Sweet Savory Cafe's Bagels

Things that have made me happy in the past few days:

1. Molly Stevens' book about braising, which I'd requested from the library, oh, six months ago, was finally released to me this week. (Granted, in June hot June, so the idea of braising seems entirely perverted at this moment, but still! I can ogle the book and that's enough.)

2. My CSA started deliveries again, so I now have bok choy, mizuna (help, readers, help!) and summer savory sitting in my fridge. Red sails lettuce was my dinner last night. Do you belong to a CSA yet? Get cracking! (Last night I heard talk of some mythical-sounding CSA not far from here that not only delivers vegetables, but fruit and yogurt and honey, too! I'm on the case.)

3. I made bagels.

What?

Yes! You heard that correctly! You might ask yourself what on earth could possess a self-respecting New Yorker like myself to make her own bagels, when she has plenty of worthy, nay, superior specimens all around her. And I would answer, this blog, that's what. I mean, what kind of question is that, anyway?

Susan LaTempa discovered these unboiled bagels in California while I was away, making me as intrigued as she was. After all, I've always wanted to make my own bagels, but the aforementioned ubiquity of good ones here and the fact that making your own involves boiling and baking and malt syrup and god knows what else just discouraged me in the end.

But not this time.

I brought home a sack of Gold Medal's new Harvest King flour (endorsed on the back by none other than Rose Levy Beranbaum), pulled my instant yeast out of the fridge (I'll be honest, since No-Knead, it's been sitting rather dormant there), stuck the dough blade into my food processor, and got to work.

My first observation? This recipe makes what seems like an enormous amount of dough. If you've got a stand mixer, bless your heart, then use it. My Robot Coupe is a hardy fellow and managed with the dough, but I'll admit we had a few dicey moments. With stalled motors and funny smells and other frightening stuff.

My second observation? Making bagels is easy, folks. Really. You bang the dough together in a matter of minutes, let it rise (and, oh, does it rise. I love instant yeast), punch it down (best part of the process, really) and form it into bagels. That's it! I picked up my farm loot and caught up on Big Love in the process.

And as for the results, I was pleasantly surprised. The bagels have an appealing chew to them, a nice crunchy bottom and a good crumb. They don't have the heft of traditional boiled bagels and lack that toasty flavor that only malt can supply, but they are pretty delicious for what they are. Plus, they'll impress the heck out of most people you'll serve them to. Spread with cream cheese or a little butter, they might even comfort a homesick New Yorker, stuck in foreign lands.

I'll be spreading mine with my mother's sour cherry jam - my own Italian-American version of breakfast this morning.

(Oh, and don't forget the poppy or sesame seeds - sprinkle them on after the egg wash. I wish I had.)

Bagels
Makes 12 bagels

6 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 1/4 pounds (between 7 1/2 and 9 cups) bread flour, divided, plus additional if needed to work with dough
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

1. In as stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine 3 cups water with the sugar, vegetable oil and 3 cups of the flour. Mix it at low speed until combined.

2. Add the yeast and another 3 cups flour and continue to knead the dough at low speed until all of the flour has been incorporated.

3. Add the salt and the remaining flour. Knead the dough at medium speed until it's soft and smooth and it comes away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is sticky add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time, until smooth and no longer sticky.

4. Roll the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a lightweight cloth or loosely with plastic wrap. Leave the dough for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on room temperature, until it doubles in volume.

5. Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 12 even balls. (If dough is reverting when shaping, let it rest for a minute and start the process again.) To keep the dough from drying out, place a damp towel on top.

6. Roll each ball to about 15 inches in length. Press and roll the ends together to form a bagel.

7. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place 4 to 6 bagels on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving 1 to 1 1/2 inches between each bagel as they will spread. Cover the bagels with a cloth. Allow them to grow by half again in size, about 15 minutes. They should be light and fluffy. Widen the holes in the bagels to 1 1/2 inches each, as they will shrink while baking.

8. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then brush bagels with the egg wash. Bake until golden, about 20 to 22 minutes.

Comments

[Lia]

Wow, those look absolutely amazing! Must make bagels this weekend :)

[Lydia]

Really, this recipe looks quite simple. Being a native New Yorker, I never ever considered making bagels -- after all, great bagels are everywhere in NYC. But now that I'm away from New York and in a place where good bagels are hard to find, perhaps it's time to try making my own. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Mary]

I'm feeling only a little nostalgic for New York these days, but the idea of making bagels is a fine one. I want to make some cream cheese (not hard either, but I've got to find a source for raw milk first) and then I'll whip up some of these, but my new sister-in-law will for sure start to hate me. As for mizuna, I see two good uses for it. One, put it in soups or stews, it's good with lentils made with onion, garlic, carrot, celery and a little lemon juice added in at the end, for instance. It's also an excellent substitute for frisée, so the classic treatment of breaded, fried goat cheese rounds on top of a salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette is an excellent use of this (you could put just a smidge of that sour cherry jam in the dressing). Okay, got to stop, I'm starting to make myself hungry and it's far from lunch time. Do let us know what you decide on.

