Basic dough: flour, yeast and water. I'm mimicking the high-gluten flour used for bagels by adding gluten to normal flour. (Vegans often have gluten lying around for making seitan.)
... an hour later.
Bagels "rounded" and shaped.
Ideally we would have only let these rise for 40 minutes or so, but we went to see a comedy show. When we got back 3 hours later, these had risen a bit too long, and basically had no holes (again).
Boiling bagels is difficult to photograph through the steam, but it's not complicated. The boiling water is slightly alkaline (baking soda), and slightly sweetened (rye malt; I've also used "Just Like Honey", a honey alternative).
These bagels are distinctly funny looking.
After boiling, the bagels are sticky, and toppings are added.
Then they're baked. Again, not the prettiest bunch. :)
But they were incredible.
They were amazing with tofutti, hot from the oven.