Beautiful bagels for a beautiful life

The last time I posted something was almost two years ago. It's hard to believe that I'm back again - actually I just felt that I must continue writing this blog. Of course I've been cooking as much as before all this time, you could never separate me from the kitchen.
Last week baking these bagels (that have the honour to be my first come back recipe) changed everything. They were so delicious and lovely so that I couldn't keep the recipe only to myself. The pictures really speak for themselves, who could resist such adorable creatures as these little bagels? :)

Baking them surprised me, because I thought it would be much more complicated. Actually it turned out to be a lot of fun - especially the part of the process when you boil them in the water. It became my new favourite "home baked bread" recipe. Why to buy those bagels from market, whose ingredients are suspectable (and probably not that natural anymore), when you can experience the joy of making them yourself?

Well, I recommend you to start baking and feel the special kind of happiness that only self-made bread can bring :) And I recommend you to use organic ingredients, whenever you can. Oh and one thing, I made these bagels a bit more different from the mainstream not using only wheat flour, but making my own mixture. Turned out tasty with a good texture, and a bit more vital!


This one is a real beauty, but it "lost" its hole in the oven :D


Bagels

about 16 pieces

5 dl water
50g yeast
2 1/2 tsp himalayan salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp rape seed oil or any vegetable oil of good quality
2 dl buckwheat flour
4 dl wholewheat barley flour
6 dl wholewheat flour
(1 dl oatmeal)

For boiling them

water and a big kettle
3 tbsp agave syrup
2-3 tbsp himalayan salt

For the "topping"
sesame seeds about 2 dl
oatmeal about 2-3 dl

1. Warm up the water to the temperature of your hand. Let then yeast melt into it. Add sugar, salt and oil, then add the flours and oatmeal mixing together all the time. You can add more flour if the dough stays too sticky, but remember to leave it a bit more softer than normally when you bake bread. Let the dough rise in a warm place so that it doubles.
2. Warm the oven to 225°C. Take to baking sheets and cover them with baking paper.
3. Knead the dough with some flour a little bit, then deal it to 16 pieces or less, if you want BIG bagels. Make "breadrolls", then push a hole into the middle of them and push your whole finger through and let the bagel roll a bit around your finger until the hole is big enough.
4. Boil water with agave syrup and salt (make sure there's enough water) in a big kettle. Add bagels to the water. When they rise to the surface, boil them from both sides 1-2 minutes, then move to the baking sheet. It's good to use a ladle with holes.
5. Pour the sesame seeds onto one plate and the oatmeal to another. Roll the bagels in the topping you wish, then put back to the baking sheet. Whean ready, bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until ready.
6. Eat them fresh from the oven or let them cool down. If you let them cool down, cut into a half toast them before eating. Fill with anything you like, cream cheese is the classic option but I must say that you can use your imagination - I found out they were lovely with some peanut butter, honey and sliced banana. Of course it depends on the fact if you wish to eat them with a salty or sweet filling. Then, just enjoy!

The most delicious chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Every single time I bake something with chocolate I use Finnish Fazer's baking chocolate. I think that it's the best chocolate you could use, and by using it I have always succeeded very well. These cupcakes are one of the best things you could imagine, if you're a friend of chocolate - and tell me someone who isn't. Tomorrow we are going to celebrate the end of the school year with my friends, and I want to surprise them by bringing these cupcakes :) I hope they like them.

This is the third time I'm baking these chocolate cupcakes, but every time I have changed the recipe a bit and this time I have changed it to make the cupcakes super delicious and chocolaty. You know in Finland we are used to say that the third time tells the truth, and I think with these cupcakes it fits perfectly. And I just love cream cheese frostings, so I thought that this time I'll make one. And I have to admit that I tasted the frosting and it was superior good! And the dough also...Tomorrow I'll have a proper taste. But these cupcakes came out quite pretty, don't you think?

Ingredients:

114 g Bittersweet dark Chocolate broken into small pieces

240 ml all-purpose flour

60 ml unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

120 ml milk

60 ml cup water

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil (olive or rape oil)

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

110 g Bittersweet dark Chocolate, broken into small pieces

75 g butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

320 ml powdered sugar

Directions:

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Paper-line 22 (small, 14 big) muffin cups.

