Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Let it sit until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix flour and salt, then stir in the yeast mixture. Knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Divide your dough into six equal parts. Knead each part with a different gel food color until fully combined.

Cover and let rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.

Flatten each colored dough into a disk and stack them in rainbow order. Cut the stacked dough into strips, then twist each strip into a spiral shape before forming it into a bagel.

Let the bagels rise again for about 20 minutes, covered with a clean kitchen towel.

Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Boil the bagels for 1 minute on each side, then transfer them to lined baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 35-38 minutes until golden brown.

Optional: Sprinkle with coarse sea salt before baking for a touch of savory goodness.