the history of bagels

Well, apparently I had some time (and lots of flour) on my hands so I decided to bake! Actually, the cherry pie was for Kevin because he really likes cherry pie. Then the next day I was flipping through the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book" trying to find a recipe for meatloaf (again per Kevin's request) and saw a recipe for bagels! It's been almost a year since I've had a bagel!

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I read through the recipe and thought to myself, "Huh. Where's the closest Panera?" Seriously, have you ever made bagels at home? Well, don't. If there is a Panera near you....actually if there is a Panera somewhere on your continent, do not, I repeat, do not attempt this at home. It's just not wise.

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As we were making these I couldn't help but think of the first person to ever make bagels. Now, don't get me wrong - I do appreciate the fact that someone had the patience to come up with such a thing but I still kept wondering about that first attempt at bagel making. In my mind it went something like this:

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Hmm.....I'm really tired of regular old bread. I think I'll try to make something new. Something with a hole in the middle sounds interesting, where's my tin of yeast? Oh, there it is, right next to my sword (note: I think bagels were first made sometime in the 1600's when everyone owned a sword and kept big tins of yeast in their kitchens). Okay, let's see....yeast, flour, water, sugar and salt. That should do it.

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I think I'll make my new bread round with a hole in the middle so I can wear it on a string around my neck when I'm riding my horse. Okay, there we have it - 12 perfectly round dough balls with holes in the middle (the original recipe from the 1600's made 12 bagels - just like in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book). Hmm...how should I bake them? If I simply put them in my mud bread oven they won't really be any different then that old bread that I'm tired of. I think I'll go rest in my bear skin chair and think about this for a while.

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Wow! I was only resting in my bear skin chair for 10 minutes and these dough balls have really risen! I should make that part of the recipe (and now you know why the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book tells you to let the dough "rest" for 10 minutes - it's so that you can go and sit down for a little break).

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Well, I guess I'll put them under the broiler part of my little mud oven about 5 inches from the heat for about 3-4 minutes. 2 minutes later.....Uh oh, they are getting pretty dark, I better flip them. 2 minutes later.....now this side is getting dark too! I better take them out! Well, that's just great, the outside is getting done but they are still raw in the middle, now what am I going to do?

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I guess I'll just go fetch some water from the river (they used to say the word "fetch" in the 1600's every chance they got). Whew! That sure is hard work fetching water from the river. I wish there was a way that we could have water magically flow right into our kitchens! Oh well, maybe someday. I better get back to making my new round bread with a hole in the middle.

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Hey! I've got all of this water! I wonder what would happen if I boiled this bread for 7 minutes in a gallon of water, turning them once? Hmm....now they're just all kind of soggy. I guess I won't be able to invent some new kind of bread today. I guess I'll just put them in my little mud bread oven as usual on this greased baking rock for 25-30 minutes. Sigh.

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25-30 minutes later.....Hey! This isn't anything like regular old bread! This is wonderful! I love my new round bread with a hole in the middle! The end.

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So, now you know the story of the first bagels ever made. As you can see from the pictures we also have homemade French bread and English Muffins that are cooked on top of the stove. Crazy English people. Who ever heard of making bread in a pan on top of the stove? I'll have to tell you that story some other day.

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Oh, and by the way - I did find the recipe for meatloaf.