Cinnamon Crunch Bagels

I realize this will be my third bagel post... but they're just so much fun to make!! I blame my loving brother for getting me hooked on a similar type of cinnamon bagel from a local bagel shop at my school...

Now, there's just something about shaping, boiling, baking, and toasting for that perfect crunch and chewy center... every step in this recipe is well worth it! And this recipe was super easy to follow - and don't even get me started on the taste!! With cinnamon both in the dough, and cinnamon sugar on top, you'll see why they're called cinnamon CRUNCH bagels! So a big thank you to "Buns in my Oven" for this terrific recipe, found here!

Now, if this is your first time making bagels and you're thinking it's too much work, or it seems practically impossible...well...frankly, you're wrong. (Sorry.) But these bagels are super easy and so worth it!

Be sure to check out my other bagel posts (here and here) for further step-by-step instructions and tips for making bagels, or read on to see how I made these adorable cuties! (Yes, I made them mini bagel size because I think mini food is the cutest.)

I also took quite a few pictures... so hopefully that helps! I know you can do it! And let's be real, isn't that first bite into a crunchy cinnamon-y bagel smeared with cream cheese totally worth it? (The answer is YES.)

Be sure your water is warm when activating your yeast - and be patient! Give the dough the time it needs to kneed and rise.

Once risen, the dough is wicked easy to shape, and keeps its shape as you drop it into your boiling sugar water. These steps are also all repeated in the recipe, found here. (Posh tip: Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up and no stuck-on cinnamon sugar!)

The cinnamon sugar topping was my favorite part... (I love cinnamon if you haven't noticed from some of my previous posts...) Plus, you can save any extra topping for use on toast, pies, cakes, or oatmeal! We always seem to have cinnamon sugar at the ready in my house...

I also love the "homemade" shape look to them...I mean, they don't need to be perfectly round. They're homemade after all!

Thanks again to "Buns in my Oven" for this terrific recipe! If you love a crunchy cinnamon bagel as much as me, I hope you enjoy these! (Also, please be careful when removing these from a toaster... the sugar is very hot! - Trust me on this one.) Next time I make these, I might even throw in some raisins or sprinkle chopped walnuts on top... or maybe toast and serve with caramel sauce! The list of posh is endless!! 

With love (for food),

Ellen

-- A dash of posh can make all the difference in your next dish! --

"Everything-is-better-with-posh" Bagels

Posh...on a bagel?

Bagels. You may think of cream cheese, peanut butter, or maybe even salmon, but posh? Posh on a bagel, too?

Let's talk about posh for a minute. What is 'posh' exactly? I toss around the term a lot, and it's become a major part of my life. I try to put a little bit of 'posh' in everything I do, make, even the way I dress! It's fun! But, what exactly is it?

In short, it's a lot of things. So, here's ONE type of 'posh,' or at least one way of looking at it.

I'll put it into a food reference so we can all understand it a little better. Recall one of my first posts "Bagels - A beautiful and delicious transformation" (don't remember? click here for a refresher!). Well, the other day I found myself in a creative mood (and craving bagels). So, I decided to test my bagel making and posh skills with this wonderful recipe for Honey Whole Wheat Bagels, "everything" style!

I have to ask - why take the time to make something, following a recipe, and merely leave it at that? Why not be a little creative and add a little posh? Posh, in this case, is the creative spin you can put on your dish. Whether it's a topping, a sprinkle or garnish, or an entirely new ingredient - posh makes recipes special. It's a way to put yourself into each dish!                                                                                                                                       For example, I could have made this bagel recipe as I've done before, and leave them as delicious honey whole wheat bagels. OR I could make an "everything" topping and put a creative spin on this treat. (I chose the latter.) And it turned out fantastic! Never be afraid to try something new, or show a little of yourself in your dish. Sure, I've had recipes and ideas which don't work (like using raisins as a topping and not realizing they burn in a 450 degree oven, then tasting them...tastes like burned sugar.) But that's part of the fun! You'll never know if you don't try. And who knows? Maybe you'll find something you really like by adding that extra pinch, or sprinkle on top.

