Homemade Everything Bagels

I remember the first time I realized you could actually make bagels at home. I was in pastry school, near the beginning of our bread module, and I felt silly that it had never occurred to me that this favorite New York food could be created in a home kitchen.



Even Mike seemed wary one weekend morning when, despite being exhausted from my full-time job and student schedule, I woke up and started preparing the dough. “You are going to boil these bagels, right?” he asked with a slight glare over his coffee cup. Apparently he didn’t trust a Virginia girl to be able to create a bagel worthy of a New Yorker’s approval.



But the empty sheet tray later that morning told me all I needed to know. Over the past years, I have stuck with this recipe, as it is so incredibly easy, and happily made batches upon batches for family and friends. Even living in the heart of the city, where we can walk just a few blocks to purchase bagels, I still far prefer making my own as there is no comparison for smearing a bagel, still warm from the oven, with a pad of butter and digging in. These bagels are smaller than those you might be accustom to, but I promise they are far, far more delicious.



HOMEMADE EVERYTHING BAGELS
Yields 8

Bagels are deceivingly easy to make and the extra effort is immediately rewarded by a warm-from-the-oven bagel. You can use the dough recipe and method as the base of any type of bagel you might wish to create. It is important to note that this recipe uses instant yeast, not active yeast, which can be found at most grocery stores or online. This type of yeast does not need to be bloomed in warm liquid prior to adding to the dry ingredients; instead, the yeast is mixed in with the dry ingredients and then the warm liquid is added to the entire mixture.

DOUGH
4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons, sugar plus 1 tablespoon for poaching
3 teaspoons table salt
2½ teaspoons SAF Instant Yeast
13 ounces water, warmed to 100-110 degrees

TOPPING
Combination of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, dried minced garlic, and dried minced onion

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Start the mixer on a slow speed and begin to stream in the water. Increase speed to medium-high and knead until dough begins to come together.

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand until a smooth, barely tacky dough develops, adding additional flour as needed. Form into a ball, cover with the mixing bowl, and allow to rise for 10 minutes.

While the dough is rising, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tablespoon sugar.

After 10 minutes, divide the dough into 8 pieces (if you are using a kitchen scale, each piece should be about 4.3 ounces). Roll each piece into a log, about 10-12 inches long. Wrap log around the palm of your hand and lightly moisten one end with a dab of water. Squeeze ends together, roll lightly on counter to secure ends, and release from hand. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Drop bagels into the boiling water, up to three at a time. Carefully run a slotted spoon under bagels to release from bottom, if necessary. When bagels rise to the top of the pot, remove and place on prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake until the bagels are well-risen and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

GOUGÈRES

How was your Thanksgiving? Were you daring cook, adding a new recipe or two into your day? Or did you stick to the tried, true, and delicious recipes that you almost have memorized? Either way, I hope it was a delicious, restful, and filling day for you and your families.

Mike and I flew south to visit some of his family for the long weekend. I missed my own family so much – craving to be around the table sharing our traditional dishes and pies. I cooked and baked a little, enjoying the space and amenities of a kitchen the size of our Manhattan apartment, but also, strangely, missing our cozy kitchen.

I imagine there might be more than a handful of people who still have the very last of the turkey leftovers to consume. Sometimes those last few meals of leftovers can be a bit difficult to get excited about, after consuming turkey for days on end. Not to worry! I have the perfect vessel for you to create a flavorful Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich. And, just in case the thought of returning to the kitchen after last week isn’t exactly the most appealing thought, this recipe is a cinch to make.

GOUGÈRES

Yields 8 to 10 4-inch pastries

Slightly adapted from Tartine by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson

Choux Paste

1 1/4 cups skim milk

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

5 large eggs

3/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated

1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

Topping

1 large egg

Grated Gruyère cheese for sprinkling

Coarse sea salt (I use Maldon) for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with a SilPat or parchment paper.

To make the choux paste, combine the milk, butter, and salt in a heavy saucepan and place over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a full boil. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture has formed a smooth mass and pulls away from the sides of the pan and some of the moisture has evaporated. This will take about 3 minutes.

