in the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer put the yeast, sugar and a third of the warm water. let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is bubbly.

add the remaining water, flour, and salt.

mix on medium low speed until it forms a stiff dough. it should be tacky but not sticky. if it seems too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time.

continue mixing the dough until you can successfully perform the windowpane test - take a small piece of dough with your hands and stretch it until you can almost see through it without it tearing. this ensures the gluten is well developed. this process can take 20 minutes or more, so don’t get discouraged.

when you’re done mixing, transfer to a mixing bowl brushed with olive oil. cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour — dough should double in size.

cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours but up to 36.

remove from fridge and divide the dough into eight equal portions. i weighed mine and they were about 100 grams each.

roll the dough into tight balls. press a hole in the center of each ball to form a bagel shape. place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. let rest for 20 minutes.

preheat oven to 450 f.

in a large pot, add 3 liters of water and one tablespoon of either baking soda or lye. if using lye, gloves and goggles are recommended during the boiling process.

add the bagels one or two at a time, about 1 minute per side.

transfer to parchment lined baking sheet.

sprinkle bagels with your desired seasoning immediately after boiling so it sticks.

bake for 20-30 minutes until bagels are a deep golden brown. if you notice your seasoning starting to burn, tent a sheet of foil over top.

let bagels cool completely, and store in an airtight container. they also freeze well.