Measure warm water into a glass measuring cup or bowl.

Stir in sugar and yeast, allow to stand for 10 minutes – it should get very bubbly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Pour in yeast mixture, stir well to combine.

Dump dough out onto a floured surface, knead until soft and elastic, 5-10 minutes.

Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 7 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Once dough is fully kneaded, place it on a clean work surface. Divide into 6 equal pieces.

One piece at a time, knead in some gel food coloring, until smooth, even, and intense colour is achieved. You can do this by hand or in a stand mixer, just be sure to wash the surfaces between dough colours.

Keep the dough balls covered as you work, spray each coloured ball of dough with a bit of nonstick spray when you’re done kneading the colour ing.

Repeat with yellow, green, and blue dough pieces.

Finally, flatten the purple piece out and stack it on top of the blue dough. Press the whole stack down firmly to flatten & even out a bit, and adhere the doughs.

Using a sharp knife, cut the stacked loaf of dough into 8 equal strips.

One strip at a time, twist the dough to form a candy cane-like spiral, then roll to form the dough into a smooth log.

Secure the ends of this spiral log together, repeat with remaining strips of dough.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, place formed bagels on the prepared baking sheets.

Cover with plastic wrap, allow to rise for another 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F, and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Turn heat down a little, allowing water to simmer rather than boil. 2 or 3 at a time, drop your bagels into the simmering water.

Allow to cook for 1 minute, then flip each and allow to cook for another minute. Drain well, place on a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 35-38 minutes, until lightly golden brown.