Transfer the paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a heatproof mixing bowl. If using a mixer, add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium speed, incorporating each egg before adding the next. When all the eggs have been added, the mixture will be very thick, smooth, and shiny. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand, add the cheese, pepper, and thyme, and mix in with a rubber spatula. If making by hand, add the eggs one at a time to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, incorporating each egg before adding the next one, then proceed as directed for the mixer method.

Use a large ice cream scoop to drop the dough into mounds on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

To make the topping, in a small bowl, whisk the egg and then gently brush the top of each pastry with the egg wash. Lightly sprinkle the top of each pastry with a little cheese and a bit of sea salt.

Place the pastries in the oven immediately and bake until they have puffed, are nicely browned, and feel light for their size, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and poke a small hole in the side of each pastry with a toothpick to allow the steam to escape. Releasing the steam keeps them from collapsing. If splitting and filling, let cool to room temperature; otherwise, they may be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. Or, let cool completely, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days, and recrisp in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 5 minutes.

White Loaf Bread

Let’s be honest: white bread gets a bad rap. Utter the word ‘white bread’ and our thoughts drift towards processed, flimsy slices of sad little loaves sitting in their plastic bag on the grocery store shelf. Commercial bread absent of whole grains and – most importantly – taste.

But try resisting the urge to plunge your knife into a homemade loaf of white bread, just plucked from the warm oven. You suddenly have the control over just how thick you want the slices for your gooey grilled cheese sandwich or morning slice of toast, smothered with sweet cream butter and fruit preserves. There is a certain pleasure obtained by enjoying a thick, homemade slice of white bread; an enjoyment unable to be replicated by the loaves that have for so long blinded us to how white bread really should taste.

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Every year, about three weeks into the month of January, I start dreaming of beaches, sand, bikinis, warm sunshine, and margaritas. I shut my eyes tightly and plead to be transported somewhere, anywhere, warmer than here. These next three months, the long weeks between the bustle of the holidays and fluttering down the sidewalk in a cute sundress, toughen up us New Yorkers. Or at least it toughens up those of us who have migrated from warmer climates.

Mother nature has thrown us an especially harsh winter this year - an endless stream of storms coupled with unyielding frigid temperatures. This type of cold seeps deeply into your bones, only melting away by tucking yourself tightly under a down comforter and cupping a steaming cup of homemade hot chocolate. As each sip passes my lips, it warms me from head to toe, and I am one sip closer to the warmer days ahead.

Kale Chips

I know what you are thinking. I can hear the tone of disgust in your thoughts. Kale chips? Really?!

I know, I know. For two years, I adamantly refused to create these chips, knowing there was no way they could replace the love I felt for a perfectly crisp kettle-cooked potato chip. But not too far into the new year, I grew tired of the bland, boring dinner salad and started hankering crunchy, salty chips to accompany our sandwiches. Knowing I would have zero self-control once the bag was opened, I unwillingly opted to pick-up a bunch of kale and give this recipe an honest try.

But that was far from the biggest hurdle I would need to clear. Mike returned home from work just as I was placing the green leaves, glistening with olive oil, into our small oven. Upon being informed of what these leaves would become and, yes he would be expected to at least try one, he started sulking and glaring at the oven.

Nut Brown Ale Bread

Last Christmas I presented my craft beer-loving boyfriend with a home-brewing starter kit, a new hobby he approached with the thoughtful research and the detailed nature I expected. What I did not imagine is how much space home-brewing would require of our 700-square foot apartment, how the kitchen would periodically be taken over for hours at a time, or how pleased our neighbors would be with the pungent aromas of all-grain brewing.

Within a month, bottles of his first home-brewed beer, a nut brown ale, were ready for consumption. Since then there have been many other brewing days, lots more bottles, and tons of wonderful brews. But soon there was an over abundance of the nut brown ale, temporarily forgotten in favor of the newer beers. While I usually have to fight to use a bottle of perfectly good beer for cooking or baking purposes, a few weeks ago Mike declared these bottles up for grabs.

Manhattan Snowday

MANHATTAN SNOWDAY
© Dolcetto Confections | Allison M. Veinote, 2011

Winter Chicken Noodle Soup

The remnants of the crippling Christmas snowstorm are still visible here in New York City. The dirty snow drifts slowly melt into the crowded sidewalks, littered with uncollected mountains of trash. As I write, fluffy snowflakes fall steadily outside the living room window. Media outlets are vying to see if the city implements lessons learned from last week’s accumulation. Mike just departed for work, looking especially handsome in his new snow boots and cozy flannel shirt.

