Part II: Bagels

Now that we have our gravlax, we need the perfect vessel to deliver it to our mouths.  And what better vessel than a nice, chewy bagel?  One thing that DC is desperately lacking is a good bagel shop, so we thought we'd try our hand at making our own.  Bagels have a reputation as being challenging to make, but they aren't too tough--they just require some planning and patience.  The dough needs to rest overnight, so you need to mix it the night or two before you want to enjoy them.  My mom recommended this recipe, which was easy to follow.

Start by mixing your quick acting yeast, water, salt and honey in a bowl.  Add that to your bowl of bread flour, and start mixing.  Our dough came together in a matter of minutes.  Let it rest for about 5 minutes, and then give it another spin in the mixer for 3 minutes.

Lightly flour your surface, and knead the dough for about 3 minutes.  Then just place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise for an hour.

Then it's time to shape your bagels.  Break of 6-8 balls of dough, or in our case, 5 balls.  Rolls them into balls, and then poke a hole in the middle.  Shape it into a bagel shape, and then place on a baking sheet that's covered with some lightly oiled parchment paper.  Once you have your bagels shaped, cover them with plastic wrap and stick them in the refrigerator overnight.

You'll need to pull your bagels out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you're ready to cook them.  So we pulled them out of the fridge and then went for a run!  Get your poaching liquid ready on the stove by boiling a pot of water that's at least 4 inches deep.  Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat, and stir in your salt, baking soda and honey.  You'll notice it starts to smell like delicious bagels!  While the water is coming up to a boil, you can test your bagels.  In a bowl of cold water, drop in one of your bagels.  If it floats to the top, you're ready to go.

Once your poaching liquid is ready, carefully drop in as many bagels as will fit in your pot without overcrowding it.  They should float right on top of the liquid.  After 1 minute, flip the bagels, and let them poach for another 30 seconds.  Then pull them out of the liquid with a slotted spoon, and place back on the oiled parchment paper, domed side up.  Continue poaching until all your bagels have touched the liquid.


Now it's time to add your toppings!  If you want to use dried onion or garlic, be sure to rehydrate them so they don't burn in the oven.  We made 2 roasted garlic salt and onion bagels, 2 poppy and sesame seed bagels, and 1 everything bagel.

Then just pop them into a 450 degree oven for about 8 minutes.  Then rotate your pan, and cook for another 8 minutes, or until they are golden brown.  Place them on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes before you cut into them.  This is probably the hardest part...waiting.

And now...how to build the perfect bagel.  This comes from years of practice!  Start with your cream cheese.  We both like whipped cream cheese because it's so light and fluffy.  Then put your capers on.  They add a nice brininess, and since they're right on top of the cream cheese, they won't roll away.

Then add your red onion and tomatoes.  I like to slice the tomatoes in half-moon shapes so they fit onto the bagel a little better.

Then top with your gravlax or smoked salmon.  This way, everything should stay on top of your bagel when you bite into it, and you get a bit of everything in every bite.

Now for the most important step--take a big delicious bite into chewy, salty, rich, pillowy deliciousness!

Part I: Gravlax

Back in December, I caught Chuck Hughes' Christmas special on The Cooking Channel, and I watched him make gravlax.  It seemed simple enough, and we had the many of the components on hand (aside from the salmon), so why not try it out?

We put my mortar & pestle to use to crush the szechuan peppercorns, and to mix up the salt, dill and brown sugar.  I only had Kosher salt on hand, rather than coarse salt, so if that is the case for you, I'd recommend using a bit less salt than the recipe calls for.

For your salmon, either buy 2 filets, or buy 1 that you'll cut in half.  You want to have 2 pieces of salmon that are mirror images of each other so you can sandwich them, one on top of the other.  Take your salt/sugar/dill mixture and crust both pieces of salmon.  The thicker parts should get more salt/sugar/dill.

Sandwich the salmon together with the salt/sugar/dill mixture in the middle.  Tightly wrap your salmon sandwich in plastic wrap, and place on a cookie sheet.  You'll want to place another cookie sheet on top, then place it in the fridge with about 1lb. of weight on top.

Let it sit in the fridge for 24hrs.  You'll notice a lot of liquid will seep out, and the flesh of the salmon will darken and lose its translucence.  When that's happened, your gravlax is ready!  Just remove all of the salt/sugar/dill, rinse off the flesh with water, and pat it dry.  When you're ready to eat it, just slice off pieces on the bias.

Now we know what you're thinking...what do I do with a couple hunks of cured salmon?  Well, for part II of this post, we'll show you we made our own bagels, and how to build the perfect breakfast bagel.  You should "Like" our Facebook page to get instant updates too.  Stay tuned!