Chai Raisin Bagels

 Bagels are probably one of my favorite bread items.  There used to be this little cafe place that served up the most delicious bagel sandwiches.  It is where I developed a little crush on bagels.  It was really close to the local dollar theater, so sometimes my sister and I would go grab a fresh toasted bagel filled with creamy shmear and sneak it in and enjoy it while watching a cheap movie.  So, it's not a s surprise that I really love bread.  Over the last several years, I've been trying my hand at several bread making techniques and bagels are probably one of my favorites!  They taste so much better than store bought and they are better for you.  A little side note:  With Weston's soy allergy, we have noticed more and more brands throw soy flour or soy lecithin in their bagels so they stay fresh for months. . . which is a HUGE bummer when all you want is a bagel and cream cheese! 

When I opened my the Fall Bake from Scratch magazine, I was immediately drawing stars on the page for these Chai Raisin Bagels.  They just sounded so good and they looked gorgeous.  Then, I read the recipe.  I hadn't even heard of several of the ingredients and I'm pretty sure that most people don't have some of them in their pantry and I really wanted to make them. . . and maybe inspire you to also.  So, I did some research and tweaked the recipe a bit and wha-la, we have the most amazing and chai raisin bagels with ingredients you should be able to find in your pantry or even your local Target.  Easy Peazy!  

 My kids could not get enough of these bagels.  They even had fun making them because they are really hard to mess up!  Plus, making the holes in them is so much fun! This is a great way to not only teach yourself something new and improve your bread making skills, but it's also amazingly delicious and a fun recipe that even the kids can get involved in! 

Chai Raisin Bagels
adapted from Bake from Scratch 

Ingredients:
7 cups bread flour
2/3 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 Tbs sea salt
3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice*
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
4 tsp molasses
 egg white (for egg wash)

Directions:
In your favorite stand mixer, mix flour, raisins, salt, spices, and yeast by hand.   Attatch your dough hook, and add 2 1/4 cup warm water and molasses.  Beat at low speed until you start to see a shaggy dough start to form.  Continue beating until dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.  It will start to look elastic, but not baby bottom smooth.  This will take about 8 minutes. 

Once, your dough looks right, place on a floured surface and form it into a smooth ball.  Spray a bowl with some oil spray and place the dough ball into it, turning it with your hand so that the bottom is now on the top and a little bit oily.  Cover it and place it in a warm place*. 

Let it rise until doubled in size. . . about 1 hour. 

Divide dough into 12 portions and make little balls.  Then poke your finger through the center of them and let it swirl like a hoola hoop around your finger.  This will give it that bagel look.  Place it on a baking sheet and continue to do that to all of them.  Cover with a towel and let rise for 15-30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to just before a boil.  Pour 1/4 cup of molasses into the hot water.  Lightly drop a bagel round into the water (2 or 3 at a time), and cook for 10 seconds on each side.  Place back on baking sheet.  Keep doing this with the rest of your bagels. 

Make an egg wash by whisking an egg white and a tablespoon of water.  Brush carefully over the tops of bagels.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Spread your favorite shmear** over the top and enjoy. 

notes:
*Chai Spices include ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamon.  I found that the Pumpkin Pie Spice from Trader Joes has almost all of these ingredients (McCormick leaves out the cardamon. . .so you might want to adjust your flavors accordingly).
** We love Kite Hill Cream Cheese as a dairy free option!