Posts tagged Sis & Tell Podcast
It's a Chagel! (Half-bagel Half-challah)

My sister (and Sis & Tell Podcast co-host) Alison turned 50 this year and all she wanted was for me to make her a half-baked egg bagel from Browdy’s, a family-owned deli based out of Birmingham, Alabama that closed about 11 years ago. The Goldstein fam has nicknamed this delicacy the Birmingham Bagel and every week, my dad would take Alison to pick up a dozen Birmingham Bagels and then they’d share the bonus 13th bagel on the way home.  

Egg Bagel Recipe.jpg

In the Sis & Tell Podcast episode “It’s a Chagel,” we go in depth into the search for the original recipe from Browdy’s and my attempt to recreate it by modifying other recipes. I had the revelation that perhaps the bagel wasn’t a bagel at all, but actually made out of challah dough. We will share Alison’s very easy and delicious challah recipe in another blog post, but in the mean time I wanted to share another recipe I found in the Cook & Tell Cookbook for egg bagels. Cook & Tell (no relation to our podcast) was a cookbook created by the Sisterhood organization of Temple Beth-el in Birmingham and is probably my most used collection of recipes. Bagels are much easier to cook than you’d think.

Check out the recipe below and while things are cooking you can listen to the Sis & Tell Podcast episode “It’s a Chagel.”

Cook & Tell’s Egg Bagel Recipe

Ingredients

4-4 1/4 cups flour (I used King Arthur Bread Flour)

1 evelope of active dry yeast

2 1/2 tsp salt

2 TBS oil

2 TBS sugar

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)

1 TBS barley malt syrup (I use Eden) — also I added this step

1 egg white beaten with 1 TBS water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375

  2. In a large bowl of electric mixer, stir together 1 1/2 cups of King Arthur’s bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt

  3. Gradually beat in water, then eggs and oil

  4. Beat at a medium speed for 2 minutes

  5. Add 1/2 cup of King Arthur’s bread flour at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

  6. Stir in 2 or 2 1/4 cups of King Arthur’s bread flour

  7. Turn out on lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic for about 10 minutes (dough should be firm). Alternatively, I used my Kitchen Aid mixer dough attachment to do this and you may need to alter time as it’s quicker.

  8. Place in uncreased bowl and let stand in warm place away from draft for 20 minutes or until dough begins to rise.

  9. Punch down, divide in half and let stand 10 minutes.

  10. Roll each half in 8” squares

  11. Cut each in eight 1-inch strips and pinch ends together to form rings. Alternatively, I instead of strips I made a ball and then poked a hole in the middle with my thumb.

  12. DO NOT LET RISE

  13. In large kettle or deep skillet bring 2” to 4” of water to boil. This is where I added in the tablespoon of Eden barley malt syrup because my friend and incredible chef Joel Silverman told me to.

  14. Simmer 3-4 bagels at a time two minutes on each side (4 minutes total). DO NOT over simmer, so if you want to play it safe just do 90 seconds on each side

  15. Drain well on a clean towel

  16. Remove and place on a lined cookie sheet (you can use parchment paper or a Silpat but would do not grease).

  17. Brush tops of bagels with egg white mixture

  18. Bake 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until well browned and crisp.

This recipe yields about 8 egg bagels.

Once you' try out the egg bagel recipe, we’d love to know what you think! AND if you’re looking for a funny podcast don’t forget to subscribe to the Sis & Tell Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, iHeart Radio and by visiting SisandTell.com