Being a just wife who understands the powerful allure of homemade goodies, I generously forgave him. However, I will confess that my magnanimity was helped in no small measure by the fact that I’d made a dozen bagels and, therefore, had several backups in the kitchen. I would have gotten over it even if this hadn’t been the case - but the backup bagels helped.

Making bagels is perhaps my biggest Jewish baking thrill since I made that first loaf of challah a year and a half ago. Like many Americans I grew up eating bagels, and when I lived in Brooklyn during graduate school I loved to visit the bagel bakery down the street on my way to classes. The bagels from this tiny, family-owned bakery were so satisfying that some twenty people were often waiting in line for them by 7:30AM, but no matter. Especially during the depths of winter, there was nothing like holding a warm bagel in one hand, hot coffee in the other, as I made my way to that first, unbearably early class. When we moved to Connecticut two years ago that was the last I saw of freshly baked bagels, hence my delight at having recreated the experience in my own kitchen. Yet in addition to this I got such a kick out of making something that was so traditionally Jewish. Can you blame me?

The Jewish-Bagel connection is a somewhat convoluted one, with the most popular bagel myth attributing their creation to a Jewish baker living in 1683 Vienna. According to folklore, this unnamed man invented the bagel as a tribute to King John III Sobieski of Poland, who had saved the city from Turkish invaders with a daring cavalry charge. Some have taken this ‘fact’ to mean that bagels were originally U shaped like stirrups. However, other food historians have argued that the Yiddish word ‘beygal’ has been traced to 17th century Crackow, and that as early as 1610 bagels were given as gifts to women in childbirth, or to midwives. These bagels were circular like our modern version and the shape was thought to symbolize the eternal cycle of life, which has no beginning and no end. Whatever their origin, what we do know for certain is that bagels were brought to North America by Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants in the late 1800’s where they quickly gained popularity in New York City. Yet the bagel appreciation that is so much a part of American culture today didn’t begin to take shape until the 1950’s, when Lender’s began selling bagels to supermarkets. Hard to believe America’s love affair with bagels and cream cheese is only some fifty odd years old, but there it is!

This was the first time I’ve made bagels and I loved how they turned out: with thin, crisp crusts and fluffy interiors. I plan to make another batch as soon as I return from the Conference I’m currently attending in Vermont. Next time, however, I think I’ll venture into the realm of cinnamon raisin bagels… or maybe sesame seed bagels. Hmmm. What is your favorite kind of bagel?

Poppy Seed Bagels
Reprinted with permission from Secrets of a Jewish Baker: Recipes for 125 Breads from Around the World, by George Greenstein.

2 copies of this book are currently in the Baking and Books raffle - if you haven’t purchased a ticket there are still 12 days left! Though I hope you’ll participate in the raffle I understand if you can’t, no hard feelings - but please do consider emailing a few friends about this event. It’s a fun raffle for a great cause and I’d really, really appreciate your help with spreading the word.

Ingredients: Makes 12 bagels

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons malt syrup or sugar (I used sugar)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
• 6 to 8 cups bread flour (I used all-purpose flour because that’s all I had on hand and I really wanted to make bagels!)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Poppy seeds. (You could also use sesame seeds, coarse salt, minced onion flakes, or chopped garlic for topping.)

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and allow a few minutes to soften. Add 2 tablespoons of the malt syrup or sugar, the oil, 6 cups of the flour, and the salt. Mix thoroughly until the dough forms up and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead, adding small amounts of flour 1/4 cup at a time as necessary. Bagel dough should be stiff. Work in as much extra flour as you can comfortably knead. The dough will soften slightly as the gluten develops. Knead until smooth and elastic (12 to 15 minutes).

Rising: Roll the dough into a ball, place in a large oiled bowl (grease the bowl with 1 tsp of oil), and turn to coat. Cover loosely with saran wrap and let rise fully, until an impression made with your finger remains and does not sink into the dough. About 1 hour. (Mine rose for 1 1/2 hours).

