Rainbow Bagels

Makes 8 1kg bread dough (use store-bought or see recipe below**) Gel food colours (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) 1 L water 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 egg, beaten Sea salt Black sesame seeds Divide the bread dough into 7 equal balls then colour each ball with a different colour, kneading well to evenly colour the dough (use gloves to avoid staining your hands) Divide each coloured dough ball into 8 equal pieces, then roll into long strips (about 20cm long). Take one strip of each colour and place next to each other to form a rainbow. Twist the strips together, then fold to meet the two ends and form a bagel, press the dough ends together to secure. Cover with greased cling film, then leave to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 180C Place the water into a pot and bring to the boil before adding the bicarbonate of soda. Place the risen bagels into the water, one at a time and cook for 5 seconds on one side, then turn over and cook on the other side. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon, then place onto a greased baking Tray. Brush each bagel with egg wash Sprinkle the bagels with sea salt and black sesame seeds. Bake for 25 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Serve bagels with desired filling. ** Homemade Bread Dough 500g cake flour 10g instant dry yeast 1 Tbs white sugar 1 tsp salt 50g butter, melted About 375 ml warm water Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl, then mix well to combine. Stir in the melted butter, then mix in enough warm water to form a soft dough. Knead dough for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl, then leave to rise in a warm place – the dough should grow to about double the size. Knock dough back to the original size then shape as desired.