Your Smart Kitchen Newsletter - 12

My husband is a creature of habit, especially in the mornings.  Rain or shine, summer or winter, I can count on him breakfasting on a bagel and a strong cup of coffee.  

Since he loves bagels so much, I made them for him last year.  I was a little intimidated, but, to my surprise, it was actually quite easy.  The bagels came out phenomenally well.  The best part is that he's been talking about those bagels ever since.  It's such a complement when he's in the middle of eating a bakery-made bagel and he remembers how much better the ones I made were.  

I decided to make the bagels again for him this year.  This time I made a double batch.  At his usual rate of one bagel a day, this batch should last about three weeks.  Since there are no preservative in these bagels, I froze them right away.  The bagels take about 20 seconds in the microwave to thaw, and then we put them in a toaster oven. 

I think some people may find bagels to be daunting because of the two risings required, the individual shaping of the dough, and needing to boil the dough. However, I find that I get lots of things done in the waiting stages between risings.  When it's time to boil the bagels, I find that I have enough time during each five minute boiling session to do the dishes and clean the kitchen. When the bagels go into the oven, I'm free to do something else. 

I know bagels have a bad reputation for being unhealthy but after making them myself, I don't understand why.  I wonder if this is because people think of bagels as being empty calories.  The only ingredients in my bagels were yeast, water, honey, salt, wheat germ, and flour.  There's not even a portion of a gram of fat in them unless you count the minuscule amount of egg yolk I brushed on the tops.  With all the whole-wheat flour and wheat germ I added, I know these bagels have a good amount of protein and fiber, too. 

I think my husband knew what he was doing all along with a bagel each morning. I would venture to say that eating a homemade bagel is one of the healthiest low-fat foods for breakfast you can find.

Whole-Wheat Bagels

Makes 8-12 bagels, depending on size

* 4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (2 pkgs)
* 2 c warm water
* 3 tsp honey
* 3 tsp salt
* 1/2 c wheat germ
* 2 c whole-wheat flour
* 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
* vegetable cooking spray
* 1 tbsp sugar
* cornmeal
* 1 egg yolk
* parchment paper
* plastic wrap
* sesame seeds (optional)
* poppy seeds (optional)

The First Rising

Run the tap until the water gets hot, but so much that it is uncomfortably hot. (about 110F). Pour two cups of this water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit about five minutes or until foamy.

Mix in the honey, wheat germ, whole-wheat flour, 1 1/4 cups of the all-purpose flour and salt. Add the other 1 1/4 c of flour, attach the dough hook, and begin kneading. Once the dough has absorbed all the flour, keep adding flour a few tablespoons at a time until the dough is smooth and does not stick to the edges of the bowl. This may take up to an extra cup of flour, so don't get concerned if you feel like you've added too much flour. The total kneading time will be about eight minutes.

Lift the ball of dough from the bowl and spray the interior of the bowl with vegetable cooking spray. Replace the dough, spray the top with the cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit for about 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.

The Second Rising

Lightly flour a board and several dinner plates. Punch the dough down in the bowl, then lift onto the board. Knead briefly to release air. Using a quality chef knife, cut the dough into the desired number of pieces (see note below). Put all but one of the pieces back into the greased mixing bowls and recover with the plastic wrap.

Make a ball with the remaining piece of dough and with both hands, pull the dough toward the outside and down underneath. You are just trying to make the surface of the dough smooth. Pinch the seams together under the dough, and compress the dough ball a little with your hands. Push both of your thumbs Into the center of the dough and gradually expand a hole in the middle. Work the dough so that it is an even thickness in all places on the ring.

Place the bagel on one of the floured plates, making sure to leave enough room that the bagels won't join together as they rise. Repeat for the remaining pieces. When each plate is full, cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 20 minutes.

Boiling and Baking

While the dough is rising, bring three quarts of water to boil in a large pot.  Add the tablespoon of sugar to the water. Pre heat the oven to 400F. Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and spray the tops of the parchment paper with vegetable cooking spray. Sprinkle cornmeal on the wet spray. In a small prep bowl, mix the egg yolk with one tablespoon of water.

When the first of the bagels are ready, lift them gently, one at a time, and lower them into the pot. Try to boil no more than two large bagels or three small bagels at one time. Boil the bagels for five minutes, turning every few minutes. Lift the finished bagels out of the water with a slotted spatula and set on one of the prepared baking sheets. Add the next round of bagels to the boiling water. Ideally, the bagels should not sit for more than five minutes after boiling, so work quickly as you fill the latter ends of the cookie sheets

When half of the batch of bagels has been boiled, brush the tops with the egg yolk mixture and put into the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until well-browned and crusty. When you are ready to put the second sheet of bagels in the oven, switch racks with the first pan and rotate it 180 degrees.

When the bagels are done baking, transfer them to a rack, and let them cool. Slice with a serrated bread knife.