Bagel Making and new from the garden

As promised here is a relatively quick and easy bagel recipe I’ve adapted from one of my favorite YouTubers, Immy Lucas @ImmyLucas. I’ve made some adjustments to account for the grams to cups conversion and substituted half the bread flour for all purpose which provides a spongier texture.

Full disclosure, I’m no baker. Repeat, I am not a baker! So this is a testament to Ms. Immy for making this seem so easy. In one of her videos, she actually whipped these up while deep cleaning her home. I’ve enjoyed playing around with this recipe so much and I find the taste and texture so much better than store bought. Now, I’m in no way claiming that my version is better than say a New York deli but I can claim that I prefer my fresh baked over a supermarket brand. Also, I find making my own rewarding and cathartic and keeps me away from social media and doom-scrolling.

Easy Bagel Recipe:

1 and 1/2 cup warm water
2 and 1/4 teaspoons of active yeast (I use Fleischmann’s in a jar)
5 teaspoons of sugar
2 cups of bread flour*
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 to 2 teaspoons of honey (optional)
Toppings (optional) Everything Bagel seasoning, sesame seeds or course salt, etc.
* Or 4 cups of bread flour instead of 2 cups of bread and 2 cups of all purpose flours. You can also experiment with 3 cups of bread and 1 cup of all purpose flour, depending on the chewiness you’re going for. As long as your using 4 cups of flour. I wouldn’t go less than half of the bread flour since that change the texture all together.

Add the active yeast and sugar to warm water in a small bowl or use your measuring cup to reduce dirty dishes. Wisk together to a little froth and cover with a cloth or small plate. Let bloom for about 15 minutes. You want the yeast to look like a mushroom or think of the infected on the “Last of Us” IYKYK.

In a larger bowl, add your salt to the flour and pour in your bloomed yeast. With a spoon or clean hands, kneed your dough (you can also use a mixing stand according to Immy, I’m too lazy to pull mine out) for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft and silky. Tip: Keep a couple of tablespoons of warm water close by in case you need to fully incorporate the flour. Roll your dough into a ball and put into a cleaned oiled bowl to prevent from sticking. Cover your bowl with towel and leave on your counter to rise for about 30 minutes. I find that the warmer my kitchen the better the rise. When my kitchen is cold, I’ve had to wait about 45 minutes for the dough to rise.

Once the dough has about doubled, remove from the bowl, cut into six pieces and fold each piece from the corners into the middle and roll into six balls. Place each on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicon baking sheet to prevent from sticking. Cover the sheet with a clean towel and let rise for about 15 minutes.

In boiling water, add honey if using. This isn’t necessary, but adds a nice flavor. While water is boiling, use your finger to poke a hole into the middle of your bagel. Skilled bagel makers may use a different technique to shape a bagel, but for me, poking a hole is the most foolproof.

Once your water comes to a boil, add a few bagels at a time (depending on the size of your pot), and bowl each side for 1 minute and carefully remove and set onto a lined baking sheet. You’ll likely need to boil in a couple of batches. While the bagel is hot, you can add toppings like sesame or Everything Bagel seasoning or course salt.

Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes. (oven temperatures vary).

New from the garden:

I’ve also been putting our veggies from the garden to good use. Check out some pics below: