Oh my goodness. I made BAGELS.

I love bagels – they’re one of my favorite foods.  I remember growing up, there was a place called Bageland, where we’d go most every weekend.  They always would give the kids mini bagels to eat on the way home.   They were small, dense, chewy, and perfectly salted.

I never really thought about how bagels get to be bagels.  But it’s not actually a terribly complicated process.  The dough begins with a goopy starter, then turned into a firm, stretchy dough.  You make little rolls, then punch the holes in the middle.  After an overnight rise in the fridge, they are boiled, then baked in a hot oven.

I was hoping for a slightly pudgier result – I think I stretched out the dough too much when punching the hole, making a flatter, wider bagel.  I also only divided the dough into 12, which made quite enormous rounds.  But the texture was exactly what I wanted – dense and chewy, none of that light, supermarket stuff.  I topped some with sesame seeds and a few where the hole had closed during rising with chopped onions to make a kind of bialy.

As a side – bagels are made all the better by what you top them with.  I picked up some Quark from the Keswick Creamery stand at the farmers market this morning, and it was delightful both with sliced radishes for a savory treat, and drizzled with apricot preserves for some sweet.