So I woke up at 5.30 am this morning for shit and giggles
Feeling pretty urgh these few days. There's this gnawing sense of restlessness, frustration - of being unsure and unable to pin down the source of it. Feels like I'm moving in the wrong direction, or at least a more perilous one. I'm still raw in the centre from Darwin and Moama, and now this additional, unwelcomed awakening - so to speak, though it feels more like an admission, is pretty hard to swallow. It's a lot due to my new policy of searching out personal abysses (I shouldn't ever be given lots of unoccupied time and then left to my own devices) and like a lemming, staring down at them/ staring them down (lol). It's fucking staring back now, it is.
Bagels (from Peter Reinhart)
Makes 8
Dough
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbs honey
1 cup plus 2 tbs warm water
1. Mix all the ingredients (reserve 1/4 cup flour) until they formed a stiff, coarse ball of dough. Add addtional tbs of water (about 3-4) in order for the dough to come together into a ball. Texture should be stiff, but not too sticky because that's a whole lot of flour. Let dough rest for 5 mins.
2. Knead the dough on floured surface using remaining 1/4 cup of flour, until the dough feels smoother, a little stickier and supple. Do this for 3 mins. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and put in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to several hours
3. Line baking sheet with lightly greased baking paper. Take dough out from fridge and divide into 8 pieces and roll into small balls. Roll on clean, dry surface (make sure no flour; wipe surface with damp paper towel if dough doesn't ball up). Let rest for 5 mins.
4. Flatten each ball to about 1.5 inch thickness. Stick thumb into centre and rotate through to form 2-inch hole. Shape the bagel to make sure the sides are rounded and smooth. Oil the plastic wrap and cover, place in the fridge overnight.
5. Remove bagels from fridge 90 mins before planning to bake them. Heat oven to 260C. Fill large pot with water about 3/4 full, add 1 tbs of sugar and cover with lid. Bring to boil. Once boiling, add 1 tsp baking soda, reduce heat and simmer.
Bagel check: place a bagel in a bowl of cold water, if it floats to the surface, it's ready. If it doesn't, return to the sheet, wait for 15 mins and try again.
6. Place bagel in water. Make sure not to overcrowd (I had max 3 in, at each time). Sometimes it might sink a little or stick to edge of pot, prod it a little and it should float up. After 1 min, flip the bagel over and poach for extra 30 secs. Use slotted spoon to remove each bagel and returned to lined baking tray (reused the one where the bagels were proofed overnight in the fridge). Sprinkle bagel with toppings: sesame seeds, caraway seeds, poppy seeds etc.
7. Place baking tray in oven, reduced heat to 230C and bake for 8 mins. Check underside of bagels, if getting too dark, place another sheet of baking paper. Bake until golden brown, additional 8-12 mins, rotate tray half time for even baking. Remove from oven, transfer to rack for 30 mins before serving.
Variation: If using cinnamon sugar (1 part cinnamon to 5 parts granulated sugar), immediately brush the top of each hot bagel with melted butter and then generously sprinkle with the mixture so that it is coated. It will form a nice cinnamon crust as it cools.
Cream cheese and jam. Mmmh!
Toasted Coconut Sable (from Lottie & Doof)
Makes 34 pieces. They are quite delicate and crumbly. Think chinese new year almond biscuts, but butter and coconut flavour instead.
1 large egg
113g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tbs granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted shredded coconut (original recipe called for sweetened coconut, mine was unsweetened so I increased the amount of sugar)
1 tsp large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 tsp water
1/3 cup finely chopped shredded coconut
1. Place egg in saucepan, cover with water, bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover and let sit for 10 mins. Transfer egg to ice water and let stand for 5 mins. Peel shell, separate yolk and discard white (or just eat it).
2. Beat butter, sugar, salt, cooked yolk on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 4 mins), scrap down the sides with spatula when needed. Add vanilla, mix until incorporated. Add flour, toasted coconut and mix using spatula until incoporated. Use spatula to press dough into firm ball.
3. Divide dough in half. Roll each into a blockish log (found it easier to press into shape than circular), slightly less than thumb-length in diameter. Wrap with cling wrape, twist ends to seal and firmly compact dough into tight shape. Chill until firm, about 1 hour or overnight (just have to leave standing for a few minutes when you take it out before cutting).
4. Line tray with lightly greased baking paper. Heat oven up to 176C. Slice dough into 1/4 inch thick slices, rotating dough so it doesn't become misshapen. Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets (cookies didn't spread so closer may not be an issue). Brush the egg white mixture on top of cookies and sprinkle evenly with untoasted coconut.
