Ladies and gentleman, I have your ticket to delicious breakfasts forever more. This is going to be a happy day.

I love me a bagel. I eat one several mornings a week for breakfast but local friends, let’s be honest, Minnesota is not the bagel mecca we might wish it to be. Sure there are a couple of places where you can get an alright bagel but you taste one from New York in comparison, and it’s a sad realization…no competition.

So, what makes a good bagel? I asked my friends (none of whom are experts, all of whom love bagels) when we got together and here’s what we collectively came up with: a good bagel has a light crunch as you bite in that needs to combine with a soft, chewy interior.

That softness shouldn’t be too soft though, nor bread-like which seems to often happen. Rather the bagel should be chewy in an easy soft way; texture was easily the most important aspect to us and there’s a fine line between too chewy and too soft. In terms of flavour, salt is important and a subtle malt flavour is essential.

Guess what? These bagels you see in front of you? Spot on. We loved them, raved about them, and devoured the whole batch in minutes.

I’m not sure what I’ve been doing all these years waiting for our store bought bagels to be excellent. I want – and really hope (someone hold me to it) – to make bagels from scratch every weekend and have them fresh for the week.

These have a light crispy crunch as you bite in (from their dip in the simmering malt water), a soft but chewy dough, and amazing flavour – and that’s before our toppings. We made poppy seed, black sesame seed, and everything bagels (my all-time fave: garlic, dried onion flakes, poppy seeds, sea salt). Bam! Who wants to come over for brunch?

New York Style Bagels
adapted from CD Kitchen, makes 8 bagels

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons malt syrup
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (more if needed)

For the Kettle Water

• 6 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons malt syrup or powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Toppings (optional)

• sesame seeds
• poppy seeds
• minced fresh garlic
• minced fresh onion/dried onion flakes
• caraway seeds
• coarse salt
• corn meal for sprinkling baking sheets

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. With a wooden spoon, stir in the oil, malt and one cup of the flour. Add salt, then enough of remaining flour to make a stiff dough.
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 10 to 12 minutes. <Enter excellent arm workout!> Cover with a floured dish towel and allow dough to rest on a board for about 15 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 8 sections and form each section into 10-inch long strips with your hands. Roll the ends together to seal and make a ring. Place on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let bagels rest 15 to 20 minutes. They should rise about halfway and becoming slightly puffy.
5. Meanwhile, fill a large cooking pot or Dutch oven three quarters full with water. Add the malt syrup and salt.
6. Bring water to a boil. Preheat oven to 450F. Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment and sprinkle generously with corn meal. Set aside.
7. Line two other baking sheets/other surface with a kitchen towel, set near your stove. Reduce boiling water to a simmer and cook 2 bagels at a time (don’t crowd the pot). Simmer bagels for about 45 seconds on one side, then turn and cook other side for another 45 seconds. Remove and drain the bagels on the towel-lined baking sheet.
8. Carefully place bagels on the parchment-lined, cornmeal-dusted baking sheets. Bake bagels plain or sprinkle with a topping of your choice. Place in the hot oven, immediately reduce heat to 425F, and bake about 17 to 25 minutes. When almost baked, turn bagels over (a pair of tongs will do the job easily). Transfer bagels to wire rack to cool.

Note:

These freeze well, which helps to retain a just-baked taste, if they aren’t all eaten on the first day. To freeze, slice cooled bagels first, place a small strip of plastic between the bagel halves and place in a plastic self-sealing freezer bag. When you’re ready for a bagel, they’ll come apart easily, ready to pop into the toaster and enjoy.

{photo from Flickr}

1. Got stuck in Helena airport after my plane broke down and ended up trying to get home for 15 hours. Not my favourite.

2. Ate half a rack of ribs in approximately 4 minutes flat.

3. Was inspired by Olivia’s travels and especially the food styling and photography workshop she took part in in Dordogne. Sigh face.

4. Decided that chocolate mousse needs to happen. Soon.

5. Got mightily engrossed in The Last Werewolf {for our next book club!}…so unexpected and so…awesome

6. Welcomed the return of hot oatmeal.

7. Had book club at my house and decided (to no-one’s surprise) to go with a full-on cheese fest. {If you need help creating the perfect cheese plate this handy guide from Joanna Goddard is pretty awesome.}

8. Officially started a really fun new writing venture contributing restaurant reviews to Twin Cities Metromix. My first review (on newly opened Pat’s Tap) is now live!

Read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V.

[Image source]

When I was at university in Sheffield, me and my friends used to pile into a place called Belly Busters after one of our weekly seminars and devour bacon baps, fried egg baps, and the occasional full English. The place was basically a mad house.

There was a dog that ran free in and out of the kitchen (hygienic) and on more than one occasion “escaped” out the front door and bounded into the busy street. Cue lots of drama and yelling. We loved that place.

The kind of full English breakfast they served was proper good stuff. No frills, no fancy ingredients; just lots of lard, runny eggs, and fried bacon. That may not sound like your cup of tea but it.was.the.business.

A few months ago I discovered real English bacon at my local food co-op in Minneapolis. This had previously been unheard of in these parts. I may have shrieked and embarrassed my husband, and I may have panic-bought way more than was necessary. The point is, I found a little slice of home.

If you google “full english breakfast” a few variations on the classic will come up and my version is of course a variation too. It’s all about where you grew up, what your family traditions are, and what you happen to have in the fridge. Plus, how bothered you are about gaining 8 pounds after one meal.

I used to make my full English at home with lard – it was really common in England for a long time, although it’s gone completely out of vogue now. Pah. Healthy eating.

Your Full English should include at least bacon (preferably English back bacon) and/or sausages (Cumberland for me, please), eggs (mine’ll be sunny side up and runny), toast or fried bread and most definitely some of the following:

> baked beans
> fried mushrooms
> fried tomato
> black pudding
> a mug of milky tea

Cooking a full English might read like a bit of a nightmarish juggle, but I promise it’s easy as can be. Bacon and sausages are very forgiving and personally I like them with browned edges so don’t worry if you’re waiting for things to come together. Get things going in the right order and you’ll be dandy.

Full English Breakfast
serves one

Ingredients

• 2 rashers of English bacon
• 2 English sausages, if you can find them
• 1 tomato
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup baked beans
• 1 slice bread, to toast
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• H P Sauce (otherwise known as brown sauce), as desired

Directions

1. Sausages take the longest (about 12-15 minutes), so get them going first. Fry in a pan with some preheated oil, turning regularly.
2. After about 4-5 minutes add bacon to the same pan that the sausages have been cooking in and fry, until your preferred crispiness is reached. The cooked bacon can be kept hot on a plate in the oven.
3. Place your baked beans in a small sauce pan and heat over medium-low until hot and little bubbles are starting to appear (don’t boil them), about 7 minutes.
4. Cut the tomato in half, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place cut-side down in the frying pan and cook in the bacon/sausage fat without moving for 2 minutes. Gently turn over and season again. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until tender but still holding its shape.
5. For ‘proper’ fried bread it’s best to cook it in a separate pan. Ideally, use white sandwich bread that is a couple of days old. Heat a frying pan to a medium heat and cover the base with oil. Add the bread and cook for 2-3 minutes each side until crispy and golden. For a richer flavour, add a knob of butter after you turn the slice. You know you want to. Alternatively, just toast the bread. Your arteries will probably thank me for that suggestion.
6. I am certain you don’t need instructions on how to fry an egg but just in case: gently crack an egg into a lightly greased pan and cook until white has set but yolk still wobbles, season, and gently remove.
7. Serve everything on a warm plate and enjoy straight away with a good squeeze of brown sauce. Don’t forget your cuppa!