Small Batch Sourdough Bagels #BreadBakers

Made with active starter, these small batch sourdough bagels are boiled then baked for the chewy bite we all look for and love in a good bagel. 

It’s been a while since I’ve made bagels since we spend some much time during the year in Houston, where my hometown favorite New York Bagels, the best bagels of my childhood, are available a mere drive away. 

But since this month’s Bread Bakers host chose bagels as our theme, I decided I couldn’t miss the chance to try my hand at sourdough bagels. I am very pleased with how these turned out and, at least while we are in the Channel Islands, I’m sure I’ll make them again. 

Small Batch Sourdough Bagels

This recipe makes six bagels. I sprinkled mine with poppy seeds but you can choose whatever toppings you fancy. Or leave them plain. I adapted this recipe from one on Kimmy’s Joyful Kitchen.

Ingredients

For the bagel dough:

½ cup or 125g active sourdough starter

2 1/3 cups or 291g all-purpose flour

½ cup or 60g whole wheat flour

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons unsulfured molasses or treacle 

2/3 cup or 156ml cold water – you may not use all of it

1 teaspoon olive oil for greasing the mixing bowl before proofing

For boiling the bagels:

1 tablespoon molasses

2 teaspoons baking soda

Method 

Make sure you use an active starter, one that has been fed within the last 12 hours and stored at a temperature between 70-80°F or 21-26°C.

Add the sourdough starter to the bowl of your stand mixer, along with the flours, molasses, salt and just a ½ cup or 120ml of the water. 

Use the dough hook to mix the ingredients to form a ball of dough. It takes a few minutes to come together and you might need to add just a little bit more water, if the dough is too stiff or dry. I ended up adding two tablespoons and the dough was perfect. 

Knead for about five minutes, then take the dough out of the bowl and continue to knead the dough by hand for a couple more minutes, then form the dough into a tight ball. Oil the mixing bowl with and place the dough ball in it. Roll it around to coat.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plastic shower cap. Leave to sit at room temperature, ideally 70-80°F or 21-26°C for 6 hours. 

After 6 hours, put the covered bowl with the dough in the refrigerator for a slow overnight rise. 

In the morning, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and leave it to rest at room temperature for about an hour. 

Divide the dough into six pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball with your cupped hand.

I like to weigh the whole ball of dough then weigh the individual pieces to get them more even but if you want to eyeball it, go ahead. My dough weighed 620g so each piece was either 103 or 104g. 

Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 10 minutes. 

To shape the bagels, lightly flatted each ball. Make holes in the center by sticking your thumb through and gently easing the hole open with thumb and fingers. Twirl the dough around on your finger to enlarge the hole.

Place the bagels on a parchment or silicone liner covered baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for 3-5 hours or until doubled in size.

It was a warm day so mine took about three hours to double. 

When you are ready to boil and bake, preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Bring a large pot of water (about 2 quarts or just shy of 2 liters) with 1 tablespoon molasses and 2 teaspoons baking soda to a slow boil. 

Place one bagel in the pot and boil on each side for just 45 seconds or so. 

Return the bagel to the baking sheet and top with your favorite bagel topping right away, or leave them plain. 

Repeat this for each bagel. Once all the bagels have been boiled and decorated, put the baking pan in your preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. 

Mine were in for 27 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before cutting. 

We love ours with cream cheese. 

Enjoy!

It’s the second Tuesday of the month which means it’s time for my Bread Bakers friends to share recipes. This month, as I mentioned above, we are baking bagels. Many thanks to our host, Renu of Cook with Renu. Check out the links below. 

• Sourdough Bagel Bites from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cinnamon Crunch Bagels from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Everything Bagel Sandwich with Halloumi and Pickles (Homemade Bagels) from Cook with Renu
• Keto Cottage Cheese Bagels from Sneha's Recipe
• Gluten Free Onion Bagels from Passion Kneaded
• Small Batch Sourdough Bagels from Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Blueberry Bagels from A Messy Kitchen

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Small Batch Sourdough Bagels!

