Bagels!

I've been thinking of baking bagels for a while now, and today-- my day of rest and the day I also happen to finally be feeling human again after a wicked cold-- was the day.

I used this recipe for my bagels, and as far as I can tell, it worked beautifully.

I thought baking bagels would be hard, but it was actually easier than making pretzels (the last baking endeavor). Again, I was most worried about killing the yeast, but I didn't! I also forgot to take any photos until I was boiling and baking the 2nd batch. Overall, though-- easy.

Step one: Combine yeast, warm water, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix gently with dough hook until combined.

Step 2: Add the flour. It takes quite a bit, but this recipe makes a dozen bagels. Knead with the dough hook for about 3 minutes, then let rise.

Step 3: Beat down the dough, roll into bagel shapes (I used the "hole-in-the-middle" technique), and let rise again for about 20 minutes.

(Bagels have risen and are ready to boil.)

Step 4: Now it's time to boil! This, as with pretzels, is what gives bagels their wonderful, unique texture.

Let them boil for about 30 seconds, and make sure to turn them once so the whole bagel gets nice and boiled.

Step 5: Bake the bagels at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Take them out and let them cool. Admire.

I have yet to taste them, as I'm still waiting for the 2nd batch to come out of the oven, and I want them to cool. Also, I want to be hungry when I finally break into one. They smell heavenly, and I know I'll want to eat the whole thing once I crack them.

EDIT:

The bagels are delicious. Perfect texture and great flavor. They even look like real bagels when you cut them in half.

I will say that I'm pretty sure I'm never buying bagels again. This whole process only took about an hour, and it made an easy dozen. If I wanted slightly smaller bagels, I could probably eke 16 out of this amount of dough.

To add to my shopping list: cream cheese. Mm, bagels.

Any ideas for my next baking adventure?

Pretzels!

After watching a pretzel throwdown on Throwdown with Bobby Flay this past week, I was struck by the sudden desire to make pretzels. A quick google search led me to Bobby Flay's recipe on Food Network's site. I'm happy to say it worked like a charm.

I thought making pretzels would be complicated, but the only "hard" part was worrying over whether or not I killed the yeast. (I didn't!) I also didn't have any eggs (hard to believe, I know... but I used the last ones baking zucchini-chocolate-chip muffins last weekend), so I used butter and milk as a "wash." It worked fine.

Boiling the pretzels in the baking soda and water mixture gives them the unique texture and flavor I love about pretzels. Rolling them out was fun, although I think it will take some practice to get them looking uniform.

Once they came out of the oven, I brushed butter over them and on half, I "sprinkled" (I put it in quotation marks because it may have been more like dumping...) cinnamon sugar on top. The others I just left plain, as I didn't have any kosher salt to put on them.

Then, I ate one. Oh my. The result was plush but slightly chewy, slightly salty and sweet (I sampled a cinnamon sugar one). I was reminded of Auntie Anne's pretzels-- but better and fresher.

So, should you be wondering what to bake next, I highly recommend trying pretzels. Next up for me? Bagels.

The best cake ever

Ever since I was a kid, I've had Mrs. Backer's cakes almost every year. Mrs. Backer's is a small, family-owned bakery in Salt Lake City. Whenever we go out to Salt Lake to visit family, we try to buy a cake. Of course, most often we are able to go out to Salt Lake in July-- the month when Mrs. Backer's is closed for vacation. So most often, I'm deprived until someone goes out later in the year and flies back with a cake for us. Yes, this cake is good enough to warrant the effort it takes to travel with it.

The cake of choice? White cake with pineapple filling and buttercream frosting. Yes, it's just as delicious as it sounds-- maybe more.

My grandmother's 70th birthday is tomorrow, and I decided to bake her birthday cake this year. I know that she loves Mrs. Backer's cake (after all, she is the reason we all eat it-- she grew up there and has loved it since she was young), so I knew I wanted to try to replicate it. It is, after all, the middle of July. No one can get Mrs. Backer's cakes this time of the year.

I looked long and hard for a recipe that sounded like it would yield the right kind of cake, the right flavor of pineapple (not too sweet, not too tart), and the right consistency of buttercream (and one that wouldn't be gritty, as my buttercreams almost always end up).

I present, for your edification, the recipe that I think is pretty darn close:

The cake (adapted from Martha Stewart's Yellow Butter Cake recipe):

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition.

3. Divide batter between the prepared pans, and smooth with a spatula. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack. Reinvert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.

The filling (adapted from this recipe)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, packed in its own juice -- I used pineapple tidbits, because it was what I had on hand, and it worked just fine

3 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. In heavy saucepan combine cornstarch, all of the sugar and salt.
2. Add pineapple with juice and mix well.
3. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a bubbling boil, stirring constantly.
4. Once mixture comes to a boil continue stirring constantly for approximately 5 minutes, or until thickened and its looses its "milky" look.
5. Remove from heat and add butter, stirring to melt. (**Note: I misread the directions and added the butter from the beginning. It seemed to work out just fine.)
6. Let cool, then store in refrigerator.

Another note on the filling: I made it two days ahead and stored it in the fridge. When I took it out, it was pretty gelatinous, even after I left it out to thaw. I ended up adding about two tablespoons of water to thin it out so I could use it as the filling. Tasted good, though! I might add a teensy bit more sugar next time.

The frosting (adapted from therepressedpastrychef)

1 stick salted butter - room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter - room temperature
1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon Clear Vanilla extract (I used regular vanilla, and my frosting turned out cream-colored rather than white.)
2 pounds confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)
4-6 tablespoons very cold milk (I used heavy whipping cream. Just do it.)

**My addition: 1 tsp butter flavoring. Yes, they make it, and yes, it's delicious.

Directions
Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract and butter flavoring and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar (about 1/4-1/5 of the package at a time) and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold cream... one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency.

Note: I found that 6 tbs of heavy whipping cream worked perfectly for cake icing.

Once all of the components are made, carefully level out the cakes and put a thin layer of buttercream on the bottom layer, then top that with the pineapple filling. Lay the other layer on top, and frost to your heart's desire!

And that, my friends, is that.