Homemade Poppyseed Bagels

Posted by: Maggie

Betcha didn't know that food blogging can be a dangerous hobby. 

It's true. On Monday, while attempting to photograph my bagels from above, I grossly overestimated my sense of balance, and fell when the brown chair you see below violently swiveled to the right the second I managed to stand up straight on it.

The scene of the accident:

Fortunately, my ego was bruised worse than my bottom, and I carefully clambered back onto the chair and got my money shot. In the future though, I plan to invest in a stepladder before attempting any more overhead food photography. Or, perhaps I'll start wearing my bike helmet when taking photos that necessitate standing on my brown chair. Maybe I'll get one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" medical alert devices for good measure. I mean, I may be 27, not 87, but I live alone, and have klutz tendencies. It just makes good sense. 

Here's what you'll need for 5 large bagels:

3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus a bit more if necessary
4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
Vegetable oil, for greasing
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (not packed)
Cornmeal, for sprinkling
Poppyseeds

In a mixer bowl, combine the bread flour, instant yeast, granulated sugar, and kosher salt. Add the warm water, and beat with the paddle attachment, and switch to the dough hook when the mixture comes together. Knead for 5 minutes (using the dough hook,) adding in small amounts of additional flour if the dough seems too wet.

Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean, damp tea towel, and allow it to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

30 minutes into the dough's rise, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Sprinkle a large baking sheet generously with cornmeal, and lightly grease another.

When the dough has risen, deflate it, and divide into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, poke your thumb through the center, and form into a bagel shape. Rest the bagels on the greased baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Your water should now be boiling. Add the dark brown sugar, let dissolve, and return to a boil. Drop 2 of the bagels into the boiling water. Allow to simmer for 1 minute, then flip them over and simmer for 1 more minute. Remove with a slotted spoon, return to the oiled baking sheet, and repeat with the 3 remaining bagels.

Transfer the bagels to the cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet. Sprinkle on poppyseeds. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until golden brown.

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Source: Adapted from "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" by Jennifer Reese

Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker Cookies

Posted by: Annie

You can never have too many versions of chocolate chip cookies! My kitchen is finally starting to come together, and these are the first cookies I have made in my new house - AND, the first thing I made using my brand new KitchenAid mixer :) 

These cookies combine the flavors of graham crackers, dark chocolate, and peanut butter, and fill your house with one of the most delicious smells ever.

What you will need:

1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup peanut butter M&Ms
2 cups dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat on medium-low speed until well combined. Finally, fold in M&Ms and chocolate chips.

Using a large cookie scoop, drop dough 2 inches apart on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.

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Source: All Recipes

Cranberry Orange Walnut Tea Bread with Sweet Orange Glaze

Posted by: Maggie

Back in December, my Aunt Sharon sent me a message on Facebook recommending a cookbook called "A Passion for Baking," by Marcy Goldman. Aunt Sharon happens to be an excellent baker and cook, and I knew she wouldn't steer me wrong, so within minutes of reading her message, I clicked over to Amazon and snagged myself a gently used copy. 

I strongly suggest that you all follow suit and go get a copy too, because this cookbook is awesome. It is full of just the kind of baked goods I like to make - delicious, simple, and non-pretentious. I decided to tackle the cranberry bread recipe first, partially because it was one of the recipes Aunt Sharon recommended, and partially because my friend/college roommate/former DC roommate, Rachel, recently asked if I had a good cranberry bread recipe. I didn't when she asked, but I totally do now!

Don't skip making the glaze for this bread - it really imparts a lot of moisture and flavor, and makes the bread extra delicious!

Here's what you'll need:

For the bread:

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 small orange, zested
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract
1/2 cup orange juice (I used bottled, I didn't bother juicing the orange that I zested)
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 teaspoon, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cranberries, half of them coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the glaze:

1/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and generously spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. When I say generously, I mean generously. My bread was a bitch to get out of the pan even though I thought I sprayed enough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the loaf pan on it. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in orange zest, egg, and extracts. Beat in orange juice and buttermilk. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Switch mixer speed to low, and beat in dry ingredients until just combined.

Gently toss cranberries with the remaining 1 teaspoon of flour (this prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf) and fold them, and the walnuts into the batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until bread is lightly browned, and springs back when gently pressed. Cool for at least an hour on a wire rack before removing from the pan.

To make the glaze, combine the orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan, and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Using a skewer, poke small holes in the bread surface. Drizzle glaze over cooled bread, and let stand for 20 minutes before cutting.

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Source: Adapted from "A Passion for Baking" by Marcy Goldman