Bagel Mania
Our first round of bagels where really good. We thought we would just wip up a couple for the fun of it. The first recipe from a new bread book Lateef got for XMas. This was a pre-fermentation method, which took an extra day to get the sponge going. However the results where worth every extra minute.
We may have gotten a little overconfident the second round was not nearly as good. Lateef got experimental and fell asleep (which seems to be an occupational hazard for bakers) so the bagels did not turn out so well. However not to fear third time is a charm.
Last night we return to the stander recipe. Adding a little more honey for flavor. The bagels where superb. Infact probably the best tasting bread we have ever made. Melissa has gotten down a good technique for boiling the bagels. One of the keys is the new mixer Lateef got for XMas. A professional Kitchen Aid mixer has made our bread lighter and nicer all round. The pre-fermentation has also made a tremendous different in the taste and texture of the bagels.
This morning we also made some cranberry walnut bread. The pre-fermentation method also increase the taste and lightness of the bread. As usually we distributed half our creations. We haven’t heard that they where good or not but we found them to be amazingly different then our previous batches.
Lateef’s favorite breakfast is when Melissa makes oatmeal pancakes. This truly magnificent experience should be incorporated in everything we make. So right now Lateef is experimenting with an maple oatmeal bagel and maple oatmeal bread. Nothing strong just a hint of maple and oatmeal. Best eaten after a good long exercise so there is no chance of guilt feelings.
