Bagels

Unless you live in NYC and get them fresh from the bakeries in the morning, you've never experienced a bagel until you've made your own. I will forever be making my own bagels now. Yup. No more Thomas's or Lender's for this family.

And when you think about the idea of homemade bagels you instantly imagine a terribly complex process that is nearly impossible. It's not, I swear. It's a little daunting to read through at first, but when you go through the motions for the first time you'll realize, it's not bad at all. Let me walk you through the process!

Take the flour, water and yeast and mix together to make a sponge. You don't have to do this with an electric mixer. You can do it by hand. If you do, you're crazy though, this dough is pretty dense. 

Make sure you let the dough sit long enough for it to bubble to the point of deflation when tapped against the counter, about two hours. I ended up letting my sponge rise for an hour, then putting it in the fridge for a while because something came up. When I came back to it about two hours later, I set it back out at room temperature again for about another hour. 

By the end of the sponge's rising period it will look like this and the bubbles will pop and it will deflate a bit when tapped against the counter. 

At this point, add the remaining flour along with the yeast, salt, honey/malt/brown sugar.

As you can see I used honey.

Knead it for 10 minutes or until you can stretch it without it tearing and it passes the window pane test. 

You'll end up with a very dense, beautifully elastic dough. 

Divide the dough into balls weighing 4.5 oz each. There will be about 12 depending on the density of your dough and how much flour you ended up using. 

Cover the balls of dough with a damp towel and let them rest for about 20 minutes.

Shape the dough balls by pressing your thumb into the center and stretching into a ring with a diameter of about 2 to 2 1/2 inches. The elasticity will cause the center hole to shrink when placed on the sheet pan, that's why you need to stretch it so large when shaping. 

Set them across two sheet pans lined with parchment that has been misted with cooking spray. 

Spray tops with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap. 

Let rest for about 20 minutes.

They'll look like this by that time. Not too much of a difference.

They'll be puffed up just a little bit, see.

Now it's time for the float test. Take one bagel, or rather sacrifice one bagel, and drop it gently into a bowl full of cool to room temperature water to see if it sinks. If it does not and stays a float then the bagels are ready to be retarded overnight in the refrigerator. Take the float bagel out and place it back on the sheet pan. Cover the bagels back up with plastic wrap. 

I went so far as to cover them loosely with aluminum foil on top of that.

The next day they will look like this. Take them out of the refrigerator about 30-60 minutes before you want to start making them so that the dough can come up to room temperature. 

Aren't they just awesome looking?

Now once the water comes to a boil, dump in 1 Tb baking soda. 

Plop in as many bagels that will fit in your pot without overcrowding them too much. They are pretty forgiving when they touch, but let's not test our luck here.

Boil them for about 1 1/2 minutes to 2 minutes. The longer you boil them, the chewier they will be.

Flip them onto their other side and boil them again for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. 

Take a spider strainer or mesh strainer and gently lift the bagels out of the water and onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and dusted with cornmeal. 

You'll want to dust with the cornmeal or else they may be difficult to come off the parchment after baking. I'm telling you this from experience. Don't be cocky now. 

This is what they will look like before going into the oven to bake.

This is where you'll want to sprinkle on any toppings you may want to add.

Here are the beauties, all boiled and baked. 

Not too bad for being homemade, right???

You'll want to slice one open as soon as they cool so you can see how amazing they taste.

See, how perfect the texture of the crumb is. Oh my goodness.... I want one now.

We like to toast our bagels.

Then spread them with some cream cheese. We're a cream cheese family.

Feel free to use butter... jam... whatever your regular bagel accompaniment may be. 

Bagels
adapted from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinart

makes a dozen
Print Recipe

Sponge
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
4 cups (18 ounces) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 ½ cups (20 ounces) water, at room temperature

Dough
½ teaspoon (.055 ounces) instant yeast
3 ¾ cups (17 ounces) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 ¾ teaspoons (.7 ounce) salt
2 teaspoons (.33 ounce) malt powder OR 1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar

To Finish
1 tablespoon baking soda
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, kosher salt, rehydrated dried minced garlic or onions, or chopped fresh onions that have been tossed in oil (optional)

1. To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.

2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speeds with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough 

3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 81 degrees F. If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achiever the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feels satiny and pliable but not be tacky.

