Wednesday, August 20, 2008

bagels R us




If you ask me what my favorite meal is, I will answer without hesitation: brunch. Brunch has so much possibilities- from light to substantial, sweet to savory, and everything in between. Lucky for me, I have had the opportunity to test recipes for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook which just happens to be dedicated to brunch. One of the best things about testing for this book is that it has made me cook and bake things that I previously thought too difficult and complicated. I love Isa's DIY philosophy- why buy something that you can make easily, healthfully, and cheaply? Case in point: bagels. If you're like me, you've probably put off making homemade bagels because of the seemingly intricate technique. But I'm here to tell you that it's mind-blowingly easy and doesn't even take that long.

Don't believe me? Check it out:



After a short rise, shape your dough. Don't worry about perfection!



Boil for a few minutes in a saltwater solution.



Top with favorite toppings- such as poppy seeds.



Bake.





Perhaps with some homemade raspberry jam?



Try all kinds of different flavors and toppings- Daiku and I especially liked these salt bagels- the sea salt really brought out the fresh-baked flavor.

We've since tried whole wheat and rye versions of these bagels. For a relatively simple investment of time and effort, the results are incredibly rewarding. Fresh bagels will never be in short supply at brunch in our home now!

P.S. An update on my fundraiser for the La-No-Che orphanage. It is going wonderfully! Everyone's generosity has truly touched my heart. As you can see in the update at the top right of the blog, we have exceeded our goal and the donations are still rolling in every day! It seems as if you guys really want me to jump out of that plane...! And I will be doing that in exactly one month. I'm still trying to figure out how best to live-blog from the jump site. Thank you all so much, and I will be emailing all donors to thank them personally in time.
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22 comments:

Unknown said...

wow! homemade bagels. that sounds magnificant! i love bagels!

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

You're absolutely right; I have been putting off making bagels from scratch because they appear so complicated. Thank you for demystifying the process!

Anonymous said...

I love making bagels. they can beat up store-bought bagels without breaking a sweat.

Anonymous said...

I don't say this to just everyone but your bagels look amazing!

Lauren said...

Mmm.. can't remember the last time I had a bagel! How unfortunate!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Mmm, BAGELS!!! With raspberry jam?? Even better.

So glad that the fundraiser is going well!

Kati said...

I probably wouldn't ever try making my own bagels if Isa didn't put the recipe in one of her cookbooks. Can't wait for this one to come out! Salt bagels were always my favorite - mmmm...

Anonymous said...

Ooooh how I'm happy about this post!

We recently discovered that we can no more find vegan bagels where we live and my boys were SO disappointed! They talk about bagels all the time. They are going to be over the moon!

Your looks absolutely amazing, Bazu!
Thanks for this great news :)))

Anonymous said...

Those look positively amazing! I've been meaning to make bagels for the longest time now, but still haven't gotten around to it... If only there were more hours in the day!

the little one said...

Isa's putting out a book of brunch recipes! Woo hoo! Yeah for you for being able to try out the recipes and yeah for us when the book comes out.

Jen said...

hey, it's me--jewbacca. those bagels look awesome!

JENNA said...

Bagels!!! I love them sooooooo much.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

It was SO fun to make bagels & they're SO good!

Erin said...

I'm not scared of bagels, but haven't gotten around to trying them yet. Yours look super! Once the brunch book comes out I'll probably fill my freezer with everything bagels. Mmmmmmmmmm...

Destiny's Kitchen said...

Gor-geous! I especially love the close-up shots. Most bagels from the stores here are all sweet & cakey anyway. Gross.

Christina said...

Wow. Gorgeous.

aTxVegn said...

I've still never made bagels! Yours look fantastic!

Peggy said...

Fantastic bagels! I really need to make some again, it's sure a lot of fun!

Vegan_Noodle said...

So impressive!! bagels do seem hard, not sure why, guess it's just the boiling + baking but I should get over it cuz that looks like the perfect breakfast!

tofufreak said...

ooooh! yummy bagels! your pics look awesome!

Model Citizen aka Bonnie Rue said...

I used to love baking bread on the weekends - this is going to be the project that gets me back in that mode. I love fresh bagels & yours look delish!

Crystal said...

Perhaps I'll try again. I make pretzels this way and haven't quite gotten it down. Somehow the dough turns out weird and any leftovers I have turn stale quickly. Boo.

Guess I need to practice!