I bit off more than I could chew...cinnamon raisin bagels

In the world of home made things, we are always learning something new, and there's not always someone around to tell us whether or not we have it right. If you're like me, sometimes, all of a sudden, you're working on something new and you realize that you are in over your head. For me this usually happens when I try to skip learning the basics of a craft (in this case bagel making) and go straight for the big boy recipe.

I wish I could say these bagels tasted as good as they look.



The plus side is that they just might be the first pictures I've ever taken of food that didn't make me lose my appetite. Their faults however, are many. They taste weirdly sweet, they cracked all over the place, so they're hard to cut in half, and they have no nice crust. And I have to say, I think it's all my fault.

The recipe is the Smitten Kitchen Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, and as usual, it is a good well written recipe. (what is the etiquette for linking to another person's recipe? On most food blogs, you see the recipe right in the post, even if it isn't their own, is that ok?)

The mistakes that were made were that I used whole wheat bread flour instead of white and bread machine yeast instead of regular active yeast. I think the whole wheat was the main culprit. I bought it because i could buy it in bulk at harvest and they didn't have any white flour in the bins. Whole wheat flour definitely changed the flavor and texture tremendously. Novice baker that I am, I didn't realize that the whole wheat flour would need more liquid, and so my bagels are really heavy and dry.

I learned something though. Maybe even a couple of things. The first thing is that the first time I try something new, I should probably use whatever training wheels are available to me in the form of more simple recipes (or patterns). And also, if I don't know how something will affect it, I should stick to the recipe! Experimentation is best done when you have the basics under your belt.

That being said...



Boyfriend found them so irrisistabel that he couldn't wait till the end of my photoshoot!