Everybody loves bagels. You guys are no exception, making this month’s challenge the most popular one yet! It’s a good thing, too, I was worried you guys would never forgive me for the whole mozzarella thing. But seriously, how can you not love bagels? Sesame seed or poppy seed or everything, smothered with cream cheese and lox or fried eggs or peanut butter or jam. When you make them from scratch you can truly make them any way you like. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy these were. I splurged on some good yeast, and borrowed some of Taylor’s barley malt syrup (from brewing). This addition does double duty, adding a nice extra touch of sweetness to the bagels as well as helping to condition the dough. Seeing as we couldn’t agree on what to top them with, we went with a variety of poppy, sesame, and caraway seeds as well as a couple everything bagels per Taylor’s request. The final product was maybe a little bit flat, perhaps (despite them passing the “float test” with flying colors) they could have proofed a little bit longer.
Regardless, fat or flat, and despite their wonky shapes, the texture is delightfully crisp on the outside and satisfyingly chewy on the inside. They are perfectly imperfect in their chewy perfection. I’m trying something new this month (a challenge on top of a challenge, if you will), and created a short video of the bagel making process. It’s rough, for sure, but I thought that seeing first-hand how it all goes down would be a great incentive for a timid cook to go for it. And definitely let me know what you think, if you like the addition of the videos it’s something I’ll definitely try to do more often! Maybe I’ll even say something next time. Be sure to click through to see the video as well as readers’ amazing creations!
[responsive_youtube EjTmXP5fq5k norel] The recipe below is from Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day via Epicurious, and will make about 8 bagels. I encourage you to visit the original as they have many resources on bagel-making in general. I’ve printed an abbreviated version here mostly for my own reference (since my linked croissant recipe has since gone behind a pay wall and is no longer accessible, I wish I had posted it there too). You guys really stepped it up this time, and your bagels are beautiful! I see cinnamon raisin was quite popular, as were the traditional poppy/sesame seed, but you guys also got creative with flavors like asagio, pesto, and even s’mores (woah). Total Time: 24 hours
Seriously, bravo! Your enthusiasm for this challenge makes me even more excited for next month when we tackle… something else. :) What, you didn’t think I was going to tell you NOW, did you? Patience, grasshopper.
