Today is Mark’s birthday. Even though we are not celebrating for a few more weeks (nobody is around on thanksgiving weekend, and Mark will be gone for the next 2 weeks), I wanted to do something special on the actual day. I knew that he loves bagels with lox and cream cheese, and other than when we go to Saul’s, he doesn’t have them that often. I had recently seen Smitten Kitchen make her own bagels, so I decided to try it.
You start the dough at least one day before you want to cook the bagels. I could go into a jewish spiel about slaving over the stove, but I will benice and save you from my dramatics. It wasn’t really slaving, what with having a bread machine that can knead the (really stiff) dough, and it was fun making the bagel shapes. Putting them in the fridge overnight was such. hard. work.
Here are the bagels this morning, boiling in a bath of water, baking soda, and molasses (I didn’t have malt syrup):
floaty bagely goodness
Here are the just boiled bagels, topped with crushed garlic and salt, ready to go into the oven:
the garlic is not that neon, but still yummy
Here is the final plating, with cream cheese (oh how I miss Temp-tee whipped cream cheese! Nancy’s Organic is so not as good) and lox:
boiled, baked, bagely goodness
They were quite good, especially considering I used bread flour instead of super high gluten flour, active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, and brown sugar instead of malt syrup. The first batch did not have a super crispy crust, but the second batch, which was in the oven for longer, did. Mmmm! And Mark agrees.
Happy Undisclosed Age’th Birthday! I love you!
Craftin' on the Couch 
mark likes to spread his own cream cheese? and what is the lox to cream cheese ratio? these are important questions.
needless to say, if this whole mark thing doesn’t work out, my youngest brother will love you forever as, if he could, he would subsist solely on bagels, cream cheese, and lox.
Temp-tee is solely a Passover cream cheese.
I am so impressed! As should Mark be!
Ho-lee-crap. That is AMAZING! I am so impressed with you.
Like mother like daughter both are creative and great cooks, but where’s the tuna fish and sour pickle?
Now I understand what a bagel with everything is…some women may give it all but you sure give everything!!!
I cannot believe you made bagels. YOU! Made BAGELS!!! Wow. =) I should send you some Temp-tee for Christmakkah.
Dear Cara,
I just love it when your mom shares your blogs, pictures and trip itineraries with me.
I hope that at some time we can fly up and visit you when your mom and dad are there.
By the way, the bagels look yummy.
And even if you didn’t use super high gluten flour, active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, and brown sugar instead of malt syrup, your bagels were made with love.