Shaping: Punch down, cut into thirds, and roll each piece into a rope between your palms. Cut each rope into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope 2 inches longer than the width of your hand. Flip the rope around your fingers to form a ring, with the ends overlapping about 1/2 inch. Seal the ends by rolling your palms on the work surface. If the dough slides and resists rolling, dab on a drop of water with your fingers. Evenly space the bagels on 2 nonstick baking pans or very lightly oiled baking sheets (Greenstein applies a thin film of oil with his fingers, I used parchment paper instead). Cover and let stand until puffy, 10 to 20 minutes.

Boiling: Bagels are boiled before they are baked. While they are proofing, fill a 4-quart pan two-thirds full with water, add the 1 remaining tablespoon of malt syrup or sugar, and bring to a boil. Spread whichever toppings you desire in individual plates or pans.

Carefully lower 2 or 3 bagels at a time into the boiling water and wait until they rise to the top. If they float, cook for about 1 minute on each side, turning once. If they have proofed too long, they will float instead of sinking, but this won’t affect the final product.

Carefully lift out each bagel with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Drain momentarily, then turn into one of the dishes of toppings, if desired. Flip over if you prefer both sides to be covered. You may prefer to leave some plain. Evenly space 6 bagels on each baking sheet, topping side up. Save about 3 cups of the boiling water, see below.

Baking: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bake with steam by placing an oven safe dish half-filled with the reserved water on the bottom rack of the oven. Place the baking sheets on the middle or top rack, then bake, turning once when the tops begin to brown, until well browned on both sides. About 15 to 20 minutes.

To make these bagels with a stand mixer: In the mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and allow a few minutes to soften. add 2 tablespoons of the malt syrup or sugar, the oil, 6 cups of the flour, and the salt. Using the flat attachment pulse with the on/off switch until the flour is incorporated enough that it won’t be thrown out of the bowl, then mix at first speed until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. More flour can be added 1/4 cup at a time.

Remove the flat attachment, scrape down the sides of the bowl and attach the dough hook. Run at first speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 12 to 15 minutes. Bagel dough should be stiff. Add flour cautiously, and do not exceed the capacity of the machine. Because the dough is so stiff, it is especially important not to leave the mixer running while unattended. The dough will soften slightly as the gluten develops. Proceed as instructed in the rising, shaping, boiling and baking sections above.

Fire Island has a large and mostly tame deer population.

As many of you know, I recently began working at Hazon, which is a non-profit Jewish organization devoted to educating people about sustainable agriculture, food, and the connections between who we are and what we eat. Hazon has many other projects, but as a foodie I’m involved primarily with their food curriculum, their upcoming food conference and, most recently, a food cleanse on Fire Island. Now, I realize that when I say “food cleanse” you likely have no idea what I’m talking about and I know this because that was precisely my reaction when, two weeks ago, my boss told me that I would be organizing the entire event. A cleanse, you say? What could that mean? Bathing in fruit juices? Avocado face masks? I hadn’t a clue. But it turns out that a “food cleanse” - at least, one run by Halé Sofia Schatz - is all about eating healthfully and cleansing our bodies of the “toxins” we ingest every day. Sugar, caffeine, refined flour, chocolate, dairy - Halé believes that all these foods are not only difficult to digest but also put toxic substances into our systems. For instance, regular milk has traces of hormones and antibiotics in it, which is understandable when you consider how commercial dairy farms give cows estrogen to increase milk production and antibiotics to keep them healthy. Dairy cows spend the majority of their lives attached to automatic milking machines, and if a human mother can’t take certain medications because they will be passed on to her nursing infant, why wouldn’t the same principle hold true for lactating bovines? (By contrast, organic milk comes from cows that have not been given hormones or antibiotics, though unfortunately the term “organic” does not regulate how animals are treated.) In addition to these factors, Halé also teaches that dairy increases the amount of mucus in your system, which would explain why ice cream indulgences when suffering from head colds usually result in even more congestion.

