Baking exploits

Somewhere along the lines I became a bit obsessed with baking my own breads. Was the discovery that kneading dough is a great way to release stress, the amazing aroma of fresh baked bread filling my home, or the taste of preservative free loveliness? Most likely a combination of all - with a heavy dose of the latter. Yes, it takes time, but I've found if I coordinate my day appropriately, it's not that hard. It's pretty easy to knock out a loaf or two after work during the week - but I especially love spending an entire Saturday baking.

That's what happened today - and I tried out a new recipe. Several years back my lovely family gifted me several Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, including one dedicated to Bread. MMM. If you follow my sister's blog, you've seen the challah I baked earlier this year for Easter. Well, the bagel recipe (a 2-pager!) has been calling to me for a while, and I finally tried it out. Don't let yeast scare you, people - try baking bread!

After you've baked a few loaves, you'll begin to see that bread recipes are basically the same. The differences come down to the amount of sugar, oil, whether milk is used in the dough, and its shape. Bagels also add a step of boiling the circles of dough prior to baking, which is what gives them their lovely texture. For a first time out, these turned out fairly well - though I must remember that waxed paper and parchment paper are NOT the same thing (fire alarms were my hint, sigh). The recipe made a dozen, which is more than enough for a single gal like me, and they taste simply amazing. I topped four with poppy seeds, four with kosher salt, and left four plain. I have some leftover mascarpone cheese, and it tastes lovely mixed with fresh strawberries and spread on a plain bagel.