Beer, Brats, and Bagels
All this bloody baking is going to cause me to spiral quickly into a drunken haze of insanity. The plan was a simple one in that before bedtime on Friday night I would have perfectly shaped bagels resting in the fridge overnight. This would allow me to wake up on Saturday morning, boil some water, bake some bagels, and catch up on the DVR while enjoy a freshly made egg, cheese, and bacon bagel sandwich. What really happened is another story….
Friday night get home from work, change into comfy clothes, start sponge, and let sponge rest for a couple hours. I come back after two hours to a sponge that is not bubbling and frothing like the Bread Baker’s Apprentice promised me. Instead I am staring at a sponge that has a single bubble and when I tap the bowl I hear the sponge chuckling at me. I tell myself to be patient as I head out to occupy myself with more errands. Two hours later I come back and I swear the bubbles in the sponge have formed a perfect finger flicking me off and the laughter has moved from a gentle chuckle all the way to a full blown har har har. At this point I felt it was in my best interest after angrily scraped the sponge out of the mixing bowl into a trash bag to open a bottle of wine and regroup.
On Saturday was round two and I finally got a bubbling frothing sponge. The only changes I made was I made sure the water was room temperature and I moved the sponge by my computer speakers so it could get a heavy dose of angry music in a desperate attempt to enrage my sponge into bubbling.
Having a perfect sponge I now set off to knead the dough. On twitter everyone was talking about how hard the Kitchen Aid was struggling to knead the dough. I like to think that the Kitchen Aid assembly robots knew that Fred (yes my Kitchen Aid is named Fred) was going to a hopeless wanna be baker and upgraded it with a higher end motor that by destiny would arrive on my front steps. My dreams of this were quickly crushed when I had the Kitchen Aid cranked all the over to 10 and it was struggling to keep up. So for the first time in my life I had to hand knead.
I have watched Italian grandmothers on television and in real life who can barely walk effortlessly knead the perfect dough. After hand kneading for 15 minutes I swear these grandmothers are getting their prescriptions from the same doctor who Manny Ramirez goes to. I am not meaning to brag but I play racquetball two times a week, softball two times a week, lift at least two times a week, and all around am extremely active. I found myself gasping for air and sadly sore after 15 minutes of pushing and moving dough around. Not only did I feel sore but also a feeling of sadness and humility on the inside.
After the kneading of the bread was complete the rest of the bagel making went smooth. I like to think the bread devil got his laugh at the new guy and I fell for another one of his evil pranks.
I simply topped my bagels with poppy seeds, Parmesan cheese, and poppy seeds. Figured I made it this far not going to get fancy and screw everything up with some funky topping that destroys everything. They maybe ugly bagels but they are proof that beauty is on the inside because they turned out amazing. Definitely a recipe I am looking forward to making again and again.
I could not just stop at a commitment to bagel making for the weekend activities. Kristy over at Wicked Noodle was asking if people just wanted to cook some bratwurst and write about them. I love bratwurst and I love any chance to grill so I jumped at this opportunity.
My goal was to stay away from the traditional good old bratwurst on a bun since after two days of eating bagels I am temporarily burnt out on everything bread. I instead opted for more of a grilled casserole dish. I had some andouille sausage in the freezer that helped add some awesome flavor to the final dish.
For this recipe you will need:
- 4 bratwursts
- 2 andouille sausages
- 1 onion medium dice
- 1 bell pepper medium dice
- 1 carrot medium dice
- 1 small head of cabbage sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic medium dice
- 1 small can of tomatoes
- 1.5 bottles of beer
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
- 1 heaping tablespoon of stone ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Steps to success:
- Brown the bratwurst and the andouille sausage over high heat. Once they are browned all over remove and set aside.
- In an aluminum disposable pan or a cast iron skillet placed on the grates melt the two tablespoons of butter and add in the onion, bell pepper, and carrot.
- Cook this mixture till softened and the onion starts to get some color (about 5 minutes). Add in the garlic cooking for another minute.
- Add the rest of the ingredients including the bratwurst and sausages to the pan.
- Lower the heat to low, close the lid on the grill, and cook until everything is softened and cooked through (about 30 minutes).
Serve and enjoy!
Couple other blogs that joined Kristy in Bratfest are:
Eric (http://ericriveracooks.com/)
Paula (http://www.bellalimento.com/)
Heather (http://www.bodaciousgirlblog.
Kristy (http://www.thewickednoodle.
Your bagels looked great! I too thought my arms were going to fall off after kneading for such a long time. I truly don’t know how anyone does that on a regular basis! I think at some point I just said this is going to have to be enough LOL! Bravo on the grilled brat casserole! A great idea.
Hilarious post. My sponge mocked me, too, but I gave it a little more time and it bubbled nicely. It was all, “I am on my own schedule; I will not collapse when tapped until I am good and ready.”
Congratulations on what turned out to be some fine-looking bagels!
And this is why I’ve never made bagels. I mean, I know I should, because the reward is great, but I don’t think I have it in me to commit to lazy sponges and all that kneading. They look amazing, and so does the brat dish!
I wish I could write as humorously as you do. I was crying, laughing about the Italian grandmothers picture you painted. I think the bagels are beautiful!
Your bagel experience had me laughing out loud, sorry but it was hilarious! You can laugh at me when I make them! I have this vision of Italian grandmas and you kneading dough! Love your brats!!!
Your bagels are definitely not ugly! I guess if I need a workout, I know what to make next in the kitchen.
Wow, I think the bagels look perfect along with the brats. Anytime you want to make more bagels and send them my way, I will gladly accept them
Another great post, Jeff.
Look absolutely scrumptious Jeff!
You can add kneading dough to your workout routine. I thought that my arms would fall off. Great job.
I think your bagels look great. Nice write up.