I definitely recommend taking the time to make these bagels. They're super fun, and really easy! Enjoy each moment as you shape the dough, let it rise, and add the posh. (Then toast and smear them with cream cheese as soon as possible, even if it means you're having bagels for dinner!) Take a creative spin on your next dish and let me know how it works! (And trust me, this won't be the last time you hear about this 'posh' business from me!)

With love (for food),

Ellen

--A dash of posh can make all the difference in your next dish!--

Bagels - A beautiful (and delicious) transformation

A few months ago, I made my first attempt at homemade pumpkin bagels (from a Taste of Home recipe, of course). They were terrific! I love complicated, muti-step bread recipes - and these bagels became my 'precious' as I kneaded the dough, let them rest, shaped, boiled, and baked them. With this in mind, I wanted to keep myself occupied during my first summer vacation "weekday," as my parents returned to work. I was (innocently) searching the web for a whole wheat bagel recipe when I stumbled upon a blog called "Simple Bites." On it, was a recipe for none other than honey whole wheat bagels! I read through the author's background story on the bagels, how she'd make them with her sister on Friday nights to sell the next morning, and how good she claimed they were - and I had to make them. Plain and simple. So, Monday morning, that's exactly what I did!

First, thank you to Aimee at Simple Bites! This recipe was terrific and so much fun to make!

Second, the bagels! Bagels are... magical. A complete transformation! What begins as a bowl of goupy dough made of flour, salt, honey, yeast, and water, becomes a crunchy, warm, delicious bagel!? It's magic I tell you! Hopefully you, too, can see this transformation...

After letting the warm water and yeast mingle for about 10 minutes, I added it to the whole wheat flour-honey-salt mixture. At this point, I had given up on trying to find our dough hook attachment for the mixer...so I settled for the paddle attachment (I'm so ashamed - what kind of bagel maker uses a paddle attachment when the recipe calls for a dough hook!?) It seemed to work okay though, the bagels still came out delicious! So, I continued with the recipe (and my paddle attachment) and added the bread flour, then kneaded it for 8 minutes using a spoon, because the paddle thought it'd be cool to pick up all the dough and whip it around the bowl rather than knead it.. The photo below on the left is how it looked BEFORE covering it to let it rise..

And the photo above on the right is how much it rose during that hour! Let's take a moment to appreciate this transformation. In a little over an hour, a bowl of just a few ingredients became a beautiful dough, puffed up and ready to be formed into bagels!

Well, first it was rolled into balls. Using a sharp knife, I (carefully) cut the dough into quarters, then cut those each in half, and so forth. And somehow.. I ended up with 17...(obviously simple division was never my strong point). After letting these cute little balls of whole wheat goodness rest for a couple minutes, I shaped them into bagels!

(as if one picture weren't enough, here's 3)

Look at the transformation now! And we're not even done yet!! Next, these precious little delicacies had to be covered and left to rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the pans were prepared, I brought the water (with 1 TBS of sugar) to a boil, and the egg wash and toppings were ready.

Then I finally got to bake them!! 20 minutes in the oven later.. and they had completed their final transformation! Wasn't that amazing!? Let's just take a few everyday ingredients, mix 'em together, knead a little, etc and boosh! Bagels - what!?

Some of them were shaped a bit funky.. but I'm gonna call that artistic flair! (Just a splash of posh, on my end.) My brother was the first to try them - and they earned his stamp of approval, so you know they must be good! They have just enough settle sweetness, and toasted the next day, they are delicious! I sliced mine, toasted it, and topped it with almond butter for breakfast... AMAZING! Little Cooper thought so too.. (he's my cute puppy, below).

I highly recommend you try them! It may seem like a lot of steps for a 'bagel,' but I'm telling you - it's totally worth it! Plus, you know everything in it, (it's fun!), there's no added 'stuff,' and as always, you can put your own creative twist on it! 

Find the recipe and Aimee's story at http://www.simplebites.net/honey-whole-wheat-bagels-and-this-bakers-early-beginnings/ (Thanks again, Aimee!)

With love (for food),

Ellen

--A dash of posh can make all the difference in your next dish!--