Sourdough Bagels
Recreating summer memories from the New Jersey Shore: pre-surf morning coffee and a fresh American bagel in the hand.
Hello there Bread Friend!
So, I had to ask for help over on instagram voting for the next subscriber’s recipe!
Choice fell between my Sourdough Bagels, Sourdough Turmeric & Coconut swirls and *the best* Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - which is a *secret* family recipe (Credit to my mom, who has baked this cake for every birthday, every big gathering and on request to bring for big family parties) —it’s THAT good!
But since it was a tie between Bagels and Carrot Cake, and I want to make sure that it’s okay to share this *secret* family recipe with you, I’ll move the talk over to my *also great* recipe on Sourdough Bagels and the great summer memories that they bring!
As half American, I have spent many summers visiting family in New Jersey, and ONE thing I can’t go home without trying is a real American bagel! A toasted cinnamon & raisin bagel with a good layer of cream cheese and coffee on the side.
On one of these great summer visits - my husband (being as big a foodie as me) experienced USA for the first time back in June 2019, and we still talk about our favourite memory from early mornings on the New Jersey Shore, specifically in Long Beach Island (LBI).
The ritual was simple but perfect: a stop at the local bagel shop for fresh bagels and coffee with family, before heading out to the waves. There was something special about that salty LBI morning air, the excitement of surfing in a new place, and the comfort of a warm, chewy bagel and spending time with my American family whom I always miss terribly.
This recipe is all about recreating that LBI bagel shop experience right at home. And the amazing part about food is - that every time I now bake bagels, my mind instantly travels back to LBI. I wanted a bagel that captures that balance of chewiness and a slightly crisp crust, a bagel that feels just as good fresh out of the oven as it did on the boardwalk. If you’re missing those mornings or want to add a little Shore nostalgia to your breakfast, I think you’ll love this one.
Let’s dive into it:
And if you need any help on how to bake with sourdough, how to transform your starter into a sweet levain, how to create a starter from scratch through my 6 day sourdough starter guide, how to bake a sourdough bread step-by-step, a flour overview and my popular Trouble Shooting Chart and Key to Success Guide, check out my eBook A Sourdough Journey for all of the above, or consider upgrading your newsletter to my paid subscription plan where I will take you through all these topics one newsletter at a time.
And as a thank you for being here to all of my paid subscribers, scroll down to the bottom for a special discount link for my eBook <3
Xx Alisa
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