If I were a rich man

As I sit here among the aromas of cooking applesauce, cinnamon and vanilla drifting through the air, I contemplate the joys of the bread making up to now. The sauce will be another blog entry, even though it has nothing to do with yeast, but rather just the experience of new cooking itself.

This week, my challenge hat is tipped to my Jewish friends and friends who just like eating bagels. Whether it’s the nonchalant way we dismiss the store bought mass produced pucks that we call bagels, or the pile of freebies on someone’s birthday, which we arrogantly sigh “don’t you have one without sesame seeds on it” there is a lost art to these beautiful creations that we’ve forgotten.

It makes me long for the old country. (Ok, my old country consists of central Mexico, but I’m trying to paint a picture here.)

I can honestly say that I used to take bagels for granted, just picking the ones that had my favorite toppings on it, and spreading some kind of odd monstrosity of chive-tomato-onion-garlic-parsley-chive (wait I said chive already) cream cheese. I did not realize how great and fun it is to make bagels from scratch. They were..delightful.

Everyone I talked to about this, asked me if I was going to boil them. And to answer that question, yes I am and yes I did. From what I have learned, most of us, at least here in Wisconsin are blind when it comes to bagels, but I’m sure there are some of you who found that really truly great bagels are boiled, and not jet steamed. The recipe had me on the adventure to locate some malt powder. Not malted milk, but malt powder. Apparently this is what gives bagels their distinctive flavor and an edge over all those other lesser forms of bagels.

Alas my quest would prove not to be fruitful, and instead I had to rely on the backup of honey. Thankfully the author knew such was to be my fate and had graciously offered any number of substitutes. My only saving grace was the knowledge that had I an accessible home brewing supply store, my source of malt powder, or LME (that’s liquid malt extract to my non home brewing friend) would be limitless. I know I’m not a bagel former, so the finished product doesn’t look nice, but it serves its purpose well. I shaped and let them ferment overnight in the fridge, which is what helps develop the flavors. The next day I boiled them until done (just like a big noodle), topped them, here with cinnamon sugar, and then seed and salt mix and baked them until done.

Freakin awesome.

I am sad to say that the people at work will only get to enjoy bagel bites as I would like more than 12 to try them out. But I think this is a recipe that I will make again. I just think that I need a bigger fridge to hold more overnight.

Next week, Brioche.