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Nebraska Runzas #BreadBakers

A fluffy bun and a savory filling of ground beef, chopped cabbage and onion are the hallmarks of classic Nebraska runzas, a great midwestern snack. 

Way back in May of 2016, I was researching stuffed bun recipes for a Bread Bakers post in August and came across one for Nebraska runzas. It was originally published in the Washington Post, written by a food writer named Tim Carman who grew up in Nebraska.

While I didn't save the story he shared with the recipe, apparently his mom's homemade runzas were a breakthrough in the food battles the two of them were having. Unfortunately, the link no longer contains the recipe, no less the story, so I'm glad I copied and pasted that! 

I ended up not making the runzas 10 years ago, sharing instead some tasty cheese-stuffed-peppadew stuffed buns of my own devise. This time, I decided the Nebraska runzas had waited long enough! 

Nebraska Runzas

These stuffed buns don’t traditionally have any spice beyond salt and black pepper  in the filling but, as a Cajun person, I felt moved to sprinkle in some cayenne. It added a lovely little kick. Leave it out if you want to go old-school Nebraskan.

Ingredients

For the dough:

3⁄4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1⁄4 cup or 60ml warm water, plus 1/3 cup or 90ml room-temperature water 1/3 cup or 90ml milk

1⁄4 cup or 48g vegetable shortening

3 1⁄4 cups or 406g flour, plus more as needed for kneading

1 tablespoon sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

Canola or other light oil, for greasing the proofing bowl

Milk for brushing on before baking

For the filling:

1.1 lb or 500g lean ground beef

Olive oil

1 small onion, cut into small dice, about 1 cup (about 125g)

2 1⁄2 cups chopped green cabbage (from 1⁄4 large head) (about 170g) 

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

Several generous grinds black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne, optional

Method

Combine the yeast and the 1/4 cup or 60ml of warm water in small bowl or measuring vessel, adding a pinch of the sugar and stirring until the yeast has dissolved.

Combine the 1/3 cup or 90ml of the room-temperature water, the milk and shortening in a small saucepan; heat over low heat until the shortening has liquefied but the temperature of the mixture is no greater than 130°F or 54°C.

Add in the rest of the sugar and the salt and stir till dissolved.

(If during that time the yeast mixture hasn’t bubbled at all, your yeast might be dead. So dump it out and start over.)

Combine 1 cup or 125g of the flour, in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeasty liquid, the warm milk mixture and the egg to the mixer bowl.

Beat on medium-low speed until well incorporated. Stop to scrape down the bowl and beaters; then, on medium-low speed, gradually add the rest of the flour, beating to form a wet dough.

Change over to the dough-hook attachment and knead in your stand mixer or on a floured surface, adding a little extra flour, if needed, until you form a dough that’s smooth and elastic and a still a bit tacky.

Lightly grease a proofing bowl with oil, then place the dough in it. Cover with a damp towel or cling film and leave to rise in a draft-free spot for 1 to 2 hours or until the dough has about doubled in size. 

Meanwhile, make the filling. Fry the ground beef with a drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook until you get a few well browned crunchy bits, breaking up the meat to a crumbly consistency as it cooks.

Stir in the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until translucent.

Add in the cabbage. 

Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring to incorporate, until the cabbage has softened. Season with the salt, black pepper and cayenne, if using. Stir well and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool.

Uncover and punch down the dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (it’s good to use a kitchen scale for this) and roll them into balls. Divide your filling into 12 equal portions. (A scale is handy here as well!) These are my first six.

Working with one at a time on the floured work surface, roll out each portion of dough to your best approximation of a 5-inch or 12.5cm square, – NOT ROUND. A round runza is how they are made in Kansas, not Nebraska! 

Spoon one portion of the filling into the center of each piece. Dampen the edges with water.

Fold the sides in. 

Then fold the top and bottom together and pinch to seal the seams, making your requisite rectangle.

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. 

