Homemade Bagels and Mawa's Raspberry Cream Cheese Spread

While thanking a friend for "liking" my Facebook page, yes I am cheesy like that, the subject of homemade bagels was briefly discussed. Last year I wanted to try it, but somehow it got put to the back burner. Since the conversation, I was looking around the interwebs for  a bagel recipe and this recipe seemed to fall in my lap because I saw a link for "Bagels are a Breeze!" on my Facebook news feed. I found a recipe I thought I wanted to use, but I loved the look of this one and had all the ingredients on hand.

Like anytime I make homemade bread, my kids were impatiently awaiting the finished product. The only one willing to help was my little Curly Sous (chef) and I think she and I did a fabulous job. They have great flavor, slightly chewy but fluffy texture and was truly a breeze to make. My daughter aka Mawa made up her first recipe today as well. She demanded  delegated when it came to the cream cheese spread. She told me how much raspberry sauce, sugar, and lemons to use and ya know what? She did pretty damn good. I am proud of my Curly Sous.

Bruce Ezzell's Bagels

From Michael Ruhlman's blog

Sponge (4 to 12 hours before baking; do this before you go to bed if you want fresh bagels for breakfast or brunch, only takes a minute)

Ingredients:

500 grams flour/18 ounces/ 3.5 cups
500 grams water/18 ounces/ 2 1/4 cups
3 grams active dry yeast/3/4 teaspoon

Combine the ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix with a spoon till the ingredients are combined. Set aside at room temperature for at least 4 hours. Do this before going to bed if you want fresh bagels in the morning.

To Make the Bagels
18 grams kosher salt/.6 ounces/1 tablespoon
18 grams honey/1 scant tablespoon
18 grams malt syrup/1 tablespoon (you can substitute molasses if you wish I used molasses)
446 grams flour/16 ounces/ 3 cups
Baking Soda (1/2 tablespoon for every 2 liters/1/2 gallon water)
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt or other garnish (optional but recommended) I used onion seeds and salt

Add salt, honey, malt syrup (molasses), and flour to the sponge, the flour last.

Attach dough hooks to your mixer and mix at low speed for 8-10 minutes. This is a stiff, bucky dough so don’t walk away from the mixer if it has a tendency to walk across your counter top. I've had more than one mixer hit the floor and it is distressing. (This can also be mixed by hand.)

Once the dough is mixed remove it to your counter and cover with a cloth to let it rest for 5-10 minutes. 

While the dough is resting place a wide, fairly deep pot filled with water on the stove to heat (measure the water so you know how much baking soda to use). 

 Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.
Divide the dough into 12-13 (4 oz) pieces. Round each piece and set aside to rest for a few more minutes, covered.

To shape take each ball of dough and flatten out slightly using the palm of the hand, making a disc approximately 3.5 inches wide. Make a hole in each using your thumb and place back on the counter, covered, to rise.
After 10 minutes flip each bagel over so the bottom is now facing up. When this side begins to get slightly puffy and rounded it is time to boil. This may take as little as 5 minutes, but depending on the temperature of your kitchen, how cold your countertop is, etc., it might take longer. When the bagel looks and feels a bit puffy, it’s ready to boil.

While your bagels are in their final rise bring your water to a simmer, then add the baking soda.When I boil I typically use a pan like a wok filled with water. 

Drop the bagels 3-4 at a time into the simmering water (depending on how large your pot is). They should float immediately or within a few seconds. Let them simmer for one minute, then flip them over using a chopstick or spoon and let the other side simmer for one minute. 

Remove from the water using a skimmer or large spoon. I like to bake them on a half-sheet pan lined with parchment paper. They can also be baked on a pizza stone.
Sprinkle them with sesame, poppy seeds, salt or whatever you prefer immediately after removing them from the water, or alternately, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle after that.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 12-13 minutes or until golden brown.

These were so easy, and it didn't take long to do at all. I am very pleased and will be adding another homemade bread on my regular baking repertoire. If you don't have a scale, just measure everything as precisely as possible. The dough can be easily kneaded by hand as well!

From these bagels I made my son a quick lunch of ham and swiss

For dinner I made "pizza sandwiches". Made from the bagels with black onion seeds. I made a quick sauce using tomato puree, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, bay leaf, a splash of vinegar, red pepper flakes, a little sugar and salt and pepper. I parboiled sausage, sliced, sauteed. I added a heaping 1/2 cup of organic shredded mozzarella cheese, and broiled. Was GOOD.

I also seved them with those smiley faced potato fries. I can eat my weight in those!

Mawa's Raspberry Cream Cheese

My daughter directed me with this recipe and it yielded delicious results. I won't type the directions in Mawanese, though haha.

For Raspberry sauce

1 16 oz bag of frozen raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

For Wazbewwy (Raspberry) Cream Cheese Spread

1- 8 oz pack of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened (leave out at room temp for a couple hours prior)

1/4 cup raspberry sauce

2 T sugar

Juice of half a lemon

Directions

Simmer sugar and raspberries over medium low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes until thickened. Strain juice from skins and seeds through a fine mesh sieve. 

