Bagels

This is also from the Make the Bread, Buy the Butter, and they were really fun to make. Super easy! And SOOOO good. A really fun baking project.

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Cornmeal for sprinkling
Optional toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.

1. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the water and beat hard with the paddle for a few minutes, switching to the dough hook when the mixture comes together. If the mixture seems overly wet, add some additional flour, a tiny bit at a time. Stop adding flour as soon as you have a stiff dough. Knead for 5 minutes.
2. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a dish towel, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about one hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating, sprinkle a baking sheet generously with cornmeal and grease another baking sheet.
4. Deflate dough and divide into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into the neatest, roundest ball you can and then, with your thumb, poke a hole into the middle and coax the dough into a bagel shape. Leave the bagels on the lightly greased sheet to rest for 10 minutes.
5. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the sugar. Drop the bagels into the water three at a time. Let them simmer for a minute, then flip them over and simmer for another minute. Remove with a slotted spoon, return to the oiled sheet to dry just a bit, and proceed with the remaining bagels.
6. Move all the bagels to the cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet. If you want to add toppings, now is the time to sprinkle them on top of the damp bagels.
7. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until golden brown. (Note: we took them out at 23 minutes because they were already looking dark!)