Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bagels

As  I was just putting together two batches of Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, I realized that I haven't posted my recent bagel adventures.

Last week I attempted Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bagels.

This involved adding 1 TBS of cocoa powder and 1/2 cup of Semi sweet Chocolate Chips.

When I went to punch down the dough, it hadn't risen and I realized that I didn't add yeast, so I added yeast and reran the dough cycle.  At the end it rose, but the result was that the chips melted in the dough and I now had very chocolatey dough.  The best response I got to these was my youngest son,  15 years old.  He said, "These taste kinda weird."  He'a been enthusiastic about all my previous bagels and about food in general so I trusted his judgment.

I've been making bagels about every other day now, and my family loves them.  But I've also ventured out into making biscotti and pie crust.  I made a few recipes from Mastering the Art of French cooking, too.

Parmentier Potage,  Quiche Lorraine and Biftek Saute Au Beurre.  I've been revitalized by these bagels and I even made two kinds of kimchi this week.  Traditional and Cucumber.

---Bagel Apetit!

Recovery!

Well, It's a new day and there are more bagels to make.  My confidence was shaken by the little dense bagels I made yesterday.  Today I made them again and this time both batches turned out perfectly.  They are so brown now though as a result of the baking soda in the wash.  They taste delicious but they are just so brown.  I may change back to sugar, because I like to be able to tell the difference between  the types of bagels,

Here are three bagels from the old method  Cran Orange - Plain - Cinnamon Raisin

These below are the same flavor using the new method:

It's a matter of preference.  Now I know how to control it and today is filled with Bagel Success!

I almost forgot about my Onion Bagels

I tried onion bagels the other night, not knowing what to expect.

I soaked 2 tbs dried onions in water and then added about 1.5 tsps to the basic recipe. I would have added 1/2 tsp onion powder, too, but I was out of it.

At punchdown the dough was airy and sticky. I should have added more flour, I think. I shaped the bagels and when I put them in the pan they were very sticky. After broiling on the first side, when I tried to turn them over they reshaped. I now had a bagel on one side and something flat on the other. During boiling they were falling apart. After the egg wash I put the rest of the soaked onions on the top. They didn't cook completely and I had to keep extending the cook time. The result:

Something that looked more like a bialy instead of a bagel. However, they smell and taste great. I forgot to take a picture so I got one of the LAST one left today.  Notice the lack of hole, but that makes a great place to put the onions.  I'll try these again in the near future.

Last night was a challenge

Yesterday I made 2 batches of regular bagels. I'm putting together gift bags for some friends at AWANA which resumes tonight.

When I turned out the dough, I saw one almost perfect dough and another sticky dough. I decided to knead them together, and all my old breadmaking skills came in handy. What I achieved was a nearly perfect dough.

I changed the boiling water: Instead of 2 TBS sugar, I used 2 TBS baking soda. The alksline water is supposed to give more of a crispy crust, and it did. The bagels got very brown, and had a faint salty taste to the crust. I liked the results.

Then I made a batch of Cinnamon Raisin and one of Cranberry Orange. Something was wrong and both batches did not raise, properly. I'm sure I added the tsp of yeast but at the point of punchdown, each dough was about half what it usually is and the dough never recovered.

When I put them in the boiling water they sank. This is the first time ever. Usually they immediately float. The result was small chewy bagels which I can't give as gifts. Although not as good as normal, they are still edible and so I bagged them and froze them for my family to eat.

I need to figure out just how many bagels I've made now. I just bought another 30 lbs of flout. I'm going through it quickly.

Bagels for the New Year!

Tonight I decided to make two batches to make as New Year's gifts. I made one plain and one Cranberry Orange. They are the ones that come out the most consistently. While I was baking I was thinking of some tips.

One would be when making two different batches be careful which pan you put the ingredients in. Tonight I put some orange zest in my regular bagels! I pulled it all out, and it wouldn't be a great tragedy but it was annoying.

My husband asked me if I was going to bake a batch a day for this year. (I think he was more influenced by the movie Julie and Julia than I was.) I think I'll continue to make bagels as I see fit, because it's fun that way.

Bon Appetit! (In my best Julia Child voice)

Pumpkin Bagels

My internet died before I could make this post last night.

The other new dough I experimented with was pumpkin bsgels.

To the basic recipe I added:

1 TBS cinnamon
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tsp Ginger
several shakes of ground cloves

When I took the dough out it was too sticky, so I kneaded in a bit of flour, maybe 1/2 cup or so. Then when I shaped them they weren't quite right, and as I boiled them they fell into pieces. When they cooked, they weren't getting done so I kept putting them in longer. They are very chewy and not very pumpkiny. I won't try these again for a while, until I'm ready for a challenge. I'm sure the problem was too much moisture from the pumpkin.

The picture is as blurry as the bagels were.

Jalapeno Bagels

So tonight I decided I wanted to recreate my family's favorite bagel. Jalapeno with Cheddar Cheese.

to the dough I added 2 TBS of powdered cheese sauce

after the egg wash I put grated cheddar cheese on the top and then 4 slices of raw jalapeno pepper around the top.

Although they don't taste like Safeway's jalapeno bagels, they are quite good.

I thought to take a picture for the first time. I had several challenges making these bagels which I made along with a batch of pumpkin bagels.

First after the dough cycle completely ran for 1 hour 40 minutes, I realized I forgot to add the yeast. I thought I'd try adding it.

I added a little more than usual and reran the dough cycle. Amazingly enough, this method worked. The bagel dough was a bit fluffier than usual however. Not the dense, chewy texture I was going for, but at least my mistake didn't cause a complete failure.