This weekend was frustrating, as I felt I spent too little time being productive and too much money on nothing at all. Today sort of made up for it. While I did not make it to yoga, I did go for a run with my friends in Rock Creek Park which is rewarding for its inspiration and thorough nurishing of the soul. Also, I made a lot of food.
I made Bagels, the idea of which came from my search for how to make most of your food, and a need to use my quickly growing herbs. This was a very successful venture and I recommend it to everyone. The recipe:
2 teaspoons, instant yeast
3 teaspoons, dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups, room temperature water
1 Tablespoon, salt
4 cups, bread flour
2 teaspoons, baking soda
3 teaspoons, dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups, room temperature water
1 Tablespoon, salt
4 cups, bread flour
2 teaspoons, baking soda
1. Mix the yeast in a large bowl with the brown sugar and the warm water. Stir in the salt and flour, ensuring all the flour is well hydrated. Knead the dough 5-7 minutes, until it is smooth. Cover the bowl and set aside for 2 hours.
2. Lightly dust a cutting board with flour. Turn out the dough onto a floured board. With a dough knife, cut a 4oz portion and mold into a ball. Here I kneaded my herbs into the dough so they were green-speckled balls. Allow the dough balls to rest 5 minutes. Pierce the ball with your finger and rotate the dough around until the hole is of desired size. Set the bagel on a cornmeal-flour dusted sheet tray and repeat.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Dust another baking sheet with flour.
5. Fill a large, wide pot two-thirds full of water, and bring to a boil with the baking soda. Drop the bagels in batches into the water; they must not touch. Boil on one side for 2 minutes. Turn the bagels and boil on the second side for 1½ minutes. They should firm and puff up. Carefully remove from the water and drain for 1 minute on a rack.
6. Place the bagels on the prepared baking sheet. Immediately place the sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the sheet tray 90 and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the bagels are tan to medium brown.
2. Lightly dust a cutting board with flour. Turn out the dough onto a floured board. With a dough knife, cut a 4oz portion and mold into a ball. Here I kneaded my herbs into the dough so they were green-speckled balls. Allow the dough balls to rest 5 minutes. Pierce the ball with your finger and rotate the dough around until the hole is of desired size. Set the bagel on a cornmeal-flour dusted sheet tray and repeat.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Dust another baking sheet with flour.
5. Fill a large, wide pot two-thirds full of water, and bring to a boil with the baking soda. Drop the bagels in batches into the water; they must not touch. Boil on one side for 2 minutes. Turn the bagels and boil on the second side for 1½ minutes. They should firm and puff up. Carefully remove from the water and drain for 1 minute on a rack.
6. Place the bagels on the prepared baking sheet. Immediately place the sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the sheet tray 90 and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the bagels are tan to medium brown.
These are very yummy.
For dinner I made a pizza. All of this dough was rising while I was running, which was very convenient. The pizza was a small one, made with a sliced tomato, mozzarella cheese slices, garlic sauteed summer squash, basil leaves, and a dusting of herbed goat cheese.
It is wonderful to me that filling my time with the activity of filling my belly can be so satisfying and in turn fill the holes in my life that fester in frustration from the activities of normal life.