2. Melt the chocolate in a metal dish attached to a pot with boiling water. Stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

3. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Combine milk and water in small glass measure. Beat brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl on high for 2 minutes. Beat in melted chocolate. Beat flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture.

4. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

5. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.Don't over bake them, it's better if they're a bit soft. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

For the cream cheese frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate the same way as before, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature.

2. Melt the butter in microwave, until it's liquid like. Mix the powdered sugar and vanilla extract with the cream cheese, add the melted chocolate and butter. Mix well to make an even icing. It should be light and fluffy.

3. Spread the frosting over the cupcakes with a spatula.

For decoration you can grate some dark chocolate, or you can us your imagination and figure out some other decorations as coconut flakes or nonpareils...

Mushroom & shiitake mushroom pie

I just love different kinds of mushrooms. Especially shiitake mushroom. Did you know that it's super healthy?It's almost like a medicine - it prevents the development of tumors, helps cure allergies and viruses, helps to lower the cholesterol and contains a lot of vitamin D. Great for vegans and vegetarians! And for everyone else.

This pie contains almost all of my favourite ingredients. It tastes unquestionably good, it's good for your health - what else do you need? I added oatbran to the crust, and the crust is made of wholewheat flour only, so it contains a great deal of fiber. And I love the texture. You might wonder about the spices - I assure you it's a lovely combination. I think Indian spices are really one of the best ones. Especially I love cumin. And the smell of these spices is just stunning. I think food would be nothing without spices, and without garlic and fresh herbs. They just create something magnificent and superior. Try it!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 dl water

1 dl rape oil

1 dl oatbran

3 dl wholewheat flour

For the filling:

2 onions

4 garlic cloves

100g shiitake mushrooms

400g common mushrooms

1/4 eggplant

olive oil for frying

2 tsp himalaya salt

plenty of black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin (or a bit more if you're into spices!)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ginger

a pinch of garam masala

1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

2 eggs

2 dl milk

70g tomato puree

1 dl grated cheese

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Butter a big pie mould with rape oil.

2. To make the dough, pour water and oil into a big bowl, add all the other ingredients, beat with hands into a even crust batter. Pat with hands the batter into the pie mould, cover the sides too.

3. Slice the onions, crush the garlic and slice the eggplant into small pieces. Fry them in a pan in some olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Remove, put into a big bowl.

4. Wash all the mushrooms, cut the ends away. Cut into small cubes. Fry in the same pan in some olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Put into the same bowl with the onions. Mix together.

5. Then add all the spices into the mushroom-onion mixture. Mix well.

6. Spread the onion-mushroom mixture over the crust.

7. Mix together using a whisk the eggs, milk and tomato puree. Pour over the pie. Sprinkle the grated cheese over, then bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

8. Remove and enjoy!

Blueberry & vanilla pie

I had a lot of trouble in figouring out what the name would be for these things I made this morning. I'm not sure if you can call them blondies, because there isn't any chocolate in the dough. So I decided they would be a pie, because it's quite neutral and it fits everything. The most important thing is that they tasted great!

We were out on a picnic today with my friends. The weather has been so nice last three days, and so warm! I love sitting in a park and wathcing to the ocean and listening to the screaming seagulls. That's truely summer! So I wanted to bake something delicious for us today and this idea of the pie came to me. I modified originally a kind of brownie recipe into this recipe - I had to remove the chocolate from it because one of my friends is allergic to it. So these came out - and I was very satisfied. Everyone praised these.

Ingredients:

For the batter:

2oog butter

3 eggs

3dl brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

5dl plain white flour

1 dl potato starch

2 tsp baking powder

3 dl blueberries

1 dl soymilk or ordinary milk

For the frosting:

50g butter

1 dl vanilla sauce

about 4 dl powdered sugar (to make frosting thick enough)

For the decoration nonpareils or coconut flakes

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Melt the butter, let it cool down a bit. Beat the eggs with the sugar into a foam. Mix the flour, potato starch and baking powder together.

2. Add the flour mixture, milk, vanilla extract and the melted butter by turns to the sugar-egg mixture, carefully, add the blueberries. It's not so serious if the berries colour the batter a bit, you can't avoid it. I think it looked lovely, when the batter was all purple!

