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