4. Immediately divide the dough into 4 ½ ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired. Form the pieces into rolls.

5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

6. Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Proceed with shaping the bagels 

7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. if it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.

9. The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.

10. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-line sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you decided to replace the paper, be sure to spray the new paper lightly with spray oil to prevent the bagels from sticking to the surface.) If you want to top the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water. You can use any of the suggestions in the ingredients list or a combination. I make a seed and salt blend.

11. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer.

12. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

This Weeks Delish!

Wow, have I been baking/cooking up a storm this last week for you guys! Can't wait to show you what's been going on in my kitchen. Look forward to the next few weeks : D


Now let's see what has been brewing in the kitchen of my fellow bloggers this week-

• Any sweet and salty fans out there? (personally raises hand) Here's a great one that's not too difficult to whip out! Popcorn, peanuts and pretzels folded together and pressed into bar form. AND all glued together with salted caramel. OHHH looks so good!

• Here is a pumpkin recipe for all you seasonal bakers out there. Pumpkin Coffeecake. It is made from a boxed yellow cake mix, so that automatically makes it easy. This recipe even tops it off with a streusel and brown sugar glaze!

• Familiar with the sweet treat buckeyes? Well let me introduce you to the buckeye cupcake! ohhhh boy! Can you imagine?!

• Can you guess what these are?? They are cute little pockets of cookie dough filled with apple pie filling! That's right, they are apple pie cookies. SO cute.

• Now this post, you HAVE to check out this post.... it's all about how to make ammmazingly perfect corn dogs and cheese on a stick. I will be making these. That's all I have to say.

Pick of the Week:

I absolutely urge you to try the pumpkin pancakes that I shared this week. Especially if you are a pancake enthusiast. They are SO good! They make you feel like you are diving into fall. Just awesome.

Poppy Seed Lemon Cake

Don't be deceived. This isn't a lemon cake. This is a poppy seed cake. It has the nuttiness of the poppy seed, the crunchiness and the very distinct flavor. You may not think poppy seeds have much flavor because you're used to them being used sparingly. Well this cake is LOADED. No, overloaded with poppy seeds. So face it, if you don't like poppy seeds, you're not going to like this cake.

Honestly, I think it needs more lemon. Haha I first took a bite and expected the flavor of a lemon poppy seed muffin. Nope. Not even close. The original recipe calls for only 1 1/2 Tb lemon zest... I would add at least 2 Tb. 

So, if this cake isn't anything to brag about why am I putting it up here? Well, it isn't one of my top favorites, but it was still good. 

Plus the whole recipe structure is SO unique!!!

A cake comprised of a TON of egg yolks, equal parts flour, cornstarch and poppy seeds, as well as a whole cup of butter. Have you ever heard of such a thing?! It's madness. So, needless to say the texture of this cake is nothing that you have probably ever tried. And since poppy seeds aren't as ubiquitous in America as they are in Europe, the flavor is probably new to you too.

The recipe calls for an 8" bundt or tube pan. I used a 10" tube pan so it was done maybe ten minutes sooner. You have to play it by ear. 

Poppy Lemon Seed Cake

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Print Recipe

2/3 cup sugar
8 large egg yolks
1 large whole egg
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt (edited to add this)
2 sticks (1/2 pound or 1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
1/2 cup poppy seeds (I got this from one 3-ounce spice bottle)


Preheat the oven to 325°F Butter and flour an 8" fluted bundt or tube pan generously. (This cake very much wants to stick. Don’t let it!) Butter the dull side of a 10-inch piece of foil.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the sugar with the egg yolks and whole egg at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale yellow and very fluffy, about 8 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest. Sift the flour and cornstarch over the egg mixture and fold in along with the pinch of salt with a rubber spatula. At medium speed, beat in the butter, then beat in the poppy seeds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and cover tightly with the buttered foil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the side of the pan and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the foil and let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and let cool completely before serving, at least 30 minutes. 

