Mix flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Make a well in the middle and pour the water into the center. Use the dough hook on low speed to mix the dough until it comes together in a shaggy mass, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. This can take 3-5 minutes.

Increase the mixer to low-medium speed and knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky to the touch. It shouldn’t cling to your hands or the bowl.

Tuck the dough into a smooth round ball, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Let it rise in a warm spot (70°F-ish) until about doubled in size, about an hour.

Preheat your oven to 425°F and fill a pan with at least 2 inches of water. Bring it to a low boil on the stove while you shape the bagels. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set it aside.

Deflate the dough and divide it into eight equal pieces and shape them into balls. Gently flatten the piece of dough against a lightly floured surface, then tuck the edges up into the middle, pinching them together to form a smooth surface on the underside of the dough. Then flip the dough over, cup your hand around it, and drag your hand towards your body. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat as needed until you have a nice round ball with a smooth surface on top and a pinched-together seam underneath.

Dust your thumb in flour and poke it through the underneath seam-side of the dough ball, pushing any rough edges into the middle. Slide your other thumb in and gently stretch the dough out until the hole in the middle is at least the same width as the sides. Cover the shaped bagels with a damp paper towel and let them rest for 5-10 minutes until the water is ready to boil.

Briefly stretch each bagel again, then gently drop them into the boiling water, top-side down. Work in batches as needed. Boil bagels for 30 seconds to 2 minutes per side, then remove to the prepared sheet pan.

Brush each bagel with egg wash, making sure to get the sides and centers. Add any desired toppings. Bake until golden brown, 20 minutes.

Remove the bagels from the oven. Let cool on the sheet pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.