For the first time in my life, I'm proud to be an American...
For the first time in my life, I understand democracy...
For the first time in my life, I'm not planning my escape from the US!
Something very deep in our consciousness has shifted, and I am so grateful.
I remember last spring at the farmer's market, I saw a little boy- probably less than 8 years old, pulling a red wagon filled with apricots that were obviously from his tree. I was instantly reminded my adventures selling things as a kid- little bouquets of flowers, fresh-picked loganberries etc.- my brother and I were always trying to make as much money as possible, selling whatever we could. The sign hanging from the side of the little boy's wagon said "Apricots for Obama". I asked him how much they were, and he said, "As much as you want to give."
So, I thought about a recipe that would honor Obama, and I thought, 'Bagels!'- because of the "O", of course, but also because growing up in Arcata, we went to 'Los Bagels', the Jewish-Mexican bakery in Arcata, almost daily. They make delicious bagels, knishes, and pan muerto during Dia de los Muertos. The ingeniousness of Los Bagels is that they have combined two, seemingly-unrelated cultures, creating a synergistic explosion of bagels and empanadas- something I would like to think might only happen in the U.S.
And, like other ring-shaped objects, bagels are said to bring good luck and possess magical powers!
RECIPE:
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 (1/4-ounce) packets active dry yeast or 2 cakes of fresh yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 5 to 6 cups white, unbleached, organic flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
-2 teaspoons vegetable oil
-2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, sea salt etc.
Combine the water, yeast, and sugar and let stand until it gets foamy on top
(about 5 minutes). Slowly add 4 cups of flour and salt. Begin mixing with a spoon. Add another cup or so of flour- working with your hands to mix the dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes, adding just as much flour as needed. (Dough should be heavier and stiffer than regular yeast bread dough.)
Grease a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
Remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal parts and form each piece of dough into a ball. Roll each ball into a snake on the counter. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around your dominant rolling hand. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Now take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish these two ends together.
Let the shaped bagels rest for about 20 minutes on the counter. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Grease a baking sheet with the remaining teaspoon of oil.
Fill a large, heavy pot with water and a little sugar (maybe a tablespoon or so). Bring to a boil. In batches, add the bagels to the water and boil, turning, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip bagels onto the prepared sheet pan.If you want to add toppings- spread the topping out on a plate- and lay the boiled bagel face down. Then place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turn over and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until golden or when tapped on the bottom, the bagels sound hollow.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
A Note on Yeast:
The word "yeast" comes from the Sanskrit 'yas' meaning "to seethe or boil". Yeast is a member of the fungus family and is a single-celled fungi of which there are about 160 different species. The carbon dioxide it produces is the result of the yeast feeding on the dough and is responsible for bread rising.
Most people are familiar with using dry yeast- the granulated packet kind. But fresh yeast, which is sold in paste form is used in most of the world and is much more flavorful- and reminds you that you're dealing with a living creature (not a packaged product- if you do use dry yeast, always check the expiration date).
Fresh yeast is ivory colored with a yellowish hue and is soft and moist and should easily crumble. Make sure it is fresh smelling and there are no dark or dried places on the yeast. It is highly perishable and must be used within a short time of opening (or you can freeze it to make it last longer).