Tortilla Casserole

Casseroles are so much fun. Plus they are an easy meal. Seriously. You can't get any easier than throwing food together all in one dish. Way easier than cooking up some meat along with 2 or 3 sides.

If you have kids, you know the wonders of a casserole.

Aside from that, they are super yummy : )

When I found this particular casserole I was pretty confused about the recipe. I originally assumed that it was made from flour tortillas and then layered similar to a lasagna. I read further and realized it was tortilla chips. Kind of weird right?

THEN the tomato mixture sounded like it was going to be pretty loose so I thought, how in the world does this recipe work!? You just pile slop onto the chips??

I decided to trust the recipe and just go with it. After all, it came from the Cook's Illustrated people.

Man, it was hard not to make any changes...

Since I'm sharing the recipe with you, you can probably guess that everything turned out okay haha Well, you're right! The casserole was very good and definitely a keeper.

As I went along with the recipe I realized that the tomato mixture must be so loose because it hydrates the tortilla chips. RIGHT. Then I began assembling just as it was written and I started to question how the chips were supposed to be layered. The bottom layer was SO sparse... it didn't makes sense to me. Again, I went with it. It's all about trust, right people? And again, I was right to do so. It all came together beautifully and made for one very easy, very yummy casserole!

NOTE: a lot of people do not like beans. This recipe contains beans. So if you are a hater then just substitute out the beans for corn or something that would be similarly delicious. Okay? : D

I should also probably point out that this recipe calls for a 8" square pan. If you are trying to fill a 13" x 9" pan for a big family then you will want to double it.


Tortilla Casserole
adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Print Recipe


1 Tb vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1cup low sodium chicken broth
1 (15.5 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tb minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (or parsley if you are not a cilantro fan)
5 cups tortilla chips (3 oz), broken into pieces, not crushed
2 cups shredded mexican style-cheese

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Heat oil in sautee pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken brother and bring to simmer.

Stir in beans, tomatoes, and chipotle into sauce and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, 3 Tb cilantro, 3/4tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Spread 1 cup tortilla chips over bottom of 8 inch baking dish and top with 1 cup chicken mixture. Spread 2 more cups tortilla chips into dish and sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Spread remaining chicken mixture into dish and top with remaining tortilla chips. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top.

Bake until cheese is golden brown and casserole is bubbling, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro before serving.

Honey Nut Brownies

I had some honey I had to use up before we moved. A LOT of honey... so I looked and looked to find a recipe that used a whopping amount of honey. This recipe uses 1 whole cup! Pretty substantial, especially for a brownie.

Although this brownie obviously contains chocolate... the flavor is distinctly honey.

Since honey is a very different type of sweetener than sugar, the typical brownie companion, the texture is very different than the everyday brownie. Honey is hygroscopic and so it lends these to be a very moist, kind of cakey brownie.

And sticky.

But for all the differences these brownies have from the generic brownie... they are GOOD.

If you are a classic brownie lover that doesn't stray into the realm of blondies, butterscotch brownies, cheesecake brownies, mint brownies, etc, you may not be a fan. If you are looking for a new twist or are just a honey enthusiast, then I suggest you give these a shot. Try something new.

Honey Nut Brownies

Adapted from Dorie Greenspans "Baking from my Home to Yours"
Print Recipe

I suggest adding a cup of semisweet chocolate chips with the nuts if you want to boost the chocolate flavor

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

4 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate

4 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup honey

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, until smooth. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 x9 pan with foil or parchment paper. 


Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and salt together on medium-high speed until light and foamy. Add the honey, sugar, and vanilla and continue to beat for two minutes, or until well blended and smooth. Reduced the mixer speed to low and add the chocolate-butter mixture, mixing only until just incorporated. On low speed still, add flour and mix until it just disappears into the batter. With spatula fold in the nuts then scrape into prepared pan.


Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the brownies have risen and are beautifully brown. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a rack, peel away paper/foil and invert onto another cooling rack. Cool to room temperature right side up.