And yet this impending snow storm provides a feeling of excitement, the same feeling a child receives on a snow day from school. Once both parties safely return home from work, there is something incredibly romantic about a snowed-in weekend. We stocked our groceries, ran any pressing errands, and now have nowhere to go, nowhere to be for the next two days. We have shelves lined with books, a fancy new Scrabble board, and an endless supply of Mike’s recently bottled hard apple cider.

Such cozy weekends beg for a hearty soup, one with an ability to warm you down to your tippy toes. One of my favorite choices is chicken noodle soup, but the usual bowl can sometimes taste a bit thin. Keeping the classic components of the soup in mind, I created a one-pot version, ensuring every morsel of taste and flavor infuses the resulting soup. The roasting chicken creates the initial layer of flavor, later deglazed with a healthy dose of chardonnay, and eventually the soft, caramelized vegetables drown in flavorful chicken stock.

Christmas Stollen

Christmas morning. Presents unwrapped and revealed, empty stockings rehung, and the decorated tree breathing a deep sigh of relief. Breakfast in my family is a secondary thought to the excitement of the morning and the turkey in the oven.

But this year, the morning before Mike and I fought the tourists and traffic to escape the city for a quaint Christmas in southwestern Virginia, I kneaded the silky, spicy stollen dough between my fingers and incorporated the dried fruit smelling of fresh orange juice and comforting bourbon.

Cheesy Onion Bread

You simply must make this recipe.

If these could be my only words for this post, it would summarize my feelings completely.

Like so many of the recipes I eagerly tear from the crisp binding of magazines, this recipe found itself placed in a folder, forgotten in the back of a bookshelf.

And there it remained, until a few days ago while I hunted for a completely different recipe.

And then my fingers ran across the glossy page.

A few hours later, this cheesy, salty, flaky loaf emerged from the oven, ready to accompany Mike's spicy chicken chili for dinner that evening.

Nana's Oatmeal Rolls

These rolls have been served at every family Thanksgiving, warm from the oven with a pad of butter melting lazily across the top and down the sides of the bread.

So today, as we eat, drink, visit with family and friends, and give thanks to be so blessed, I would like to share this recipe with all of you.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving. I am blessed beyond words and am reminded of this as the smell of these rolls escapes from the oven. I inhale deeply, the scent filling my nostrils and throat, and I am transported home to Virginia, sitting around my family's table, eating, laughing, enjoying.

Ricotta-Prosciutto Pizza

I have a recipe for pizza dough that I absolutely love. The smooth ball of dough kneads together like silk between my fingers. Then I wrap it lovingly, tightly, place it in the refrigerator, where it sits undisturbed for two days.

But this is not that recipe. 

See, the problem with that pizza dough recipe is it requires planning - a long two nights before actually making and consuming the delicious pizza.

So, when Mike phoned me one afternoon last week, wondering if we might be able to enjoy homemade pizza for dinner that very evening, I reached back into my recipes for the first pizza dough I ever made.

Homemade pizza dough in less than one hour.

Mulled Apple Cider

A fall wind is whipping through the dark, crowded streets of Manhattan this evening. The chill makes me want to seek shelter under my puffy down comforter and stay huddled there for the remainder of the day.

But it is even more comforting to mull some apple cider on the stove top, allowing the spices to fill the apartment with their familiar, homey scent. Twenty minutes later, I can wrap my hands around the mug containing the fragrant, warm liquid.

One sip and I am warmed down to my tippy toes.

Martha's Apple Butter

When cool fall days arrive here in Manhattan, I instinctively begin to miss home.  The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves make me homesick for weekends I spent baking with my mother and nights when my father would slowly mull apple cider on the stove top.

Perhaps what I miss most about being home in Virginia are the people - family and friends.  Besides feeling nostalgic for my own family and food, I miss the community.

My parents talk about our neighbors as very close friends - our conversations include updates on all the neighborhood children, pets, and get-togethers.  A community that considers each other family and are quick to offer a helping hand.

Meanwhile,  as I juggle grocery bags and dig in my purse for the keys, my neighbors walk quickly past without even so much as a hello.

