Originally Published:
Like Mama Used to Make . . . and More, 1986
Original Images:

5 c. flour
1 cake yeast
1 c. warm water
2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
3 T. shortening
2 eggs, beaten
poppy seeds (optional)

Place flour in a large bowl. Dissolve crumbled yeast in water and add sugar.
Make a well in the flour and add the salt and shortening. When yeast begins to rise on top of water and looks bubbly and soft, pour mixture into the well in the flour. Add beaten eggs to well and mix batter from center outward until thoroughly blended. When stiff, knead with hands in the bowl. If necessary, more water can be added at this point to absorb the flour. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise a couple of hours until double in bulk. Then punch dough down by kneading again. Let rise a second time, approximately 1 hour. Cut off pieces of dough and roll with hands on a lightly floured board, until you have a strip 10-12" long and 1/2-3/4" in diameter. Join edges of strip to make a large ring. Repeat until dough is used up. This should make approximately 2 dozen bagels. Heat oven to 400° and grease the wire racks. Place 3 rings at a time into rapidly boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, if desired, as bagels rise to surface of water. Remove bagels from water, (they should be stiff enough to lift out with a fork.) Place on racks in oven as quickly as possible to avoid excess rising. Bake for 15-20 minutes until first side is golden brown. Reduce oven to 350° and turn bagels; bake 10-15 minutes longer until second side is brown.

This recipe makes a soft "egg" type bagel. It is not as hard and dense as the typical "water" type bagel.