Bagel, bagel, bagel!

Don't you just love it when things actually turn out successfully? I have made bagels before using Peter Reinhart's recipe but I wasn't completely satisfied with the results. They were edible but lacked that certain bagelly something. Last night I decided to try again using a different flour, "All Trumps," and wow, did it make a difference in the result! The recipe calls for an overnight retarding the the refrigerator so I was excited to get up this morning and complete my baking project. Last time I made them I shaped them by making a round ball and poking my thumb through the center but this time I rolled them into a long rope, wrapped them around my hand, and rolled them on the counter to seal the ends. I like that method much better. The bagels are more rustic looking, which I like. Each bagel weighed 133 grams- why 133 and not 130? Just because. Do 3 grams make a difference? Nope. I boiled them for one minute on each side. PR states that if you want a chewier bagel you may boil them longer. I didn't, so I didn't. The bagels are shiny and crusty on the outside and the crumb looks tender. I have never eaten a 'real' New York bagel so perhaps mine aren't really up to snuff, but as long as they taste good to me and those with whom I share them, who cares?? My daughter has been under the weather all week and she will get a warm fresh bagel when she gets out of bed. How is that for saying "I love you"??? Yesterday at Whole Foods I found Italian butter from Parma and I just couldn't pass it up, despite the hefty price. We only live once, eh? The label says it is 83%- wow! I grew up on homemade butter from our Jersey cow so I know good butter when I taste it. We shall see how this butter compares. I have had French, American, Danish, Irish, and soon will have tasted Italian butter. So far the Irish Kerrygold butter tastes closest to the butter that my grandmother made. She and I were the only ones in the family who drank buttermilk and some of my fondest childhood memories are watching her churn the butter, scooping out the precious yellow chunks (always being careful to get every fleck that she could) and then ladling out a glass of room-temperature buttermilk for her and me to share. She called me "Gooney Bird" and maybe I still am a little 'gooney'- who else makes their own bagels on a whim? Isn't it amazing how a taste or a smell can trigger a long-ago memory? That is part of what makes me want to cook; I want to leave behind a legacy of those memories for my own children, and perhaps one day, grandchildren. Meanwhile I cook because I love to do it. I hear my daughter waking up so I will make her a cup of coffee with lots of sugar and creamer ( the way she loves it) and take her a bagel spread with lots of love...

Timing is Everything!

As in life, also in baking...I made an error in timing a very complicated recipe so I find myself waiting until 1am to start the next phase of a new recipe I am trying. I could probably do it sooner and get an extra hour of sleep but I am determined to follow the recipe exactly and precisely to see if it is the Holy Grail of Panettone for which I have been searching. I love panettone. I hadn't a clue that such a thing existed until I stumbled across one 2 years ago at the local TJ Maxx store. I was attracted to the oddly-shaped box and colorful packaging. After taking it home, tearing off the paper, and slicing into it I was smitten. I am sure the bread wasn't exactly fresh but still it was so so good! I live in an area where panettone isn't to be found so this year I decided to try and make it myself. Insane? Not quite. Basically it is an egg and butter enriched bread with candied fruit scattered throughout a soft feathery interior. The outside is a rich dark brown and the interior is buttery yellow. Sounds simple, eh? I scoured my cookbooks and looked at recipes online and finally settled on Peter Reinhart's recipe from the Bread Baker's Apprentice book. I learned that a traditional panettone uses a sourdough starter as well as yeast so the first step is to get your sourdough ducks in a row. I have had less than stellar success with sourdough so it was with trepidation that I started my first foray into panettone-dom. I have never been a fan of candied fruit so I used dried fruit and soaked it in a heady mixture of vanilla, fiori di sicilia, and orange liqueur. I must say the whole kitchen smelled heavenly so if nothing else I would end up with great-smelling bread! Yesterday I was finally able to bake 2 loaves of panettone- wow! They looked right, they smelled right, and gosh, they even tasted right! I made panettone! However I am still not satisfied that I have found "The" recipe to be used over and over again. I seek the perfect panettone that I can feel confident to give as gifts this holiday season. I want the giftees to swoon when they open the wrapper and get a scent of heaven. Am I asking for much? Nahhhhhhhhhhhh. This girl is like a dog with a bone when she sets her mind on something. So here I sit- gnawing on that bone, waiting for the next installment in the great Panettone Experiment. There is no one in my circle of friends or family who quite understands my passion for baking and cooking. You, dear reader, if you have stumbled across this blog, most likely DO understand from where I come. More tomorrow after I have finished the bread...