Measure ½ cup boiling water into a pyrex measuring cup. Add the lard to it, and set it aside to melt.
Add a teaspoon of sugar and a cup of warm water to the bowl of a stand mixture. Sprinkle the tablespoon yeast over the surface, and let it sit about 5 minutes while you combine the flours.
Whisk the six flour mixture ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Using the mixing (flat) paddle on the stand mixer, slowly blend the yeast mixture, adding in the egg whites. Increase the speed a notch or two. When the eggs have been mixed in, add the dry flour mixture. Then mix in the melted lard/water mixture until the batter balls up and comes away from the sides.
Have a bowl of warm water handy for wetting your hands. (The one you mixed the flours in will work fine.) With very wet hands, form the dough into 8 equal balls. Flatten each ball a little, poke your thumbs through the centre creating a hole. Turn the bagel around in your hands, squeezing as you go, to shape each bagel.
Set the finished bagels on a baking sheet and put it into the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Bring a large pot with 8 to 12 cups water to a boil. Add ⅓ cup sugar to the water. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Carefully drop the frozen bagels, two to four at a time, into the large pot of boiling water. Add only as many bagels as have plenty of room in your pot and allow the water to maintain a rolling boil. Leave them in the water until they float to the surface (1 -2 minutes). You might need to nudge them with your lifter to make sure they aren't stuck to the bottom of the pot. Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and set them onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Whisk egg white and water together for egg wash, and brush some over the top of each bagel. Sprinkle each one with Everything Bagel Seasoning, poppyseeds, or sesame seeds, if desired.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the tops and sides are golden brown.
Notes
If you don't have a stand mixer, mix the batter vigorously by hand.
Add only two frozen bagels at a time to the boiling water, so you can keep the water boiling.