Bagels! Yum.

This afternoon Ruth and I very successfully made bagels. I've got NY Jew in my blood and I'm serious about my bagels. I like them dense and chewy and the version of a bagel I ate here was made by Menonites and it just can't compare to H&H. I was a little wary that our bagels would turn out really cakey, since we just downloaded the recipes from the a random recipe site on the internet, but they were perfectly crisped on the outside, covered to the brim in sesame seeds and delicously chewy inside. Ruth was wondering why she felt so satisfied with what was actually a pretty easy achievement, and I think it's because not only did we make yummy bagels for today, but in doing so we successfully eliminated bagel-longing from life in Xela. It turns out it only takes about 2 hours, start to finish, to make bagels and there are no odd ingredients required. We can eat bagels all the time. The entrepreneurial wheels are turning and we've been thinking about how we can bring these delicious bagels to a wider audience in Xela. They're so fun to make, but there's only so many we can eat ourselves...

For more photos of the fun day, check out Ruth's site.

Here's the recipe we used:

INGREDIENTS
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine yeast, water, salt and 3 tbsp. sugar in a bowl and let rest 10 minutes. Add the flour to the yeast mixture. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the dough into 10 portions and shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water, add the remaining tbsp. of sugar and bring to a boil. When the bagels are finished rising, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 3 minutes on each side. Remove the bagels from the water, place on a greased baking sheer and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping the bagels half way through.

Enjoy fresh out of the oven with a little cream cheese!