Okay, apologies for the slight hiatus in posting. With everything that’s been going on with jobs, visa paperwork, and other time consuming things that present themselves at the busiest moment possible, I’ve had to put writing on the back burner. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been hard at work cooking! I’ve got two, accidently related posts coming up. And this is the first.

This post is about bringing back the basics; slowing life down, and taking the time to do things yourself. And while I won’t be hand-washing my clothes, or changing the brake pads on my car anytime soon, I will definitely be making these bagels again. In fact, I had such a great time with this recipe that I was inspired to start my own sourdough culture to be done with commercial yeast forever! Exciting right? Just getting you all on board for my next post :)

Homemade bagels AND home-cured gravlax with dilly cream cheese... stop it, I know

But back to the bagels. Between all the recent stressful moments, I’ve been spending as much time as possible laying in the sunbeam that perfectly shines on my outdoor lounge. And what better activity to do while relaxing in the sun than read a favourite author? It doesn’t matter which book you choose, any one written by Michael Pollan is a winner. In his newest book “Cooked” he illustrates a true back to basics lifestyle from the origination of Carolina BBQ, to home fermented vegetables, brewing beer, and baking bread.

In the book he makes a good point. We are making more money, working harder, and spending way more time doing things we don’t actually enjoy doing. And for what? Two weeks holiday? A new car? New clothes? More stuff? More stress? I can create more than enough stress on my own thank you very much. With only two days per week off work, is shopping really the best thing for us? Is the only legitimate form of leisure really consumption?

Not for me it isn’t. I get way more pleasure out of learning how to do things for myself, and then doing it better than I could buy anywhere else. Cooking especially. I mean how great do you feel when you spend all day comparing recipes, prepping ingredients, and hosting a great big dinner party for all your friends?! Super!

These bagels are my first attempt at bagel-making. They are one of the many things I miss from home, while also being one of the few things I can actually make (Kraft Dinner’s mysterious powdered cheese sauce still evades me). And as my toughest critic, I would say these bagels rate a 7/10. They looked great, and had a great chewy exterior, the way proper bagels should. But the inner crumb was a little too crumbly, and they were definitely too small. I’m working on improving the recipe and will keep you posted on the results!

The great thing about these bagels, and the reason why I’m sharing the recipe is because they were really good. They were really easy to make, and look totally impressive. Nick and I are hosting a friend for the next few days, and I’m definitely going to be making up a batch of these bagels.

“You mean these ole’ things? Nah, we’ve always got them hanging around” ;)

Sesame Seed Bagels

25g butter

125 ml milk

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp dried yeast

1 egg, separated

250 g bread flour

6 5x5 inch squares of parchment paper

Melt the butter, milk, and sugar in a sauce pan until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and let cool to body temperature. Add the yeast and let sit until foamy, 10 min. Whisk in the egg white and ½ tsp salt.

In a big bowl sift your flour. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture all at once. Knead until smooth and elastic.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot. Rise until doubled.

Divide dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a ball (using flour as necessary). Poke your finger through the centre of each ball and spin around to make a bagel shape. Place each shaped bagel on its own square of parchment paper. Cover and rest until slightly risen, 30 min.

Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of water to boil and preheat oven to 200C. Add 1 tbsp baking soda to the water (this is a substitute for lye which is normally used when making bagels).

Slide bagels with paper attached in batches into the boiling water, turning once until puffed. The bagels will slide easily away from the paper. Remove each boiled bagel with a slotted spoon and transfer to a nonstick baking sheet.

Combine the remaining egg yolk with 1 tsp water and brush over the bagels. Scatter with sesame seeds and bake approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Now the fun part... all the many ways you get to enjoy them!!