Mini Wheat Bagels

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the water, sugar and yeast. Let it sit until the yeast has activated and bubbles start appearing on the surface, about 10 minutes. With the dough hook attached and the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt. Using a spatula, help the dough form by scraping down the sides of the bowl and pushing the flour to the center of the bowl. Once all the flour has incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and begin kneading the dough. If the dough is sticky, add a little bit more all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue kneading until the dough forms a ball and is smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.

Place the dough-ball in a lightly-oiled large bowl. Cover with a clean towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place (I place it in a turned-off oven). The dough should double in size in about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into about twenty 2½-inch size round balls (each ball should weigh about 2.5 ounces). Set the balls together on your work surface or a tray. Cover the dough balls with a warm towel and allow them to rise for 30 minutes.

Begin bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the brown sugar to the water.

Begin forming the bagels by taking one bagel and carefully, with your thumb and forefinger, poking a hole into the center of the ball. Move the bagel around the 2 fingers to stretch out the bagel. Place the bagel on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

When the dough has come to a rolling bowl, place 2-3 bagels in the pot of water. Allow the bagels to cook for about 2 minutes and then flip the bagels and allow them to cook for another minute. With a slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the water and place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels until you have finished pre-cooking all the bagels.

Place the tray of bagels in the oven and bake until they begin to turn a light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the bagels from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Slice, toast, slather with cream cheese or butter, and serve. Enjoy!

These last up to 1 week in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is, who adapted it from Food Network and King Arthur Flour.