Baking Bagels with Berners

I had it planned perfectly! American Idol starts at six because for some reason, I have the east coast version through Direct TV -- so anyway, I started the bagels at four. I had walked and/or trained all six dogs so they were tired...

I printed the recipe out after making the font big enough...

...to read without glasses.

I had special Montana whole wheat flour

and so I was all set. Halo got up to supervise.

I know Elizabethanne said kneading the dough is a great upper body work-out but I felt smug -- I have a KitchenAid! Besides, I walk large, strong dogs so I get that upper body workout a lot!

Zoey wondered if we could please play catch

but she decided to help by pointing out which of the measuring spoons was a tablespoon.

Syd, Zoey and Cadi all stood at the ready in case a quick floor clean-up was necessary!

The Kitchen Aid was beating the tar out of that poor dough -- I think Syd heard all the yeasties screaming...

But it turned into a ball and so I put the dough to rise under the special towel Kay and Sue gave us many years ago...

but the dough did not seem to be rising so I got worried that indeed the mixer had killed all the poor wee yeastie beasties. I started a new batch, kneading it by hand -- yes, it is an excellent upper body workout! I got the second batch all set to rise when I discovered that the first batch seemed to have risen after all! Good thing we like bagels!

In the meantime, Zoey wondered if we could please play fetch now?????

and Asia wanted me to turn on the tv so she could watch American Idol.

I explained to Asia that we had some more time before American Idol and since the tv is literally not on at any other time, she decided to come and help out in the kitchen -- here she is pointing to the boiling bagels -- and yes, those boiling bagels get ginormous!

While the bagels boiled I admired the view

and went to the loft where one of my bikes sits on the trainer. I rode this morning because as Elizabethanne said, the harder you ride, the more bagels you can eat :) You don't need to see a picture but trust me -- I do not look as stylin' as Elizabethanne does on her bike!

Looking back up at the loft, you can see Karma -- she likes to sit up there and watch us, pretending to be a goddess or something like that.

The bagels were done boiling -- look at the steam coming off of them!

So I boiled and baked and boiled and baked, and soon had 16 bagels! I did not have a big enough plate for all of them -- but here is a sampling...

Persistent Zoey on the grooming table -- "could we PLEASE play fetch now?!"

Made from scratch cocoa and fresh bagels -- do I know how to throw a dinner party, or what?!! Here is my one guest (aka Heidi) at the American Idol party getting worked over by Mrs. Maize :)


My bagels were chocolate chip and it was very hard to hand knead the chips into the dough -- the mixer did better. I also think my dough did not rise as well as it should have in either batch -- clearly the fault of the yeast and not the baker ;) However, they were good enough that I ate two with my cocoa!! And it was fun to make them :) I sent Heidi home with some and stuck the rest in the freezer.

Okay, who is next????