Pretzel Bread

When fall arrives, my Sundays are taken hostage by a little game called football.  This is not only because Mike is obsessed with watching as many games as humanly possible, but also because I love football.

By 1 pm on Sunday, all errands must be completed.  Any open houses scheduled during this time will not be attended. Oh - and pretzel bread should be rising in kitchen.

As with most things in life, one of the things I like most about football games is actually the food.  And when I served pretzel bread with Mike's spicy chicken chili one Sunday last year, a heavenly combination was unknowingly created.

Watermelon-Lime Vodka Granite

During the summer months, I rarely desire a heavy dessert at the end of any meal.  Instead, a perfectly ripe piece of fruit or a refreshing sorbet seem to be just perfect.

So I guess it goes without saying that I also do not desire to spend a large amount of time in my kitchen creating a dessert during these months.

My kitchen is the size of most walk-in closets and does not benefit from air conditioning.  So creating intricate, delicate or otherwise fussy desserts in the summmer is not exactly an option.

Enter granite - a quick, simple and fuss-free process yields an icy, refreshing end to any meal.

Using watermelon juice, with a touch of lime juice and a splash of vodka, I was able to create a perfectly summer flavor combination, in less than 5 minutes preparation time.

Lemon Verbena Water Ice

The summer days are dwindling away, although the hot, humid summer air seems to be holding on for dear life.

At night, when the setting of the sun offers a few hours of relief from the heat, a lightly sweetened, fragrant dessert offers the perfect conclusion of the day.

A simple water ice always reminds me of my younger summer days, which I enjoyed between catching lightening bugs with my little sister.

Since neighborhood ice cream trucks, as well as lightening bugs, are noticeably absent here in Manhattan, the creation of such water ices are left completely in my hands.

Lemon verbena, an herb whose leaves are scented with the fresh, clean scent of lemon, is a welcome addition to flavor the syrup before it is frozen.

Mummy's Banana Bread

Growing up, we didn't have a whole lot of extra food lying around the house. This was not an indicator of deprivation in any form. Far from it.

But, with two little girls, money and time were tight. So, if the request for a certain item was not legibly written on my mother's grocery list before 9 AM Saturday morning, you were out of luck.

Every once and awhile, three bananas would magically appear on the kitchen counter. My father, sister and I would exchange silent glances to inquire whether the others had made the request for the fruit.

No, no and no. When the answer was negative all the way around, we knew what to do. Walk away and don't touch the bananas. Forget you saw them.

They, since not requested, were not for free consumption. The bright yellow fruit was to stay undisturbed, uneaten until brown flecks began to appear.

A day later, as the sugars continued to be released from within and the flecks had unified to form long bruises on the skin, they were ready.

Ready to be mashed into a beautiful loaf of banana bread.

I still love the smell of banana bread baking, the aroma released during its baking is both deliciously unmistakable and wholly comforting.

To consume a fresh, warm slice from the oven is heavenly. Just add a good cup of coffee for the perfect breakfast.

Flour Tortillas

Making my own tortillas was not something that ever registered as a possibility or, for that matter, a necessity.

While I have played extensively with the components of fajitas or soft tacos over the past couple years, the tortillas were always an afterthought. The only component shoved into my grocery basket, in it's prepackaged plastic, without any care or concern.

But, somehow, when Cinqo de Mayo rolled around earlier this month, I was craving a meaty, juicy fajita wrapped in the best tortilla I had never made.

My work schedule left me helplessly craving this creation through long, endless shifts. So, it took me a few extra days, but I finally ventured into my kitchen, ready to take on a task bigger than just filling my coffee mug.

Armed with the most basic of ingredients - flour, salt, butter and hot water - and a visual inspiration by Butter + Cream, I was ready to make my own tortillas for the first time in my entire life.

The oh-so-simple ingredients and preparation yielded the homiest, flavorful tortilla I have ever tasted. Hot off the griddle and amazingly delicious, even before any other ingredients were neatly piled in the middle.

I wrapped the hot tortillas in a warm cloth, packaged up the other additions and ventured to midtown to share a belated Cinqo de Mayo picnic lunch with Mike, who instantly fell in love with the newest addition to my recipes.

Before the meal was even close to complete, we were already discussing the unseen benefits of making your own tortillas - ability to control size and thickness - and I was dreaming of other flavor combinations for the future.