Fresh Bagels

This afternoon I realised we were out of bagels, and I was not in the mood to go to the store.  It had been awhile since I'd made bagels, and I recalled my daughter's first project in her Culinary Arts class in 9th grade: bagels.

Inspired, I looked up a recipe that got good ratings, and got started.  Two hours later, I have a nice batch of hot fresh bagels, and best of all, they are home-made.

Bagels risen after being dropped into the simmering water.

About 4 minutes into simmering the bagels grow.

  

And grow.

  

Boiled bagels on buttered baking sheet, ready for the oven.

Thirty minutes later~

Fresh Challah

Fresh Challah, originally uploaded by salmonbear7.

Another view of Challah loaves cooling on the rack.

Fresh-baked Challah

Fresh-baked Challah, originally uploaded by salmonbear7.

I think I'm making up for lost time. The holidays bring out the baker in some of us, and I'm drawn mostly to bread. Don't get me wrong - I love a good cookie - but there is something special about bread.

I have memories from working in a bakery years ago, not as a baker, but working behind the counter, peddling donuts, cookies, and fresh loaves of bread. Among those loaves were the weekly Challah.

At Easter, my grandmother would create a braided bread with three colored eggs nestled in the V of each plait. Very beautiful indeed. I wish I had a photo to share - it's been many years.

The Day's Baking

The Day's Baking, originally uploaded by salmonbear7.

Here's another view of the filled breads. One loaf is filled with olive paste, and the other one is filled with a blend of goat cheese, dates, and pecans. So so good~

Two Breads

Two Breads, originally uploaded by salmonbear7.

I do enjoy a good bread, and this one lends itself well to being filled. My filler notes are as follows:

Via Flickr:
One filled with olive paste, and the other filled with goat cheese, dates, and pecans~

Popovers, baked this morning

Popovers, baked this morning, originally uploaded by salmonbear7.

Just one more, up close and personal~

Hot Popovers~

Popovers, baked this morning

Popovers, baked this morning, originally uploaded by salmonbear7.

As you can see, I've made these a time or two.

Sunday afternoon I was listening to KUOW, our local public radio station, to the Splendid Table. One of the callers on the show asked about popover pans. I baked mine in muffin tins, which is not as good, of course, as baking them in a real popover pan. However, they did turn out well enough.

A good popover pan has deeper cups, and each cup is either attached with a wire grid, or has holes open between each cluster of 4 cups, for air circulation. Some pans are non-stick, while I've heard the best ones are cast iron, yielding a crisper crust. I have my eye on a Nordic Ware ...

Hot Popovers

Hot Popovers, originally uploaded by salmonbear7.

What could be more wonderful than a batch of hot popovers on a Sunday morning? With a teenage guy in the house it is imperative to make a double batch. Oh - so - good~