5. Bake until edges slightly browner than centers (careful not to overbrown/overbake) for about 15 mins, rotate tray front to back halfway. Cool on tray for 5 mins, after that transfer to rack and cool furthur. Store between sheets of parchment paper in airtight container for up to 1 week.
Bagels (from Peter Reinhart)
Makes 8
Dough
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbs honey
1 cup plus 2 tbs warm water
1. Mix all the ingredients (reserve 1/4 cup flour) until they formed a stiff, coarse ball of dough. Add addtional tbs of water (about 3-4) in order for the dough to come together into a ball. Texture should be stiff, but not too sticky because that's a whole lot of flour. Let dough rest for 5 mins.
2. Knead the dough on floured surface using remaining 1/4 cup of flour, until the dough feels smoother, a little stickier and supple. Do this for 3 mins. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and put in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to several hours
3. Line baking sheet with lightly greased baking paper. Take dough out from fridge and divide into 8 pieces and roll into small balls. Roll on clean, dry surface (make sure no flour; wipe surface with damp paper towel if dough doesn't ball up). Let rest for 5 mins.
4. Flatten each ball to about 1.5 inch thickness. Stick thumb into centre and rotate through to form 2-inch hole. Shape the bagel to make sure the sides are rounded and smooth. Oil the plastic wrap and cover, place in the fridge overnight.
5. Remove bagels from fridge 90 mins before planning to bake them. Heat oven to 260C. Fill large pot with water about 3/4 full, add 1 tbs of sugar and cover with lid. Bring to boil. Once boiling, add 1 tsp baking soda, reduce heat and simmer.
Bagel check: place a bagel in a bowl of cold water, if it floats to the surface, it's ready. If it doesn't, return to the sheet, wait for 15 mins and try again.
6. Place bagel in water. Make sure not to overcrowd (I had max 3 in, at each time). Sometimes it might sink a little or stick to edge of pot, prod it a little and it should float up. After 1 min, flip the bagel over and poach for extra 30 secs. Use slotted spoon to remove each bagel and returned to lined baking tray (reused the one where the bagels were proofed overnight in the fridge). Sprinkle bagel with toppings: sesame seeds, caraway seeds, poppy seeds etc.
7. Place baking tray in oven, reduced heat to 230C and bake for 8 mins. Check underside of bagels, if getting too dark, place another sheet of baking paper. Bake until golden brown, additional 8-12 mins, rotate tray half time for even baking. Remove from oven, transfer to rack for 30 mins before serving.
Variation: If using cinnamon sugar (1 part cinnamon to 5 parts granulated sugar), immediately brush the top of each hot bagel with melted butter and then generously sprinkle with the mixture so that it is coated. It will form a nice cinnamon crust as it cools.
Cream cheese and jam. Mmmh!
Toasted Coconut Sable (from Lottie & Doof)
Makes 34 pieces. They are quite delicate and crumbly. Think chinese new year almond biscuts, but butter and coconut flavour instead.
1 large egg
113g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tbs granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted shredded coconut (original recipe called for sweetened coconut, mine was unsweetened so I increased the amount of sugar)
1 tsp large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 tsp water
1/3 cup finely chopped shredded coconut
1. Place egg in saucepan, cover with water, bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover and let sit for 10 mins. Transfer egg to ice water and let stand for 5 mins. Peel shell, separate yolk and discard white (or just eat it).
2. Beat butter, sugar, salt, cooked yolk on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 4 mins), scrap down the sides with spatula when needed. Add vanilla, mix until incorporated. Add flour, toasted coconut and mix using spatula until incoporated. Use spatula to press dough into firm ball.
3. Divide dough in half. Roll each into a blockish log (found it easier to press into shape than circular), slightly less than thumb-length in diameter. Wrap with cling wrape, twist ends to seal and firmly compact dough into tight shape. Chill until firm, about 1 hour or overnight (just have to leave standing for a few minutes when you take it out before cutting).
4. Line tray with lightly greased baking paper. Heat oven up to 176C. Slice dough into 1/4 inch thick slices, rotating dough so it doesn't become misshapen. Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets (cookies didn't spread so closer may not be an issue). Brush the egg white mixture on top of cookies and sprinkle evenly with untoasted coconut.
5. Bake until edges slightly browner than centers (careful not to overbrown/overbake) for about 15 mins, rotate tray front to back halfway. Cool on tray for 5 mins, after that transfer to rack and cool furthur. Store between sheets of parchment paper in airtight container for up to 1 week.