Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Bagels

     Over the weekend, I was once again struck by a very strong urge to bake. Apparently dough just make me happy. It's bizarre, but I've really taken a liking to kneading dough. If I want to act like a grown-up, I could point out that it's a really great stress reliever. However, the process reminds me more often of playing with play dough as a kid, or even better, playing with the free dough they used to give all the kids at Chevy's. I wonder if they still do that. It always made my day.
     So I decided to bake another batch of bagels because my first attempt turned out so well, and more importantly, because it's impossible to not be happy when you're basically playing with grown-up play dough. Granted, it's a little trickier, but still not too bad. Since my main reason for making my own bagels is to invent more interesting flavors, I decided to combine two of my favorite things for this batch: Chocolate and pomegranates. I know it's unconventional, but this combination turned out to be the best thing I tasted all week. You can't find this particular kind of deliciousness in any bakery that I know of.
     This recipe is very similar to the first one I posted, but this time around, I had a little experience on my side, and have included some extra tips and tricks. This, like all breads, is still a rather time-consuming recipe, but much of that time is just waiting for the yeast to work its magic. This is a great project for a weekend, because then you can do as I did, and freeze some of the bagels for later in the week. To resuscitate them, just microwave them on the defrost setting for one minute, and then pop them in the toaster. One final note, this time, I had to do all the mixing and kneading by hand, because I unfortunately can't take my mom's professional KitchenAid with me to school. It was definitely more challenging to do the old-fashioned way, but it was a worthwhile learning experience. If you have an electric mixer, just follow the instructions in the link above. If not, keep reading, and don't be scared.

And without further ado....

INGREDIENTS: (makes 8 bagels)
1 packet of quick rise yeast
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups slightly warm water
3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading
1/2 cup chocolate chips
seeds of 1/2 of a pomegranate

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix the yeast, sugar, and salt. Then, stir in the warm warm water, and let it sit someplace warm for 5-10 minutes until it starts to get bubbly.
2. Use a big spoon to stir in the bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time. After 2 1/2 or 3 cups, it will probably start to look dry, but do your best too add all 3 1/2 cups, because once you start kneading it, the flour will get incorporated.

After adding 1 cup of flour, it will look like this:

After adding all 3 1/2 cups, it will temporarily look like this:

3. Now it's time to start kneading. First, just reach into the bowl and try to squish it together a little. Then, put the dough on a floured surface, and just work it together gradually. Try to fold the dry outside parts to the inside to eventually get all parts of the dough ball to be the same texture. This stage of kneading will take about 7 minutes. It might sound tricky, but the great thing about it is that it's easy to fix your mistakes. If the dough has a lot of cracks in it, it's to dry, so add a teaspoon of extra water. If the dough sticks to your hands, it's too wet, so add a little more flour.

4. Now it's time to add the mix-ins. I did this by simply trying to press the pomegranate seeds and chocolate chips into the whole surface of the dough, which turned out to be the hard way to do it. It would be easier to press the dough ball down a little, put the mix-ins in a pile in the center, and fold them in. Continue to knead the dough until everything is evenly distributed. One thing I did notice with this recipe, as opposed to my other bagels is that the water content of the fresh pomegranate seeds adds extra moisture to the dough that you wouldn't get using dried fruits. To accommodate for this, you may need to add a tiny bit more flour again at this stage.

5. When you're all done kneading the dough, put it in a lightly greased, but clean bowl, cover it with a dishcloth, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until it doubles in size.
6. After the dough has risen, transfer it back to your work surface, and gently pat it down a little, to get a slightly flattened circle. Now, take a sharp knife, and slice the dough circle into 8 equal triangles.

7. Take each wedge of dough, and roll it into a little ball. To turn it into a bagel, poke your finger through the middle and twirl it gently until the diameter of the hole is about 1/3 of the total diameter. Try to make the thickness even all the way around. Place the bagels on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, cover it with a dish towel again, and let the rise for at least 25 more minutes if you're impatient like me, but up to 45 if you want them to be bigger. While you're waiting, preheat the oven to 425 and boil a large pot of water.

8. After, the second rise, it's time to boil the bagels. Gently lower each one into the water and cook them at a low boil for 1 minute per side. Don't worry, they will float, but this particular recipe will make the water turn to a chocolaty color, which isn't really a problem.
9. After the bagels get boiled, their shape is pretty much set, so try to make sure they look good beforehand, because as you can see, some can turn out to be a little uneven. Let all the water drain off, then place them bak on the lined baking sheet.

10. Bake at 425 for about 25 minutes. Then be sure to try at least one while it's still warm, because nothing beats that kind of freshness!

With a little bit of cream cheese, these are absolutely amazing! They're a terrific way to start your day! Enjoy, and come back later this week for a very unique chocolate cake recipe!