Ingredients:

3 cups warm water

3 tbsp oil (I prefer olive oil, but any cooking oil will work)

3 tbsp honey (I prefer raw honey)

3 ¼ tsp salt

7 ½ cups hard wheat flour

3 tsp vital wheat gluten (for best rise, but can be omitted)

2 ¼ tbsp Instant yeast

8 cups water, for boiling

3 tbsp honey, for boiling

In your mixer, combine water, oil, 3 tbsp honey, salt, gluten, and 4 cups flour until thoroughly mixed.
Add yeast and combine.
Add flour, a scoop at a time, until the dough forms a ball. Knead until the dough passes the window pane test, 5-10 minutes.
Cover and let rise until doubled, 45-60 minutes.
Add water and remaining honey to a large pot or saucepan and bring to a simmer. The pot should allow the water to be 2-3 inches deep to keep bagels from sticking.
While water is warming, use a pastry cutter to divide dough into 16 balls. Use your thumb to press a hole in the center and then circle outward until in the shape of a small bagel. Place on 2 baking sheets or stoneware until all are finished.
When water is simmering, drop a few bagels at a time into the water for 30 sec-1 min. Use a slotted spoon to turn over for another 30 sec-1 min. A kind of baked skin should form on them. Continue batches until all bagels have been boiled and returned to greased or floured baking sheets.
Turn on oven now and preheat to 400 degrees, allowing time for bagels to rise a little more. They outside baked parts should crack open as they do.
Bake for 18 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature between 190 and 200 degrees. Cool and slice!