In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, instant yeast, and granulated sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. The mixture should look foamy when ready.

Add in the bread flour and salt, then using a danish dough hook or your clean dry hands, mix together until the dough forms. It should be thick and look dry and scaly. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, then knead the dough with your hands until it's soft and smooth in texture (5-7 minutes).

Shape into a ball then place into a greased bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 60-90 minutes. Warmer spots in your kitchen will see a faster rise time.

When the dough is just about ready, adjust your oven to the middle rack and preheat your oven to 425ºF. Prep a large baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat (highly recommended) or parchment paper lightly sprayed with a flour-based baking spray or non-stick oil cooking spray (without the spray the bagels might stick).

Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut the bagel dough into 8 equal-sized pieces. You can either eyeball this part or weigh each piece so they are all the same size. Mine weighed around 100 grams each.

Roll each section of dough into a ball on an unfloured work surface (you want the surface to be a little sticky). Place onto the prepped baking sheet. Next, create a hole in each ball of bagel dough using your thumb and pointer finger. Stretch it out a little bit, but not too much. Let the bagels rest for about 10 minutes.

While your bagels rest, prepare your baking soda and honey bath by bringing a large pot of water, along with the baking soda and honey, to a boil. I also mix together the egg wash mixture at this time, then set it aside.

Place 3-4 bagels into the boiling baking soda honey bath and leave in for no more than 1 minute (use a timer) per side. The bagels will puff up and look weird and wrinkly, but they'll smooth out during baking!

Remove each bagel with a fine mesh strainer or flat slotted spatula, carefully letting any excess liquid drip off, then place back onto the baking sheet. Repeat until all 8 bagels have been bathed in the baking soda honey bath.

Brush on the egg wash mixture and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning (if desired).

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425ºF or until your bagels have a nice shiny, light-medium golden brown color. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.