Apricot Bagel

1 1/8 cups water

2 teaspoons orange extract -- optional

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons malt powder -- or honey / sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/3 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon wheat gluten -- optional

2 teaspoons yeast

3/4 cup dried apricots -- diced

Place ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed. Use the dough setting. Add the apricots 5 minutes before the end of the kneading phase or work into the dough before shaping. If you don`t have a dough setting stop the machine after the rises. Prepare the baking sheets or use nonstick sheets. Remove dough from the machine, punch it down, and roll it out into a rectangle about 14 x 18. Divide into equal pieces and shape into bagel form or use a cutter. Place the bagels on the sheets and let them rise again. I put them in the oven to provide a draft free location. This rise can be anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours depending on what else is going on in your life. Fill a 4 to 6 qt soup pot with water 3 to 4 " deep. You can add 2 T of malt syrup, honey, sugar or non-diastatic malt powder. Get the water to boiling. Preheat the oven to 400. Drop the bagels one at a time into the boiling water. Boil only 3 or 4 at a time so they don`t crowd. Simmer each side for a minute and return to the baking sheet. Add glazes or toppings as desired. Bake just below the middle of a preheated 400 degree oven. The book calls for 20 to 25 minutes. I usually start at 15 minutes for the 1st sheet and less for the second. These are best eaten while they are still warm. They can be frozen - you may want to slice them first so you can defost them in the toaster.