Bagels!!

   This was incredibly fun!  So my grandmother gave me these VHS tapes that she had recorded awhile ago with 'Baking with Julia' episodes on them.  And since I'm taking an extended break from cable (I was really addicted, no time for baking, and we just couldn't have that!), I have nothing to watch, so I popped one in and decided to see if it was good.

   It was her later show where she is in her late 70's and had co-hosts on.  A segment came on with this wonderful lady (will post her name later) that was making bagels.  And I was like, this sounds awesome and fairly easy to do.  So I was very gungho to do it.

  I got the cookbook with the recipe in it, also from my grandmother, and started the dough the night before.  Then in the morning I rolled them and added the ingredients.  I made 2 cinnamon raisin (funny enough, you don't have to add extra sugar just around 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/8 cup of raisins), 2 plain, and one potentially good parmesan and oregano.  We'll see if it turns out, I mostly just did it quickly because I wanted to make another flavor and just happen to have those ingredients.

   Another semi important thing too, you can use ground cornmeal in a pinch but it makes a really crunchy layer on the bottom of the bagel.  Which, if you like crunch I guess wouldn't matter, but it is much better to have the bigger cornmeal that usually comes on bagels.

   With the plain too, they had a nice teensie flavor of yeast.  I love the taste of yeast in rolls, so I like this feature.  I know some people don't like it, but it's only a small hint of it.  Especially if you add cream cheese or butter.

  The tops of the bagels in the picture are a little darker on the top because I put an egg wash finish on them (including the yolk), which I didn't mind, but the recipe calls for egg whites and water.  Eh.. it worked out and it tasted lovely, that's the important part.

   So I hope you got an itch to go make fresh bagels for yourself one day, they are delicious and well worth the trouble.  I have all of the ingredients anyway, and it's definitely better than spending lots of money on bagels at the grocery store!