Place seam-side down on the lined baking sheet. I had to do mine in two batches since I was baking in a small oven. Our new kitchen is meant to be ready by this weekend though. 🤞

Let the runzas rise for 20 minutes then brush them with a little milk.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy! 

It's the second Tuesday of the month so, as mentioned above, it's time for my Bread Bakers to share their recipes. As you might have surmised, the theme is stuffed buns! Many thanks to our host, Radha of Magical Ingredients. Check out the links below.

• Custard Buns from A Messy Kitchen
• Ham and Cheese Stuffed Buns from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Hot Dog Flower Buns from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Nebraska Runzas from Food Lust People Love
• Salted Caramel Apple Wreath from Magical Ingredients
• Small Batch Nebraska Runzas from Sneha’s Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Nebraska Runzas!

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Mount Vernon Breakfast Gems #BreadBakers

Slightly sweet and nutty from the addition of grits, these breakfast gems are essentially fluffy cornbread muffins baked from a recipe from Mount Vernon, home of George Washington.

I need to preface this post and recipe with the fact that George and Martha Washington, the first president of the United States and his wife, were in fact enslavers of people. When Washington died in 1799, he owned 123 enslaved people outright. He stipulated in his will that they were to be freed following the death of his wife, Martha. 

The majority of the enslaved population at the estate—153 people at the time of his death—were so-called "dower slaves." These individuals belonged to the estate of Martha's first husband, Daniel Parke Custis. Because Washington did not legally own them, he had no legal authority to free them in his will.

I’ve never been to Mount Vernon but many of the facilities you can tour do seem show the enormous backbreaking work of those people, who made it possible for the plantation to function and be profitable. This includes the kitchen. 

According to the website, “George and Martha Washington welcomed thousands of guests to Mount Vernon and were well known for their boundless hospitality, frequent and memorable parties, and the wide variety of culinary treats served.

This was only possible because of the work of enslaved butlers, housemaids, waiters, cooks, and others.”

Whether or not George Washington actually ate breakfast gems is debatable but we do know from records that his favorite breakfast was hoecakes which are small cornmeal pancakes. He ate them smothered in butter and honey. I think he’d have liked these breakfast gems too which have the same cornbread vibe. 

Back then, a gem pan looked like this:

You can buy them online at Ebay and Etsy but they can be quite costly. I used silicone muffin cups. 

Mount Vernon Breakfast Gems

As mentioned above, this recipe is adapted from one on the Mount Vernon website. The ingredients are the same but I’ve attempted to clarify the sketchy method. For instance, the original gave no prior warning that the egg whites needed to be beaten till stiff, until the instruction to add them. 

Ingredients

1/4 cup or 40g grits

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup water

1 cup or 240ml milk

1 cup or 130g cornmeal

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

Method

Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C and either line your 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or use silicone muffin cups. 

Bring a ½ cup or 120ml water to the boil. Add in the grits and salt and cook for a few minutes until thick. Set aside. 

Heat your milk to a simmer. Just as you start to see a little bubble or two, add it to the cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. 

Add in the sugar and butter. Stir until the butter is melted and both are fully incorporated.

Add the grits to the cornmeal mixture along with the baking powder. Stir well and set aside to cool. 

Separate the eggs and lightly beat the yolks. 

In a large clean bowl, whisk the whites until stiff peaks form. 

Add the egg yolks to the cornmeal mixture and stir well. 

Gently fold in the egg whites a few spoons at a time until all are folded in.

First addition.

Third and final addition.

Divide your batter between the 12 muffin cups. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the gems are lightly golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean. 

Take the pan out of the oven and leave to cool before removing the gems from the pan and cooling further on a wire rack. 

These can be eaten warm or at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the second Tuesday of the month so that means it’s Bread Bakers day, when my fellow bloggers and I share recipes on a theme. This month it’s American bread, in recognition of the semiquincentennial. Check out the links below.

• All American Batter Bread with Discard from A Messy Kitchen
• American Parker House Rolls from Sneha's Recipe
• Mount Vernon Breakfast Gems from Food Lust People Love
• Spoon Rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Mount Vernon Breakfast Gems!

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