What are we doing here? Snacking, obviously.
I've been toying around with the idea of starting a blog for years, but here's the thing. I am quite possibly the most boring and predictable person alive. I'm sure the neighbors can set their clocks by me: "Oh, Jill's out walking the dogs; it must be six eighteen A.M." I am so. not. interesting.
I am by no means a professional baker. I have the world's smallest kitchen, cookie sheets that warp and make scary sounds in the oven, and a boyfriend who has particular tastes (no nuts, nothing healthy, and nothing different). I also have a full-time teaching job, two squirmy, wiggly dogs who love to help clean up (see left), and baking genes coming at me from both sides of my family tree. Sometimes I'm too tired, too stressed, too blah to bake. Not lately, though.
Up first is my inaugural attempt at making bagels. (My inaugural attempt, that is, if you don't count the time my mom and I tried to make bagels when I was maybe five years old. We used a packaged mix that called for a can of beer, to shape the bagels and poke raisins into them right before baking. They were rather unremarkable. But what a sweet little memory to hold on to. Hi Mom!!!)
This cinnamon raisin bagel recipe came to me from Sally's Baking Addiction. Do you know this baker/photographer/published cookbook author/blogger/ Instagrammer? She's awesome. Sally always uploads detailed instructions, beautiful pictures of the various stages of a recipe, and she responds to comments and questions on recipe posts with helpful feedback. I frequently read the comment section before I start one of her recipes so I can anticipate where things might get a little hairy for novices such as myself.
If you've ever kneaded dough, you can do this. In fact, I am rather impressed with how these bagels turned out, considering my stand mixer had a meltdown mid-mix and I didn't use enough yeast. Note to self: don't be silly; follow the recipe exactly. This is science.
I didn't have barley malt syrup, so I used honey for the water bath. This is why I love Sally's recipes; she always offers practical advice and substitutions for those of us who have the world's smallest pantries or have picky eaters for boyfriends.
So guys. These bagels are a noble substitute for a New York bagel.
Yah, I said it.
Those of you not in the tri-state area may not fully appreciate the significance of that statement, but my locals understand the weight of that claim. I ate my first one after it had cooled slightly. No butter, cream cheese, etc. Freakishly good. I decided that I was playing with fire and needed to freeze most of the rest in order to prevent a bagel binge later in the day. This morning, I tried bagel number two. Toasted with a little bit of butter- super yummy.
I'd definitely recommend you try this recipe. There is a bit of wait time while the dough rises, but I used that time to clean up the world's smallest kitchen, do some laundry, and be lazy with the doggies. Does anybody else have a bagel recipe they've tested and found idiot proof? If so, send it my way. We like carbs in this house. -Jill
Also, blogging about one's life just seems so self-absorbed. You are not important. I mean, you are! I value you, person reading this. But do you know what I mean? Sometimes it seems like since the advent of social media we are all about ourselves: LOOK AT THIS PICTURE OF MY BOYFRIEND AND ME ON OUR CARIBBEAN VACATION! WE ARE SO IN LOVE AND FUN!!! (Just reread that and I realize I sound strangely reminiscent of my mother...)
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| Me with the last cookie |
But here's the thing. I really like to bake. I also like to eat things that I bake and, let's be honest, what other people bake. I'm the type of person who goes to bed thinking about what I'm going to eat for breakfast in the morning. Here comes the sappy part: I also like to help others. So I'm hopeful I might be able to contribute somehow to the baking blog landscape and help others learn from my baking mistakes, of which there have been will be many.
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| Amber helps clean up |
I am by no means a professional baker. I have the world's smallest kitchen, cookie sheets that warp and make scary sounds in the oven, and a boyfriend who has particular tastes (no nuts, nothing healthy, and nothing different). I also have a full-time teaching job, two squirmy, wiggly dogs who love to help clean up (see left), and baking genes coming at me from both sides of my family tree. Sometimes I'm too tired, too stressed, too blah to bake. Not lately, though.
Up first is my inaugural attempt at making bagels. (My inaugural attempt, that is, if you don't count the time my mom and I tried to make bagels when I was maybe five years old. We used a packaged mix that called for a can of beer, to shape the bagels and poke raisins into them right before baking. They were rather unremarkable. But what a sweet little memory to hold on to. Hi Mom!!!)
 |
| The finished product |
This cinnamon raisin bagel recipe came to me from Sally's Baking Addiction. Do you know this baker/photographer/published cookbook author/blogger/ Instagrammer? She's awesome. Sally always uploads detailed instructions, beautiful pictures of the various stages of a recipe, and she responds to comments and questions on recipe posts with helpful feedback. I frequently read the comment section before I start one of her recipes so I can anticipate where things might get a little hairy for novices such as myself.
If you've ever kneaded dough, you can do this. In fact, I am rather impressed with how these bagels turned out, considering my stand mixer had a meltdown mid-mix and I didn't use enough yeast. Note to self: don't be silly; follow the recipe exactly. This is science.
I didn't have barley malt syrup, so I used honey for the water bath. This is why I love Sally's recipes; she always offers practical advice and substitutions for those of us who have the world's smallest pantries or have picky eaters for boyfriends.
 |
| Bagels taking a bath! |
So guys. These bagels are a noble substitute for a New York bagel.
Yah, I said it.
Those of you not in the tri-state area may not fully appreciate the significance of that statement, but my locals understand the weight of that claim. I ate my first one after it had cooled slightly. No butter, cream cheese, etc. Freakishly good. I decided that I was playing with fire and needed to freeze most of the rest in order to prevent a bagel binge later in the day. This morning, I tried bagel number two. Toasted with a little bit of butter- super yummy.
I'd definitely recommend you try this recipe. There is a bit of wait time while the dough rises, but I used that time to clean up the world's smallest kitchen, do some laundry, and be lazy with the doggies. Does anybody else have a bagel recipe they've tested and found idiot proof? If so, send it my way. We like carbs in this house. -Jill
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