on greased cookie sheets. In a bowl add olive oil, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese and salt/pepper (to your taste). Use a pastry brush to brush the top side only of all the bagel slices. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. Note: the thinner you are able to slice the bagels, the crispier they will get. Also you need to cool them completely to give them time to crisp up.

#847 - Perfect Pizza Bagels

(by Shirley McNevich)

"everything" bagels or Thomas' Mini-Squares Everything Bagel Bread
pizza or spaghetti sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
oregano or Italian seasonings

Set toaster oven to 400 degrees and place setting dial on "toast". Separate bagel(s) or bagel bread into halves, then place on a plate. Spoon pizza or spaghetti sauce on the top of each bagel then place each bagel on the rack of the toaster oven (right on the rack--NOT on the toaster oven pan). Watch them carefully and remove when edges of the bagels start to brown. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top of each bagel. Turn the toaster oven setting dial to "bake" but leave the temperature at 400 degrees. Cover the toaster oven pan with foil, place the bagels on top and slide toaster oven pan into the toaster oven. Bake until cheese is melted. By toasting them first, they won't come out soggy.

#713- Homemade Bagels

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 TBSP dry yeast
2 TBSP white sugar
2 TBSP salt
4 cups flour
1 TBSP vegetable oil
cornmeal
sesame seeds or poppy seeds
2 TBSP molasses

In a bowl add the warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. of the white sugar and let it sit for 10 minutes after mixed. In a separate bowl add the rest of the white sugar, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture--mix with your hands. Add the rest of the flour and mix with your hands. Knead the dough for a few minutes with your hands. Oil a bowl, set the dough ball in the bottom, cover it with a dish towel and let it rise for 1 hour (dough should be doubled in size). Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a few quarts of water to a slight boil and add the 2 TBSP of molasses. Turn heat back to medium so water stays hot but is no longer in a rolling boil. Divide the dough into 16 dough balls and then let them sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle alot of cornmeal on cookie sheets. Shape each dough ball into a bagel shape (punch a small hole in the center with your finger). Once you've shaped all the bagels, place 4 at a time into the hot water for 30 seconds, then gently turn each and boil them on the other side for 30 seconds. Place boiled bagels on to the cornmeal powdered baking sheets and continue until all of the bagels have been boiled on both sides. Sprinkle either the sesame seeds or the poppy seeds on top of the bagels. Place the cookie sheets with the bagels into the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes
or until light brown. Cool on baking racks.