Cinnamon Raisin Bagels!

Do you still have the "pot boiling" from last week's pretzel bites?! Well, maybe not, but you'll still need the big pot with water in it again this week, as I've got a delicious bagel recipe for you! 

As you well know, I LOVE to make bagels and pretzels. I'm not sure what drives that passion, but it's in me and I feed it! Maybe it's the thought that I can make something that's just as beautiful and just as tasty (with no preservatives, additives, etc.!) as the bagels I find at high-end bakeries. And I can make 12 for the price of one of their bagels! Win....win.....win! And one more "win" - with an EZ DOH bread maker, it doesn't make a mess or take up too much of my time. 

I hope you'll enjoy warming up your kitchen on a cold winter morning by making these bagels. You will be glad you did! Hey, and if you DO make them, send me a pic! I'd love to post it on my Facebook page! 

CINNAMON RAISIN BAGELS!

For Dough: 

1 ½ Cups warm water for dough (some additional boiling water will be needed to plump raisins)  

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast

1 Cup dark raisins

4 tsp. cinnamon

¼ Cup light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 ¼ Cup white whole wheat flour

3 -3 ½ Cups unbleached bread flour

For brushing bagels:

1 large egg white, beaten lightly

For boiling:

6 quarts water

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 5+ minutes. Drain and blot raisins with a paper towel.

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated, adding more flour as necessary.  Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Prepare a baking tray by lining it with parchment and spritzing lightly with cooking spray. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts, forming each one into a ball by cupping your hand over the dough and rolling it on your kitchen surface. Make a hole in the center of each ball and tug on it gently to make a quarter-sized opening. Place the bagels on prepared tray and let rise 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425. Bring  water to a boil and stir in 2 Tbsp. brown sugar. Boil a few bagels at a time, 45 seconds on each side. Remove from water and drain briefly on a paper towel. Return the bagels to the baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 17-20 minutes. Enjoy! 

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels!

Quick & Delicious Pretzel Bites!

"Card Club" has been a once-a-month occasion now for me for over 25 years ......It seems impossible to say that! It's always been a time when we get away and enjoy each other's cooking and company. Conversation has morphed over the years from kids' little league baseball games to kids' graduations to kids' marriages to kids' kids (grandkids) .......just amazing! No matter who's turn it is to host, I always offer to bring bread. Everyone knows that they are my guinea pigs (I usually bring a new recipe), but no one seems to mind.

This month, the gathering was sport-centered, with dips and pick-up foods on center stage. I decided these pretzel bites would be a nice addition, no matter what dips Lori had on hand! And....there's ALWAYS mustard in the frig, which is a natural with soft pretzels! At the end of the evening, my friends were asking for baggies to take home the leftover bites.....sooooo tasty! These would make a great addition to the upcoming football-centered parties that many of you will be hosting.....a perfect, easy-to-make snack! Go team!

Quick ‘n Delicious Pretzel Bites!

For Dough:

1 ½ Cups warm water

1 packet/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. butter, softened or melted

3 ½ - 3 ¾ Cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

For boiling:

9 Cups water

½ Cup baking soda

For application prior to baking:

1 egg, beaten

Pretzel salt or a coarse sea salt or kosher salt

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. (Begin with 3 ½ cups of flour and add additional flour as necessary for the dough to be smooth, not too sticky.)  Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425. Line your baking sheets with baking parchment. In a large pot, place the 9 cups of water and add the baking soda. Heat to boiling as you prepare the dough:  After dough has risen briefly, pinch it into 4 equal sections. At this point, you can decide whether to do little “rounds” or little bites: For rounds: pinch each “section” into about 10-12 (or more) pieces. “Round” each piece by cupping your hand over the piece and rotating it on the counter. This should quickly form a “round”. Do so with each piece. For “bites”: Form each “section” into a 14-18” rope and cut into equal-sized pieces (about 1-1 ½” long each).  Drop 10-12 pieces at a time into the boiling water bath for about 20-30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove the pieces from the bath and place on the baking sheet, making sure they are not touching. Brush each piece with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with the pretzel salt. Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction: Soft Pretzel Bites 

Quick & Delicious Pretzel Bites!

