Now, I'm not sure any bagel recipe can be deemed easy if you want the real thing. They are, ultimately, rather time consuming rather than hard though. So it's more a question of getting the timing to work with all your other things to do than anything else!
This is from Nigella who based it on George Greenstein's Secrets of a Jewish Baker.
1kg strong white bread flour, plus more for kneading
1 tbsp salt
7g sachet easy-blend yeast (make sure your yeast is not past it's sell by date!)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
500ml warm water, plus more as needed
2 tbsp sugar for poaching
2-3 baking sheets oiled or greased
Combine flour, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl. Add sugar and oil to the water. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid, mixing to a dough with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Knead the dough either by hand or with a dough hook, trying to add more flour if you can. You are aiming for a dry dough. It will be stiff and hard work but you need to knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough. This can take 15 mintues or more (this is where I draft in DH but we've finally ordered the transformer for my Kitchen Aid so hopefully it'll be easier next time!).
Form the dough into a ball and put it into an oiled bowl, turning once to coat all round. Then cover the bowl with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise for about 1 hour. It should be well risen and when you poke it with your finger the impression should remain. If your kitchen is cold, you need to put the dough somewhere warm to rise.
Punch the dough down really well and give it a good knead. Then divide into 3 parts. Roll each part into a rope and cut each rope into 5 pieces. Roll each piece again into a rope and then curl and pinch the ends to form a ring. Place the bagels on the baking sheets, cover with tea towels and allow to rise for 20 minutes until puffy. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil and once boiling, add sugar.
Preheat oven to 240C/Gas Mark 9 (yes, that hot). Once the water is boiling and the bagels are nice and puffy, poach them 2-3 at a time for about 1 minute, turning once. Once poached, place back on the baking sheet, well spaced. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are shiny and golden brown.
Makes 15 bagels. I freeze all but 4 as I find bagels keep better that way.
You can add toppings such as poppy seeds, salt, or sesame just after poaching. Place your topping of choice in a shallow dish and gently press the poached bagel into it (shake off excess water first!).
Good luck!