[Melissa]

Hi Luisa,

I think the CSA that you are thinking of is the Washington Square CSA. http://www.washingtonsquarecsa.org/memberships.html

I signed up (it's my first time) and deliveries start tomorrow!

[Abby]

I've read a lot of horror stories about bagels ... it's nice to know there are simpler recipes out there! The kneading, boiling, baking business really intimidates me. This sounds much more manageable - and boy do they look tasty!

[Molly]

Wow! Those some gorgeous bagels, lady. I clicked on the photo to enlarge it, and I love the look and texture of the crust. So pretty.

[jess in boston]

in case you haven't thought of this, how about a mizuna pesto? I saw it here: http://blog.jagaimo.com/archive/2007/06/01/mizuna-pesto-pizza.aspx
Have fun w/your CSA! i've joined an organic (but, alas, not local) veg/fruit delivery that offers some local cheese/chocolate/yogurt/bread options. I can't wait to try it out! (www.bostonorganics.com)

[amy]

I am so inspired to join a CSA - how exciting! I must have missed the deadline for the one in my neighborhood, but I have some pleading emails out already!

[c]

is a mixer required? could i do it by hand?

[Mercedes]

1. Hooray for using the library, I do the same.
2. We use mizuna as a salad green. You can also lightly wilt it, or make mizuna pesto.
3. That's the most gorgeous bagel ever. I've made bagels a couple times (only when far from nyc). The recipe I use is almost the same, except with the added boiling step, which really isn't that time consuming. Well done!

[zoe]

Hey Luisa! Long time lurker here, love your blog...did you notice that Russ Parsons mentioned your blog this week in his article about waffles?

[Erin]

I will say I have always been one who loves bagels but has been afraid to make them because of how complicated it seemed with the boiling and baking etc but this recipe looks super easy as well as delicious! Being fan of cheese bagels I think a sprinkle of Parm or Asiago would be divine.

[Luisa]

Lia - this morning I discovered that they were even better buttered and toasted! Hope you guys like them.

Lydia - you're welcome! I think, for the absent New Yorker, they're quite the ticket.

Mary - making your own cream cheese? Lady, that's seriously ambitious. Can't wait to read about it. And thanks for the mizuna tips! I'm thinking the salad might be the way to go...

Melissa - that is indeed it! Lucky you. You'll have to report back on the yogurt and eggs and honey. Maybe next year I'll switch over!

Abby - I know, they always seem so complicated. These aren't! Though I admit I still really want to try my hand at the "real" thing.

Molly - thank you! I like that browned top, too...

Jess - that's a good idea, too - thank you!

Amy - oooh, good luck! My fingers are crossed for you. They're such fun.

C - I think a mixer makes things a lot easier - the initial batter is quite liquid. Do you have a handheld mixer? That might even work in a pinch, at least for the first 2 steps.

Mercedes - great minds think alike! Are your mizuna salad greens the baby ones or the big ones (mine look full grown)?

Zoe - Thank you! And I did see Russ's shout-out! Pretty thrilling...

Erin - easy and delicious is right, and I love your cheese idea.

[Sarah]

As for the mizuna, Nigella has this amazing looking recipe in her Forever Summer book: mizuna with squid and a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. YOWZA! Let me know if you want the recipe. :)

[ann]

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle. I would never think to make my own bagels... who knew!

As to mizuna -- toss it in a salad, it's delicious!

[Jason Truesdell]

I suggest using mizuna in salad at first. Within the last few weeks there are at least three dishes featuring mizuna on my blog, one of which was a salad, another was a variation of a Japanese tamago-don, and then that mizuna pesto pizza that Jess linked to above.

It also holds up reasonably well to blanching or sauteeing... on the Japanese site Cookpad, I even saw a pasta tossed with mizuna and tofu.

[wellunderstood]

this was a very inspiring entry, enough to make this midwestern-raised girl want to try her hand at the bagel!

[Luisa]

Sarah - oooh! That does sound good. Welllll, without the cilantro :)

Ann - that is one cute expression, I've never heard it before!

Jason - those all sound like great ideas...and the tofu pasta especially.

Wellunderstood - I'm so pleased to hear that!

[Aaron]

I love mizuna as a wilted salad. If you very lightly sautee half of it in some of your vinaigrette (let's say a lemon-shallot vin.) then toss it with the other half, the sautee will ofset some of the bitterness, and the texture will be simultaneously luscious and structured. That works well for chicories also. Serve a grilled or pan fried piece of fish (sea bass?) atop with a dollop of garlic aioli...that's an easy weeknight meal.

[PALOMA!!!]

I love Sweet Savory......

<3
paloma!