Long-Rise Cheddar Table Bread!

My brother and sister-in-law, who live in Maryland, visited us last week for a belated Christmas. It was a delightful end to a wonderful holiday season......it stretched things out a bit for all the grandkids and was a final opportunity to tear into Christmas presents; we adults all enjoyed catching up with one another around a hearty meal of sauerkraut, pork, dumplings, kielbasa and mashed potatoes (we all got to open some Christmas presents too!) It had been well over a year since we had all been together, so the fellowship was a good as the food we shared! We ended the evening vowing that it would not be so long between visits in the future!

One thing I admire about my brother is that he is quite disciplined.....a few years ago, he discovered that he was pre-diabetic, so he immediately took action by going on a very strict diet. Now several years (and 40lbs.!) later, he is no longer in that medical category. Yay, Carl! He has had to make sacrifices for that victory, however......Carl is also a baker of bread and his new lifestyle (Atkins diet)  doesn't allow carbohydrates - Ugh! I'm afraid I'd have to find another diet...........especially when there's delicious bread like this on the table. 

Don't let the title of the bread put you off......It's SOOOOO easy! Mix it up as you hang out in the evening......place it in the frig before you head to bed.......an hour before you're ready to bake, shape the bread, then BAKE......then ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely Delish! 

 Long-rise Cheddar Table Bread

1 ½ Cups warm water

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast

3 ¼ Cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, until all ingredients are incorporated. (Dough will be a little sticky) . Let dough rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours (cover with a tea towel or plate).  Cover and let rise until doubled. Refrigerate dough overnight. (The dough can be left in the refrigerator for up to 7 days).

When you’re ready to bake, dust your working surface with flour and scrape dough out of bucket and on to the counter. Dust the dough with flour. Quickly shape the dough into a “round”, pulling lightly at the base of the dough and tucking it under. Move the loaf to a parchment-lined baking sheet and let rise for one hour. After 30 minutes (of the hour), preheat your oven to 430. Trim the parchment around the loaf. Sprinkle the loaf with flour and slash the top with a very sharp serrated knife. Place baking sheet in oven after the hour is complete. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Cool on a wire rack before slicing. 



Recipe adapted from "New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day", Vermont Cheddar Bread

Long-Rise Cheddar Table Bread!

Turkish Soft Bagels!

Each January, as I welcome a New Year, I become more and more humbled when I survey the year past ......its hopes, realized and disappointed.......its trials, strengthening and stretching.......its joys, expected and surprising......  Through it all, the verse "In everything, give thanks" rings in my heart. Perhaps age puts this lens on the "everyday".... It fills me with gratitude for the family and friends that surround me, happy for all the moments we have shared, and looking forward to the coming year and what we have yet to share together. My prayer for your 2017 would be that your heart would sing with gratitude through your days! 

I think these yummy Turkish Soft Bagels will make you sing, too! Because it's a richer dough, the rising time is a little longer, but they are worth the wait. Enjoy these with a friend as you discuss your plans for 2017! 

Turkish Soft Bagels!

Dough:

½ Cup warm milk

¼ Cup warm water

1 Tbsp./ Packet Red Star Platinum yeast

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. softened butter

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 ½ - 3 unbleached all-purpose flour

Toppings:

1 egg yolk, beaten w/ 1 tsp. water

Sesame seeds, if desired

Place warm water, milk and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch dough and separate into golf ball-sized pieces. Pinch each “golf ball” in half. Roll each half out into a 12” rope. Pinch the ropes together at the top, then twist together. Pinch ends together and form a ring. Repeat with remaining dough pieces, placing finished shapes on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush lightly with the egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds (using black and white sesame seeds make a beautiful bagel! I only had white….) Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, till golden.

Turkish Soft Bagels!