Susie
Sometimes ugly makes the best tasting food. Good job!
ha ha! Italian grandmothers on steroids, yeah they have some strong arms don’t they?
why weren’t the bratwurst grilled? your trademark and all.
that bagel pic is stellar. I doubt I would have the patience for all that. you do take on the daring challenges don’t you?
I gotta get a kitchen aid mixer.
You crack me up! I love the way your write. Your bagels look excellent, even if it was a painful experience.
I love bratwurst - my husband would really dig this recipe.
Ha! I remember when you said on twitter that you were going to use the KA and I had a feeling you’d end up having to knead the dough by hand! I think your bagels look fantastic! And by the way, if you read my post you’ll see that my sponge didn’t do much at all (I think I had maybe one or two bubbles), but I just went with it. But maybe next time I’ll try the angry music trick
Your bagels look beautiful! (Love the idea of the parmesan cheese topping.) Who knew that the temperature of the water would make such a difference? But hey, it made for very funny prose. If you do try this again, let me know what other toppings you use! Cheers…
I give you credit for making bagels from scratch, I don’t think I would ever be able to do that. Question is, how did you eat it all? I mean, they look good and all, but I’m sure you don’t keep up your good shape from eating bagels.
I’m with you - who knew that bread kneading was such a workout? I don’t own a KA, so I have to hand knead everything. These bagels took around half an hour, and I was breaking a sweat! Maybe the birthday fairy will bring me a stand mixer in September.
I think you’re the first person I ever knew who made bagels from scratch. They look great. I hope you gave yourself a big pat on the back.
At least I’ve been warned that if I ever make bagels, I had better leave the Kitchen Aid on the counter and just spend a little extra time at the gym.
The bratwurst dish looks awesome too!
I don’t have a name for my Kitchenaid! I’ll have to make one up!
Sorry about the first mishap, but I’m glad you stuck with it and they turned out on Saturday!
Great Job Jeff!
Bravo…the bagels look yum and I’m so-so on bagels…way-ta-go!
oh, yum! I wish I could eat bagels!!! and those sausages… delicious!
that’s one heck of a title–i love alliteration, and all three items are equally appealing. wonderfully creative casserole, jeff, and excellent work on the bagels!
Wow, I haven’t started my bagels yet. Hope that KA does not give up because I know really want to knead by hand. I may have to hire my son to do it.
After all that trouble your bagels turned out beautiful Jeff.
Never underestimate the strength of old Italian ladies. Don’t cross ‘em either. (I say this with authority, being an Old Italian Lady in training). Of course those are also very different muscles than you’d use in playing raquetball…
The brat casserole sounds delicious!
Wow, loved your post. You’re very funny. Can’t wait to read more of your baking misadventures. By the way, have you noticed how many wine drinkers are in this group? I love it.
P.S. Your bages looked great. Parmesan on top sounds great. I put cheddar and jalapeno in my dough. Amazing.
Ooof! I keep hearing varying stories about the KitchenAid vs. the Bagel. I’ll be baking my bagels later this week, and I’m HOPING that I don’t stress my KA. I’ve been told that the Pro 600 is a true workhorse and should take it, but I have my doubts… I refuse to go against manufacturer’s recommendations and knead dough above speed 2, so it’s highly likely I’m going to find myself in the same position!
what?!! what are you talking about? UGLY bagels? those are beautiful! if those are ugly, then there’s no hope for tons of other bagels in this world…
btw, casserole sounds absolutely perfect! sort of like a homemade sauerkraut!
The bagels look phenomenal! Just had grilled brats for dinner too - sooo good. Grilling makes everything better.
Sorry to hear that Fred was having some trouble. I think the bagel dough is the toughest I’ve seen although I used the Nigella recipe and my KA (nameless, oh the shame!) kept up with that recipe.
MMM…fresh bagels.
Great idea on the grilled casserole!
I’m glad the final result was worth all the struggle to get there! They look amazing and the fact that you say you will make them again tells me how delicious they must be!! The poppy seed and parmesan topping looks wonderful.
So funny!
I am convinced all foodie bloggers are a bunch of drunks. Must be the baking!
They look great, all’s well that ends well.
Wow! I bake all the time…and HAVE not mastered bagels….nor have I tried. Glad you tried them again and that they were good! I may have to check it out. Not sure if I can endure the 15 minutes of kneeding though!!!
Dang, fresh bagels in the house would be a major curse. They wouldn’t last too long at all. Yours look really great. Perhaps a bagel shop in the future for you?
The first time I made pizza dough, I got one dud out of the four. The yeast just wouldn’t bubble, so I feel your pain.
I have seriously contemplated making my own bagels. Being a New Yorker, I’m pretty picky about my bagels and Boston’s just don’t come close. I could totally go for a good blueberry or cinnamon raisin bagel at the moment. I don’t even have a kitchen aid stand mixer, though, and if your softball/racquetball/weight lifting arms couldn’t handle the dough, who knows how I’ll fare. I need to muster up an Italian grandmother from somewhere. Maybe I’ll put an ad in the paper.
Looks like you’re keeping up with all the delicious bread baking. I can onlu imagine the aromas coming from your kitchen:D
This looks like a really tasty way to enjoy some sausages!
Just discovered your blog, glad I did! Those bagels look awesome and the bratwurst, delicious!
I have never been ambitious enough to give making bagels a try. I think yours look better than my local bagel shop’s.
Brats are an addiction of mine. I can’t keep them on hand because i will end up eating too many. But thanks for the new recipe to try with my favorite summer sausage.
*drool* The bagels and the brats look amazing! Glad to see that I’m not the only one who names their kitchen appliances … and knives … and spoons. That’s normal, right?
I’m drooling! Your bagels are fabulous and that sausage dish is so mouthwatering!
Cheers,
Rosa