3. Spread the batter over a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, depending how thick is the batter. Remove, cool down well.

4. To make the frosting, melt the butter. Add vanilla sauce and powdered sugar, mix well.

5. Spread over the well cooled base, be careful - if it's still warm the frosting pours over the edges.

6. When the frosting is set, decorate! And then, cut to pieces and enjoy :)

Rhubarb and red currant pie

This warmhearted pie makes me think of a warm summer evening. I love the combination of rhubarb, red currants and vanilla. With a bite of this pie you can have it all. It's easy to bake and quick too. And tastes lovely...Just perfect.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
2 dl plain flour
1 dl oat brans
1/2 dl brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 dl rape oil
1 egg

For the filling:
5 dl fresh or frozen rhubarb cubes
2dl red currants fresh of frozen
2 dl vanilla sauce
1 dl brown sugar
1 egg

1. Heat the oven to 200 C degrees. Mix the flour, oat brans, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the oil and the egg. Mix into an even batter.

2. Spread into a pie mould, smooth with your fingers, remember to cover the sides too. Spread the berries over the batter.

3. Mix togeher vanilla sauce, sugar and one egg. Spread over the berries.

4. Bake in the oven for about 25-39 minutes, until set and ready and the sides are lightly brown. Cool down well, enjoy!

Chocolate chip and peanut cookies

I've missed baking so much. I realised it this morning, when I started to bake these cookies and a rhubarb & red currant pie. I have this small holiday (four days) from school and I thought that now when I have time I'll bake something lovely and delicious! And who could resist cookies with chocolate chips and exuberant flavour of peanut? At least I can't. All I can say is that they taste amazing, it's truly a bad temptation to have a plate of these cookies on your kitchen table...they'll disappear quite soon. And I have to mention that when my brother tasted these he said these cookies saved his morning :)

Ingredients:
makes 14 BIG cookies

125g soft butter
1 1/2 dl brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2,5 dl plain flour
120g (one little package) Fazer's baking chocolate chips (Taloussuklaarouhe)
1dl minced peanuts

1. Heat the oven to 200 C degrees.
2. Beat together butter, salt, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs to a fluffy foam.

3.Mix together baking powder, chocolate chips, nuts and flour.


4. Mix the two mixtures well with each other.


5. Put spoonfuls of the dough into two baking sheets, covered with baking parchment. Don't spread the dough, it will spread in the oven.


6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool down well before eating. ENJOY!

Apple & cinnamon muffins with delicious crumb topping and baked with love

It's been about three weeks or more since I last time posted something. That's quite a long time, and today I thought it's the time to bake something. So I've been having little break in blogging, but now I think I'm ready to start again. It's a really pity that school and other things have taken so much time that there hasn't been any left for cooking!

Today I baked these lovely, moist and utterly delicious apple & cinnamon muffins. I know that it's not the "apple time" but I had a can of non-sweetened applesauce so I thought why not to use it and figured out the recipe for these muffins. I really love the dough, it's so moist and exuberant! And the wholewheat flour and the rape oil makes it a healthier choice! But if you think the taste of the wholewheat flour is too healthy, use only plain wheat flour. And the crumb is so amazing. I love this kind of big muffins, you can eat them as dessert, breakfast or an evening snack! They're irresistable. So bake these and have a unforgettable bite!

Ingredients:

about 11 muffins

For the dough:

4 dl wheat flour

3 dl wholewheat flour

1 dl oatmeal

1,6 dl brown sugar (for example muscovado)

1 tsp salt (himalaya)

2 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1,2 dl soymilk

1,2 dl rape oil (or some other oil, olive oil goes well too)

1 tsp vanilla extract

125 g can apple sauce unsweetened

1 big redyellow or green apple, diced into small chunks

For the crumb topping:

50 g butter

2 dl white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 dl oatmeal

1 dl wholewheat flour

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients, then mix the wet ingredients and combine with the flour mixture. If the dough seems dry, add some more soymilk. Fold in the apple chunks (I think it's good to have plenty of them).

3. Fill 2/3 of the muffin cups, so there's some space for them to rise in the oven.

4. To make the crumb topping, melt the butter inthe microwave, add sugar, cinnamon, oatmeal and wheat flour and mix together well. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.

5. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Enjoy fresh from the oven!