To me, a leisurely weekend breakfast out isn’t made of pancakes or waffles. Those are perfect for lazy at-home mornings. And though I do love diner-style hashbrowns, that’s not my perfect weekend-starter either.

It’s bagels and coffee.

There’s something about walking into a bagel shop with the smell of coffee hitting you in the face as you walk in, wrapping you in the warmth of it’s aroma. Whole wheat bagels, blueberry bagels, chocolate chip and cinnamon sugar…they all put a smile on my face.

Only, who has time to go sit and eat bagels and drink coffee all the time? Not me- not at least without skipping the getting-dressed-and-leaving-the-house part. So bagels and coffee at home it is.

One more problem. The only brand of whole wheat bagels sold at our grocery store are less than stellar. They’re not very…bagel-ly- more like round bread.

So you see the solution that’s coming, right?

Homemade Whole Grain Bagels!

I started with a basic bagel recipe and ramped up the whole grain to make for a nutritious, guilt-free breakfast or snack.

The mix starts with whole wheat flour, oat flour {aka oats coarsely ground in the food processor}, wheat germ, and flax. A little honey, yeast, salt and water, and you have your bagel dough.

Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, then set it aside in a covered bowl for about 10 minutes.

When it’s ready, divide the dough into 6 pieces. {I like the bagels as fresh as possible, so I make a smaller batch. Feel free to double the recipe to make a dozen bagels. You can always freeze any you can’t get to fast enough.}

Now it’s time to make your bagels.

There are two methods to chose from:

1. Roll the dough into a ball, then slightly flatten. Use your finger or knife to poke a hole in the center, then gently work the dough into a circle.

2. Roll the dough into a log, then loop the ends together to form a circle. Gently squeeze the ends together so they don’t fall apart during baking.

Once you’ve formed your bagels, let them rest for 20-30 minutes. Towards the end of this rest time, you can get your water and oven ready for the next steps.

Boil a large pot of water with at least 3-4 inches of water. When the water’s boiling, add in 2 tsp baking soda. {Remember those volcano experiments as a kid? It’ll bubble a bit like that- not as much, but it’s still fun to watch.} Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

When the bagels are ready, drop them a couple at a time into the boiling water. They should drop and then return to the top to float. Cook each side of the bagel for ~30 seconds, then move onto a cooling rack with a towel under it to let excess water drip off.

If you’d like to add a topping to your bagel, like oats or nuts, this is the time to do it.

When all your bagels are boiled, place them on a lined or greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until tops start to lightly brown.

Remove from oven and let cool before eating.

I think these are best the first day- the outside has a nice bite to it, but the inside is soft and chewy. The next day, the outside starts to lose it’s crunch a little. Still delicious though!

Serve plain or with your favorite topping.

What’s your favorite kind of bagel? Where’s your favorite place to eat breakfast out?