In a separate bowl, stir softened cream cheese until light. Add lemon juice, sugar and raspberry sauce; mix thoroughly.

Enjoy!!

Blueberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Spring is certainly on my mind. After 4 consecutive days of rain and gloom in my town in Deutschland, I want something sunny, bright and of course delicious. Spring seems to have had a tag team match with winter recently. We've had some warm temps here, even reaching in the 60s. However, we have a common feature of spring that I am not so tickled happy about.....rain. Lots of it. So what's the best thing to do after a long puddle jumping marathon with the little ones? Bake some CAKE. A cake featuring a not so winter time fruit- blueberries. I used organic frozen blueberries, which are typically frozen at their peak of freshness, and some very seasonal lemons so I didn't feel so guilty. Besides, from the crumbly lemon scented cake base, the full sweet, bursting flavor of the blueberries, to the light cream cheese filling and the crunchy almond topping, you may end up running to your closet and put some shorts on. My daughter the "bewwy lovah" nearly ate all of the berries while I preparing the cake!

Blueberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

From Sunset Magazine

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1  cup  fresh blueberries, rinsed, or frozen blueberries
• 1/4  cup  apple juice
• 1  teaspoon  cornstarch
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  (1/4 lb.) cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  grated lemon peel
• 3/4  cup  plain low-fat yogurt
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla
• 2  large eggs
• 6  ounces  cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1  teaspoon  lemon juice
• 1/2  cup  sliced almonds

Preparation

In a 1- to 2-quart pan over medium heat, bring blueberries and apple juice to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until blueberries have released their juices, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water. Add to blueberry mixture; stir until it simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature.

In a bowl or food processor, mix or whirl flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Add butter to flour mixture. Cut in with a pastry blender or pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Reserve 1/2 cup; pour remaining into a large bowl. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon peel.

In a bowl, mix yogurt, vanilla, and 1 egg until blended; stir into flour-baking powder mixture until incorporated.

Spread batter in a buttered 9-inch round cake pan with a removable rim.

In a bowl or food processor, beat with an electric mixer on high speed or whirl cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, remaining egg, and lemon juice until smooth. 

Spread over batter in pan, leaving a 1/2-inch border bare. Gently spread blueberry mixture over cream cheese mixture, leaving some visible. Stir almonds into reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over cake, concentrating most around edge of batter.

5. Bake in a 350° oven until center of cake barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken and top of cake is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove pan rim. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Hope you all enjoy and are staying nice and warm....preferably by an oven ;-)


Cream Cheese

Banana and Cream Cheese Filled French Toast Waffles! Whoa.

Dude(ttes), I am not joking. I first read about this after I clicked Bobby Flay's link on Twitter. It said: "didn't/ see/already recycled yesterday's Parade Mag? (cont)" It made me giggle as there are a lot of jokes about Parade Magazine. But I really miss it, it has some great articles and comics! Along with the awesomeness of Parade Magazine, it had a recipe for the yummy looking Waffle/French toasts! My children's favorite breakfasts are waffles and French toast, so I HAD to give them a shot. My husband was away last night, so what a perfect time to have breakfast for dinner!

I used bananas and cream cheese, because that's what I had on hand. I had peanut butter, but I wanted something a bit different.  I used some bananas I froze, and  it gave the cream a thicker texture than unfrozen bananas would, I believe. And it added the perfect touch of sweetness.

 Biting into one of these is like a present for the soul. You get the sweet crunchiness of the bread, and then you are hit the smooth, sweet cream cheese mixture. I am definitely making this again!

I made this with Bacon, but do what you want. I LOVE Bacon. In fact, I capitalize the "B" in Bacon because Bacon is that important to me. And I put it in the oven for 10 minutes on 400F and it's perfectly crunchy and I am not covered in Bacon grease pop burns (not so sexy).

Recipe

Banana-Cream Cheese Filled French Toast Waffles

or try Bobby Flay's orginal version here!

French Toast Batter:

8 stale slices of whole-wheat bread

4 eggs

3/4 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/4 tsp orange extract (or use 1 teaspoon of orange zest)

1/4 tsp of  cinnamon

pinch of salt

Banana -Cream Cheese Filling

1 banana, chopped (i used frozen)

6 tablespoons of cream cheese (full fat or neufchatel) 

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

pinch of cinnamon

a little orange extract

Directions

Heat your waffle iron on medium

Put all ingredients for filling in a blender and blend baby!

Pulse for about 5-10 seconds. don't want it too thin!

Now put that in the fridge and start your French toast batter.

Add all the ingredients for the French toast batter EXCEPT the bread. Stir up nice and gently.

Now, get that cream cheese out of the fridge and slab some cream cheese on the bread and make a cream cheese sandwich. Resist the temptation to eat it right then and there are keep making sandwiches.

Dip a sandwich one at a time into the batter,

then place in waffle iron. 

Cook until waffles/toasts are all cooked. And voila! Easy, yeah?

 I used powdered sugar on mine but the kids preferred maple syrup. Use whatever your heart desire. Bobby used an amazing looking mixed berry sauce. I would have if I had some berries on hand. But this recipe is a great fridge/pantry cleaner upper ;) Hope you all try this or make it your own!