Hello readers!
When Baking Goes Wrong
There’s a question I get asked a lot from friends: What do you do when a baking adventure, meant to bring you peace, ends up being a total flop? It’s a fair question, especially when you’ve put your heart into something that’s supposed to be comforting, only to have it go completely sideways. Let’s face it—baking is just as much a science as it is an art. Occasionally, the dough doesn’t rise, the cookies burn, or the bagels comes out dense and unappealing.
For me, bagels are the perfect example of this. I’ve made them about 20 times, and out of those first 10 attempts, only one or two turned out the way I’d hoped. The rest? Well, they were pretty much failures. Each time, I’d try a new technique, tweak the recipe, or adjust the oven temperature, only to be met with disappointment when I pulled them out of the oven.
A Day That Couldn’t Get Any Worse
One particularly rough day stands out in my memory. I hadn’t slept well the night before, which is always a sign that my anxiety is on high alert. The morning didn’t go any better—I was running slightly behind, and to make matters worse, I discovered I had eaten the last of my bagels the day before. This meant I had to pick up breakfast on the way to work, making me even later. Work was a whirlwind of busyness and overwhelming decisions, as I was in the process of deciding whether to leave my job and if another opportunity would be a good fit. I was so caught up in everything that I ended up skipping lunch—a terrible idea since I tend to get hangry, and I’m not the most pleasant person to be around when I’m running on empty.
The Breaking Point: When Bagels Fail
When I finally got home, I decided to make bagels instead of going out and spending more money. It seemed like the right way to unwind. But bagels are a trying process, with so many steps—mixing, rise time, repeated shaping, boiling, and baking. It’s a labor of love, and by the time I pulled them out of the oven, I was hoping for a win. Instead, they came out flat, dense, and hard. And I broke.
There I was, standing in my kitchen, staring at those sad excuses for bagels, and I just lost it. I cried. I sat on the kitchen floor and let all the frustration and stress of the day, and really the whole week, come pouring out. It felt like the final straw, the thing that might actually break me. But here’s something I’ve learned over time: Sometimes, a full breakdown is necessary. Sometimes, that flop is exactly what you needed, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the moment.
Finding Victory in a Quiet Moment
Fast forward to a different weekend, one where I was actually home alone and had nothing pressing on my schedule. My anxiety that day was less about being emotionally overwhelmed and more like a buzz of energy that needed to be used—a feeling like when the fan above the stove is on, just loud enough to be overstimulating, and I needed a distraction. I had some blueberries that were on the verge of going bad, and I needed a recipe that would take up more of my time than a simple pound cake or quick bread. Blueberry bagels seemed like the perfect task.
This time, I was meticulous. I checked the recipe three times as often as I normally would, determined to make a good batch. The kitchen was quiet, and I worked through the steps slowly, carefully, almost meditatively. And when it all came down to it—I finally did it. The bagels came out perfect, golden and fluffy, with just the right chew.
There wasn’t anyone around to celebrate with me, but in that moment, it felt right. My boyfriend would be home in a day or so and would share in my excitement then, but that Saturday afternoon was about me and my victory. It was a quiet, personal triumph, one that I’d worked hard for and needed more than I realized.
Baking, like life, is full of these moments. It’s okay to feel like a failure sometimes. It’s okay to let yourself break down. But it’s also important to pick yourself back up, dust off the flour, and try again. Because when you do, you’ll find that those moments of triumph are even sweeter.
Embrace Your Flops and Try Again
So, the next time your baking—or anything else in life—doesn’t go as planned, remember that it’s not the end of the world. Embrace those flops as part of your journey. Let yourself feel whatever you need to feel, and then give yourself the grace to try again. After all, every great baker has their share of burnt cookies and dense cakes. It’s all part of the journey, and the triumphs wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding without the flops along the way.
And if you’re looking for a way to find some solace in the kitchen, I’ve included the blueberry bagel recipe that finally helped me turn things around. Give it a try, and remember—it’s okay if they don’t turn out perfect the first time. You’ve got this!
Warmly,
Rae
Blueberry Bagels
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Whisk/Dough Whisk
- 1 Baking Sheet Greased or prepped with parchment paper
Ingredients
Bagels
- 1-1/3 Cups Water Warm (between 90-110F)
- 2-1/4 Tsp Instant Dry Yeast
- 1 TBSP Sugar
- 3-1/2 Cups Flour Recommend bread flour, but AP Flour will work
- 1-1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1-1/4 Cups Blueberries Fresh or frozen
Water Bath
- 7 Cups Water Boiling
- 1 TBSP Baking Soda
- 1 TBSP Honey, Brown Sugar or Molasses
Instructions
- Combine the warm water, sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl. Cover with a towel and let sit for 8-12 minutes or until yeast activates and is foamy on top.
- Add in the flour of choice, blueberries, and salt to the bowl and mix with the dough whisk or clean hands until combined. Dough will be shaggy and messy.
- Dump dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough by hand for 5-8 minutes until the dough is smooth. Dough should rebound when poked.
- Roughly shape the dough in to a ball and place in to a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and place it in a warm location for an hour – up to an hour and a half. I don't have a proof setting on my oven, so I usually put mine in the microwave to rest so that it is unbothered!
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and cut it in to 8 equal ball shapes – I like to use a bench scraper and a scale to be exact, but you can eyeball this! Leave these to rest for 10-15 minutes while you pre-heat your oven to 425F and prep your boiling water mixture.
- After the 10-15 minutes, shape your bagels. You can either push a hole through the center of your dough and stretch it to become a recognizable bagel shape, or you can roll it in to a log shape, flatten one end, loop it around and press the dough around the tube shape to create the bagel.
- Depending on the size of your pot, put a few bagels in to the boiling water. (I usually do 2 at a time.) Leave them in the water for 30-45 seconds per side. Once the time is up, use a spatula or large spoon to place them on your prepared baking sheet. Try to let the excess water drip over the pot before placing them down!
- Bake your bagels at 425F for 25 minutes, they should be golden brown and have a sheen! Let them rest for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them after they are completely cooled off, but be sure to plastic wrap them before placing them in a ziploc bag in the freezer – this will help prevent freezer burn!
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