Weigh and sift flour into a large bowl

Add warm water to a medium-sized bowl and stir in starter until mostly dissolved

Combine everything and allow dough to hydrate for a few minutes before kneading

Add salt and knead your dough by hand for 5-7 minutes or with a stand mixer for 3-5 minutes. The dough will be very thick and a little stiff. Work the dough in your hands until a smooth dough is formed

Allow the dough to rest overnight for 8-12 hours

To create bagel twists, use your hands to roll a dough piece into a long snake, being careful not to break the dough or pop any bubbles

Fold your snake in half and twist the two pieces together

Secure the two ends of the twist by pinching them together

Repeat for all the bagels Cover the bagels with a damp towel to rest for 30 minutes or until puffy

While the bagels are resting, preheat your oven to 425 F and bring your large water pot to a boil and add the sugar

Once the bagels are puffed up a bit, gently add them (only a few at a time) to the large pot for 2 minutes. Once each bagel is pulled from the water bath, add your toppings of choice to the slightly wet bagel

Repeat will all 8 bagels

Once your water bath is complete, place your bagels on a baking stone and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown

Serve and enjoy! I usually can’t even wait 10 minutes for them to cool down before digging in, so I won’t ask you to do the same…