As Promised

It's always a wonder how much we can change in appearance over the years. I personally, have not changed much. Beyond acquiring a slightly more aware sense of self and appearance, I still stick strong to the shaggy haired, glasses-d, booted, plaid shirted and tight panted look that began in high school. My face hasn't gone through anything drastic either. Of course, some things have changed. Otherwise I might still dress like a mildly overweight middle-aged Asian, as I was often wont to do in high school. No more capes. No more pants that button above the belly-button or flare out at the bottoms like that  90's disco. Occasionally, though only for rare dress-up moments, make-up. Tight dresses. A little less of the baby fat (now it's just the fat of gluttony), because well, exercise. So sue me. Sometimes, girls like to feel attractive and look it as well.

It's odd though, that at over a quarter of a century old, I still haven't figured out my appearance. I still often show up in the real world, looking like someone ran over me with a truck, clothing irreparably wrinkled and covered in dust, glasses sliding down my face. Perhaps some things will never change, because I really just don't give a flying hoot. Stemming from my utter ambivalence, I will never wear make-up everyday, I just don't care enough. It also may be more than that. Think about it, it's another conversation for another day.

As was promised, here are rye bagels, round number one. Not the prettiest things, especially right after they've been boiled, but they're pretty enough to be seen plain (and that's kind of what I strive for). And damn, they're so so plain. They follow a slightly different recipe than the last set of bagels (this time my reference was Ruth Joseph and Simon Round), but overall, this recipe yielded a fairly similar bagel product. Only significant difference in the recipes was the condition in which the yeast was activated and allowed to rise. I have criticisms of both recipes, the primary one being that I don't think either of these bagels stood up to the test of time (there was definitely a textural change and a little less tasty two days out), but either way, I feel that both recipes have given me a solid base for how the bagel works. Meaning, I will be experimenting with my own bagel recipes from now on. I still think it's worth documenting my first rye bagel experience though, so here it is. 

Comments and criticisms before we jump into it. I actually preferred the sesame bagels over these, but not for the reasons you might think. I like super chewy bagels, and this rye bagel was just a little less chewy than the sesame bagel. Also, this rye bagel wasn't particularly pretty, and the dough was harder to work with. Rye flour is lower in gluten content, and even though only a small proportion of rye flour was used in this recipe, the dough was significantly tougher to work with than the sesame bagel dough. Lots of kneading, definitely not as elastic. I am thus curious as to whether or not a greater proportion of rye flour or some pumpernickel to bread flour would destroy the dough and turn it into something else.Would it lose all its chew? Lastly, in this case, the lack caraway seeds and small proportion of rye flour to bread flour led to a subtle rye flavor. In my next bagel experiment, I will definitely look for something that packs a greater rye punch, something that would stand up to some deli meats or sauerkraut.

On a happy ending note though, despite its quirks, this mild bagel is delicious with some hummus or cream cheese.

Lightly Ryed Bagels

makes 6 to 8 bagels

2 1/3 C unbleached bread flour

2/3 C rye flour

1 C lukewarm water

1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/2 TB brown sugar

2/3 TB olive oil

5/6 teaspoon salt

boiling liquid

1 TB barley malt syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda 

pinch of salt 

cornmeal (for baking)

Day 1: In a large bowl, sift together the rye and bread flours. Take 3/4 C of that flour and mix it with the water, yeast and brown sugar. Place in a warm and moist place until frothy (about 15 minutes). Then whisk in the olive oil and salt, and pour the mixture into the remaining flour. Using a wooden spoon, mix it all together until the flour is completely hydrated and the dough forms a stiff coarse ball. If the flour is not completely hydrated, you can add a little bit more of water until it is. Now knead the dough until it becomes elastic and passes the windowpane taste. Once it passes the window pane test, place in an oiled bowl and refrigerate over night.

Day 2: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into six even pieces. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and fill a large pot with water and bring to a simmer on the stove. Now shape the bagels, using the hand-rolling technique or the poke-a-hole technique (see previous post). Let proof, covered in a warm and moist place, for 20 minuets or until doubled in size. The bagels are ready to be boiled when they float in a bowl of water. Add your barley malt syrup, baking soda and salt to the simmering water. Drop in your bagels and boil on one side for 2-3 minutes, then flip and boil on the other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the boiling liquid with a slotted spoon. Using cornmeal to prevent the bagel from sticking to the pan, bake for 15 minutes or until brown.