Avoiding the sass by baking

Sick kids are the worst... mostly because all you want to do is take away the ick but you can't... Poor Nicholas was sent home from school with a nasty fever that turned into the stomach yuck. We were supposed to head to Wisconsin for the weekend and a funeral - but that was off the table. Andy ended up going by himself on Sunday for the service - the kids and I hunkered down at home. Nicholas was finally feeling better, obviously but the sass he was handing out. I decided to escape the living room of crazy for the kitchen to bake something! French Toast Bagels. When I saw this recipe online - I decided it was a must bake. I had the cinnamon chips but not the maple flavoring, but that's fine with me - I like cinnamon more than maple. This recipe was easy and quick. The boiling took the longest - but I turned on music - loud and ignored the chaos. These bagels are amazing. Even Mr. Stomach Issues loved them and asked for more - clearly he's feeling better. Even plain, not toasted, simple - delicious! Andy came home and grabbed one too - also deemed them amazing. Now... how do we add the cinnamon crunchies on top to make it even MORE like a Cinnamon Crunch bagel?

French Toast Bagel
2 cups warm water (105°F -113°F)
1 1/2 tbsp dry active yeast
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar packed & divided
1 tsp maple flavoring
4 1/2 – 5 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, combine warm water, dry active yeast, and brown sugar. Stir and set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together 4 1/2 cups of bread flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon chips.
Add the foamy and bubbly yeast mixture to the dry ingredients along with the maple flavoring. If your yeast isn’t bubbly and foamy, your yeast isn’t activated (It could be that your water was too cold, too hot or your yeast is old). Throw that out and try again if it isn’t bubbly and foamy.
Using a Stand Mixer Attach the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup of extra flour to maintain a soft, workable dough.
By Hand: Stir the dry ingredients into the yeast mixture until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer the dough onto a clean surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. Add extra flour as needed. Knead by pushing, turning, and folding the dough repeatedly.
After kneading, let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (cut the dough in half, then each half in half again, and then once more).
Form each piece of dough into a tight ball. Press your thumb into the center of each ball, squeezing and rotating the dough around your thumb to create the bagel shape. Place on a parchment or silicone-lined 3/4 cookie sheet.
Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and allow the bagels to rise for 20 minutes.
Set the oven to 425°F after the bagels have risen for 20 minutes.
In a large pot, bring about 4 inches of water to a rolling boil.
While the water is coming to a boil, make the egg wash by whisking together the egg, milk, granulated sugar and vanilla. Set aside.
Carefully drop the risen bagels into the water, doing so in batches if necessary. Boil each bagel for 1 minute, flip, then boil for another minute. Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to remove the bagels and place them back on the cookie sheet.
After the bagels have been boiled, brush each bagel with the egg wash mixture.
Bake the bagels in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let the bagels cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy!
Store the bagels in a zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.