Bagel-Mama :: Thermomix Bagels

Did you know that bagels were brought to the United States by immigrant Polish-Jews?!?

Strange for us, living here in Poland, because bagels are actually somthing we really miss. They don't exist here (anymore?) I found out through wikipedia that the bagel was actually invented in Kraków, Poland, as a competitor to the obwarzanek, a lean bread of wheat flour designed for Lent. Leo Rosten wrote in "The Joys of Yiddish" about the first known mention of the word bajgiel in the "Community Regulations" of the city of Kraków in 1610, which stated that the item was given as a gift to women in childbirth. In the 16th and first half of the 17th centuries, the bajgiel became a staple of the Polish national diet, and a staple of the Slavic diet generally.

We love the "obwarzanki" and yes, they are sold all over the city in these little mobile, hot
dog stand like stalls. Here are some of my favourite pictures of them... 

They're definitely a blessing to parents of young kids, and make a great snack for people on the go! But they obviously won out over the bagels... which are no where to be found in town :(



Since we can't get 'real bagels' here anymore, I was pretty excited when i found this recipe the other day on pinterest for the thermomix. It can surely be made without one as well... but they turned out great! And disappeared all too quickly!

Thermomix Bagels
360g (3 cups) freshly ground hard white wheat or pre-ground wholemeal flour
20g (1.5 T) sugar
10g (1.5 tsp) salt
20g (1.5 tsp) fresh yeast
220g (1 C) warm water - not hot

Instructions:

Place dry ingredients in thermomix bowl, then add the water.
Mix on speed 5 for 10-15 seconds.
Knead for three minutes.

Transfer dough into another bowl & let rise 10-20 minutes

Turn dough out and divide into six pieces. (i made 5)

Form each piece into a ball and push your thumb in the center to make the hole. Spread it out a bit until it resembles a proper bagel shape. 

Let them sit, covered, for 10-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200C and start a pan of water on the stove to boil.

Mix 1 tsp salt (or sugar) into the water. Once the bagels have risen, place one or two at a time in the boiling water for 2 mintues on each side. A long handled, slotted spoon is good for this.

Dip in cornmeal (on bottom) and seeds/spices on top.

place them on a lined baking sheet.

Once finished bake them in your preheated oven for about 20min
Cool on a rack. Enjoy!

note: there is one place called Bagel-mama owned by an American that sells bagels in Krakow... we've tried it - they sold us frozen bagels... they do have good mexican food though! They have a nifty name, which i like and named this post after :)