Egg Bagels...

Growing up in Southern California, I grew up eating bagels. I love a good bagel. (Bagels are more than round bread, although you might not know that if you've just settled for grocery store bagels.) Bagels are unique enough that there were shops that only sold bagels (and the stuff to go with bagels) and they were always busy. Here in Eastern Washington, I haven't had any really good bagels and have had to settle for Costco bagels when the urge gets overwhelming. Not an entirely satisfactory arrangement, but it worked ... right up until the time that I realized that I could MAKE my own bagels. Immediately, I was beset by doubts. Could I make bagels? Could I make bagels that were actually good? Could I make bagels my family would enjoy? Oh, heck, sure I could.

So, that is what I did! I saw this recipe from Brown-Eyed Baker, wherein she modifies a Peter Reinhart recipe (from Bread Baker's Apprentice - which I now own because of my awesome sister!) and produces egg bagels. (Look, she did the real deal. She actually contacted Peter Reinhart and asked him if he had a recipe for Egg Bagels and he was kind enough to write her back with instructions for modifying his standard bagel recipe...how can you not love that?)

Anyway, she posted step-by-step directions and I decided to give it a try and...it worked! (Look at that bagel! Isn't it gorgeous?) I made Egg Bagels from scratch and I'm so stoked! Were they perfect? No, not yet. (Superman and Valiant swore they were perfect; Buttercup noted the same consistency/texture issue I did.) They were good enough, however, that I can hardly wait to try again. (Remember, I follow the adage that you can't say you can't do something until you've tried to do it fourteen times. If you fail at making bagels 14 times, then and only then, you may say that you can't make bagels.) Egg Bagels, Plain Bagels, oooh, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels...the possibilities are endless!

So, who's coming over for breakfast?