It’s that time of year when superlatives abound, and Zorra (1 x umrühren bitte) and Sandra (Un Tocco di Zenzero) are hosting Best of 2007 for food bloggers. (What, is that me? Who’d have thought?). Everyone is invited to submit the one recipe that stands above all the others among their 2007 entries.
Deciding on a single recipe to designate as my best gave me more than a little pause, as each bread exhorted, “Pick me! Pick me!” From Norwich Sourdough: “You know I’m the most reliable and versatile bread ever to grace your oven. You can’t live without me!” But here’s Semolina Bread with Fennel, Currants and Pine Nuts, giving me that golden yellow, jewel-studded, come-hither look. “You want a piece of me?” barks beefy High-Extraction Miche as he muscles them both out of the way. “I can take the two of you with my hands tied behind my back!” And so on.
No, it wasn’t easy, but I do have a winner, which I will announce forthwith (before I change my mind again). But first, just a tiny break for station identification:
You are reading Wild Yeast. Be sure and tune in next week, when Susan will reveal which of her children she loves more.
And now, I give you my prize, top, best, favorite (of the moment) recipe of 2007:
In the end, I was won over by the bagels’ cogent, self-possessed argument:
We just shine on so many levels. Besides being, literally, shiny:
- Who doesn’t love a good bagel?
- Between the mixing, dividing, shaping, and boiling, you get lots of quality time with the dough. (You know you’re not one for those “no-knead” breads that pretty much make themselves.)
- We are beautiful naked, but can be dressed up with toppings in any way imaginable.
- Once you have an active sourdough starter in hand, we are surprisingly easy to make.
- Our overnight rest in the refrigerator means you can have fresh-baked bagels first thing in the morning.
- We are very photogenic (don’t you think?).
- We freeze well.
Yes. Congratulations, Bagels!
For anyone who hasn’t yet submitted their own Best of 2007, there’s still time; the deadline is December 28. Go!
That is excellent Susan! And I appreciate it was a difficult decision to make!
Those really are beautiful bagels!
I bow down to you for having been able to choose! I too am a big fan of the Semolina Bread with Fennel, Currants and Pine Nuts but have been completely incapable of deciding which is “best” from this year in our kitchen!
-Elizabeth
yum! they look wonderful. and so photogenic, definitely!
That was a tough call Susan! I have not tried bagels yet but will soon.
I will have to go with the “semolina Bread studded with jewels” myself because I am going to whip out another double batch on the last day of the year 2007. It’s going be a third (2nd double batch) bake within 12 days. They are gone as fast as soon as I baked them –well I offered them to friends and they were so happy to have repeats–. I myself alone cannot consume that much bread even if I love eating bread and I do all day long.
Hopefully this batch of dough will be mixed in the newly purchased Kitchenaid pro 600 that is on its way to my home.
Breakfast of late is usually a plate of assorted toasted of olive-oil drizzled ciabatta, semolina dressed in honey and vermont sd/or pure rye bread with flax seeds…and a big pot of tea. ;o)
Sad to say, I’ve been neglecting my starter recently, so this gives me a good reason to use it. Bagels will be my New Year’s treat.
I’d love to try to make these, but I’m intimidated by the starter process. I see that you maintain yours every 12 hours… yikes! Is there another way to do it that’s worked for you?