I absolutely hate store bought bagels, but love making them. This recipe has do be started days in advance. If you want same day bagels use this recipe which is tasty but not as pretty.  It’s based on Peter Reinhart’s Recipe from Crust & Crumb. I’m going to give directions as if you wanted fresh bagels Saturday Morning.

Sponge
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups  or bread flour
2  water, room temperature

Dough
1 Cup Sponge (set out for 1 hour before using)
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 C lukewarm water (85 degrees F)
2 1/2 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoon malt syrup or honey

To Finish
1 tablespoon baking soda

Sesame seeds, Sunflower Seeds, poppy seeds, kosher salt, rehydrated dried minced garlic or onions

1. Day one (Thursday after Work): To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 5. Refrigerate for 1-3 days.

2.  Day Two (Friday after work): To make the dough, add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add flour,  salt and malt.

3. Knead in your mixer on medium for 10 minutes.

4. Immediately divide the dough into 4 1/2 ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired. Let rest 5 min.

5. Form the pieces into balls. Poke a hole in a ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it.

6. Let rise for 1.5 hours (25% doubled). Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float. Return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. Refridgerate for 6 hours or overnight.

7. Day Three (Saturday Morning) Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the baking soda.

8. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 30-60 min.   and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minutes flip them over and boil for another minute.  While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour.  If you want to top (see note below) the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water. You can use any of the suggestions in the ingredients list or a combination.

9. Bake at 475 for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

10. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

1 and 1/2 C Fresh Rose Petals (1/2 dried)

2 Cups Boiling Water

1 Cup Sugar

2-oz package powdered pectin

1/4 C fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 Cups Cold Water

Fresh Rose Petals for Garnish

1. put the rose petals in a large, heat proof measuign cups and pour on to boiling water. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and pectin

2. Strain the rose petals ‘tea’ over the sugar and pectin ans stir until pectin and sugar are completely disolved. Sir in lemon juice and cold water.

3. Chil the mixture in the refrigerator, then freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Server in chilled glasses with a few rose petals for garnish.

Mario Batali

Makes 4 Servings | Region: Lazio | Book: Molto Italiano (Ecco 2005)

A true carbonara has no cream, and it can be slightly tricky in its execution. The key is to toss and thoroughly mix the cooked pasta off the heat with the cheese, eggs, pepper, and pasta water, to create a creamy yet not overly thick sauce. I like to separate the eggs and present the individual egg yolks in nests of pasta; then each guest stirs the yolk into the pasta to cook it and form an even creamier sauce. Be sure to use the best—quality eggs you can get.

• 3 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 8 ounces Guanciale (recipe below), Pancetta, or good Bacon
• 1 pound Spaghetti
• 1 ¼ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 4 large Eggs, separated
• Freshly ground Black Pepper

• 3 ½ Cup Flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 ¼ Cups Water

For the Boiling Pot:

• 4 Cups Water
• 1/3 C Baking Soda or ¼ Cup Salt

Combine the water, sugar, and yeast in your mixing bowl and allow yeast to proof for about 2 minutes. Add one cup of flour and mix. Add your salt and the remaining flour to pull the dough into a ball. Place the dough into a greased bowl and allow to double in size.

Once the dough has doubled in size, deflate the dough and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes on a lightly flowered surface. Cut into 8 or 12 equal pieces and allow dough to rest for about 10 more minutes. (They are fluffier if you let them double again) Shape the dough pieces into bagel shapes by either rolling them into ropes and shaping into a circle or pushing your finger through the middle of the ball and shaping it that way. Cover your shaped bagels and let them proof for about 30 minutes.

Pre heat your over to 400 degrees. Bring your water and choice of additive to a boil and drop each bagel into the boiling solution on e at a time. Boil one minute on each side and be sure not to crowd them. Remove the boiled bagel and place it on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bagels are nicely browned. Remove, spray with a bit of water if you want a shinier crust, and cool on a wire rack.

Variation:

• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour,
• 1 Cup White Flour
• ½ C Honey

Had my mentee over for a day of cooking and kittens. We went the Cat Adoption Team and then back to my house for baking bagels and cupcakes. My Mom’s Mom was from the Bay Area and not particularly domestic this is one recipe I have from here and its better than any you can buy.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
From Leisa’s Grandmother, Margret Krey
Made by Jaemi & Leisa on November 8, 2008

Cream Cheese Mixture:

• One 8 oz Packet of Cream Cheese
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/8 Teaspoon Salt (Pinch)
• 1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Cream together softened cream cheese and sugar. Add egg and salt. Beat together until smooth. Sir in chocolate chips by hand. Set aside.

Cake Mixture:

• 2/3 Cups Vegetable Oil
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 14 C Cocoa
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 3 Cups Flour
• 2 Cups Water
• 2 Teaspoons Vinegar

Beat oil, sugar and egg. Add dry ingredients alternatively with vinegar/water mixture. Mix until creamy.

Fill 2/3 full with cake mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Source: Albers Yellow Cornmeal bag

• 1 cup yellow or white corn meal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or prefer melted butter.)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup milk

combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine oil, egg and milk in small bowl and mix.

Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stir until *just* blended. Pour into greased 8″ pan.

Bake in preheated 400 deg f. oven for 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Makes one 10-inch tube cake

4 cups peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped tart cooking apples (about 4 or 5 medium apples)
1/3 C (packed light) brown sugar
1 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
grated zests of 1 orange
4 large eggs
1 C vegetable oil
½ c fresh or frozen orange juice

1. preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan, bundt pan or kugehlofmold. In a small bowl, combine the apples with the brown sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. In a large bowl using a whisk or an electric mixer, beat the eggs and oil until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes at high speed. Add the dry ingredients with the orange juice and beat just until moistened, but thoroughly blended. Do not over mix, but there should be no lumps or dry spots.
3. spoon one third of the batter into the pan. Cover evenly with half the apple mixture and cover with another one third of the batter. Use a spatula to smooth the batter over the apples to cover completely. Repeat with the remaining apples and batter depending with a smooth layer of batter.
4. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake 60 min. Cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil and bake 15 minutes more, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a rack about 1 hour. Invert onto a rack to cool completely before serving.

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough (see Recipe)
• Parmesan Cheese
• Romano Cheese
• Garlic (I mixed with olive oil on crust)
• Artichoke Hearts
• Fresh Cracked Pepper
• Green Onion

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough (see Recipe)
  
• BBQ Sauce (see Recipe)
• Pepper Jack (Grated)
  
• Grilled Chicken (Sliced)
• Jalapenos (Sliced)

Garnish

• Iceberg (Shredded)
• Chipotle Ranch Dressing (mix with lettuce while pizza cooks)

Assemble Pizza

Spread BBQ Sauce on Crust. Place Shredded cheese on Pizza. Arrange Chicken & Jalapenos on Pizza.

Cook for 6 min in 450 degrees Oven. Allow to cool a bit before slicing. Place on Plate. Top with Lettuce that has been mixed with the dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1.5 lbs bread flour
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 & 3/4 Cups Warm Water

Take 1/2 cup of water, sugar, and yeast. Put in a small bowl. Set in a warm place for 5 minutes to proof.

Place the yeast mixture, water & oil in the mixer bowl. Run on the slowest setting. Mix until incorporated. Add the flour to the bowl and mix for 1 min. Add the salt and mix until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide into 4 pieces and ball up. Lightly oil the dough balls and cover. Let proof until doubled in size.

Here is the crust with too much olive oil on top. Cornmeal on peel. Its ready for the BBQ Sauce.