The Importance of Making Love (and eating carbs)

Love is a labor, and labor is love.

Considering how most of the women in my family cook and bake (that is, in a frenzy of flying ingredients, open-topped jars, and drip-dropping pots) my method of kneading dough is a miracle.

I can vividly recall my mother's method, which was to either beat the dough senseless, tossing it into the air only to snatch it back up and throw the sticky glob mightily back on the counter. It was either that, or fasten a dough hook into the kitchen-aid and let the machine shiver and quake for six minutes. 

My methods are a little more romanticized than that.

I prefer to "make love" to my dough; to massage it tenderly, pushing, rubbing, and folding over the thick mass until it is beautifully relaxed and elastic. It is my number one preferred method of stress relief  (re: stress-eating carbs). This Saturday night was deemed my relaxing night of the weekend, seeing as I had an all-day technical rehearsal to look forward to the following morning. 

It should be known that this is a very manageable recipe, and I did all of it save for the oven stuff in my dorm room!

Here is my recipe for blueberry bagels:

2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or one packet)

1 1/2 tablespoons cane sugar

1 1/4 very warm (but not hot!) water, plus about 1/2 cup extra

2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2(I usually let the measuring spoons overflow a little) teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons overflowing nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon lemon zest

1 1/3 cup freeze dried blueberries 

Stir together the yeast, sugar, and the 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl. Set aside for approximately five minutes, or until the yeast is all foamy. While waiting, whisk together the flours, salt, nutmeg, and zest. Make sure you've mixed together the dry ingredients super evenly!

Add the yeast/sugar mixture gradually, stirring quickly with a big spoon. Gradually add the 1 1/4 cups warm water until most if not all the dry ingredients are contributing to a sticky mass. Turn this dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for ten minutes by hand, or until the dough is smooth (not sticking to your fingers too much!) and elastic. You may need to add more flour or water, depending. Knead by pushing the dough firmly but gently away from you, then folding it over and repeating. It should feel a bit like a work-out! 

Now, sprinkle portions of the blueberries into your beautifully relaxed dough until all are evenly distributed. 

Place the dough in a nicely oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise somewhere warm for 1.5-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Dump your dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch it (nicely) down to de-gas it.

Cut the dough into 8-14 pieces (depending on how big you want your bagels to be), and roll them GENTLY into balls. Place dough balls on a plate. They do not have to be even or equal. Let them rest for a few minutes and preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a pot of water on the stove, but do not turn on the burner yet. Take out two cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper or sil pats.

Now, GENTLY using your index finger, poke a hole through the middle of your dough balls, gently stretching the hole out to a  bit bigger than your average bagel hole sixe (2-3 inches) using your thumb and index finger. Cover with your plastic wrap and let rise for twenty minutes. Turn on the water while rising so it comes to a roiling boil. Grease heavily your parchment-covered cookie pans.

In groups of three or four, depending on how big your pot is, boil the bagels for one minute on each side, setting puffy, boiled bagels on the greased cookie sheets. Once done, place bagels in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. You can flip them at 12 minutes if you desire. Once out of the oven, feel free to slice and enjoy immediately! But if you'd prefer prospective mornings with these babies.

Let cool for 10 minutes, slice with a good knife, and wrap in saran wrap to freeze for future mornings. These bagels freeze really well!

I enjoyed my blueberry bagels right out of the oven, and also the next morning with a healthy smattering of vegan cream cheese, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and my rosemary apple jam.

This recipe can be easily adapted for any bagel cravings you might have! Just take out the nutmeg, zest, and blueberries. Brush the tops of the bagels with oil and sprinkle with toppings of your desire just before baking.