Though I will never, ever give up baked goods, coffee, chocolate or ice cream, I do recognize that as a society Americans eat far too many of these kinds of foods. Hence I decided my body probably could use a good “cleansing” and I dutifully followed Halé’s advice, eliminating everything considered toxic from my diet during the week leading up to the Cleanse. I wasn’t happy about it and longed for my aromatic cup of hazelnut brew each morning, but I stuck to the plan goshdarnit. Since Hazon’s entire staff was going on the Cleanse we were all doing the same thing. I’ll let your imagination envision our caffeine-deprived, muffin-missing, no-dairy-drinking pre-Cleanse days at the office.

One of Fire Island’s many beaches

On June 14th the Cleanse experience officially began when I headed out to Fire Island with several heroic staff members. Our mission: to haul five days worth of organic produce to the beach house we’d be living in (no cars are allowed on Fire Island so this was done by hand-pulled wagon) and to kasher the kitchen. Phyllis Bieri, whose house we were using, wrote a fascinating post about the kashering process, as did my co-worker Leah Koenig, so I won’t go into that here, but suffice it to say that by evening we were knackered. Not only had we transported an incredible amount of food and thoroughly done over a kitchen, but we had done so while remaining faithful to our pre-Cleanse diets. This was a feat, especially when you consider how we passed Rachel’s Bakery on each trip to and from the boat dock. Behold the awesome power of peer pressure, by which I mean that, had I been making these trips alone, I would have been seriously tempted to duck into Rachel’s for a bite of contraband cookie. (Ok, I was tempted anyways, but I didn’t do it. Which is what matters. Ahem.)

Alluring bakery aside, Fire Island really was the perfect place to do this Cleanse. A thin strip of land just off the coast of Long Island, Fire Island is a gorgeous location surrounded by picturesque beaches and abundant, nearly tame wildlife. If I don’t count my childhood visits to petting zoos, it was during this retreat that I saw a deer up close for the first time. Leah, Ben and I were taking an empty wagon back to the docks to fill it with more food boxes, when a young doe walked up to us with large, curious eyes. I think she was looking for food but alas, we didn’t have anything to give her. I experienced other firsts on Fire Island too, like falling asleep to the sound of the ocean. Sure I’ve done this in my apartment before, but in those instances it was modern technology and iTunes mp3s that made it possible. Fire Island had the real thing, and it was lovely. You don’t realize how noisy our bustling city lives are until you head out to an island and experience the silent calm of a rural evening.

Freshly picked strawberries from Phyllis’ garden

Much as I missed my baked goods and coffee I have to say: the food we ate during Hale’s Cleanse was amazing. Chef Linda Lantos created three spectacular meals a day, serving everything from toasted pumpkin seed pesto with spaghetti squash to curried red lentil soup. (Recipes will be posted in a subsequent post along with Q & A from Linda.) I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and have done much experimenting with vegetables, but never had I realized just how inventive you can be with the veggies that most Americans relegate to the place of a side dish. Without meat, flour, dairy or sugar in our diets, Linda’s creations satisfied even the most ravenous appetites. Though most of us suffered from Cleanse side effects like headaches and body aches, the fact that we had five-star meals waiting for us every few hours was definitely a spirit booster. And by the end of the Cleanse? I felt great. I had more mental and physical energy than I’ve had in years - heck, I could have given my 5th grade students a run for their money. (So to speak. Obviously I wouldn’t take money from a 10 year old, what kind of a person do you think I am?)

Now that I’m back to city life and everyday living I’ve added coffee and all those other forbidden foods back into my diet, but I enjoy them in smaller quantities and with a better understanding about how they affect my body. I’ve also switched to organic food, when possible, and have finally become a full-fledged vegetarian (much to my husband’s delight, he’s been a vegetarian since he was 5). I’ll write more about all these developments over the coming weeks, but for now I’m going to leave it at that. Until the next post, I look forward to catching up with all of you. See you in the comments - at your place and mine!

Halé meditating on the beach. You can visit her online at www.heartofnourishment.com. Her book, “If the Buddah Came to Dinner,” is available on Amazon.com

Additional photos can be seen on my Flickr photostream.