Day Four: Susan G. Komen, Bake for the Cure

Please note that the bagels are made using Fleishman's Active Yeast as shown in the recipe below!

Homemade Bagels. Now that is a family favorite! I have always wanted to make my own bagels. I am not sure why. Actually I lie. I do know why. It isn?t to have the smell of homemade bagels filling the air, or the taste of fresh bagels in the morning but rather to say I did it. To do something I have never done and do it well. Do venture into the unknown no matter where it took me! I like to think of myself as being fearless in the kitchen ( hint-the subtitle of Kitchen Belleicious) and I have sort of a bucket list for the kitchen with homemade bagels being in the top 10!

Bake for the Cure has pulled out my inner baker and since I have so much yeast just lying around I decided that this is the perfect time to try bagels. Okay, ideally it would have been the perfect time but in reality it definitely was not. My son decided that day he wanted to be held every second possible, he then decided he only wanted a 30 minute nap (usually takes 2-3 hour naps) and then my dog decided to get into something outside in the yard and come inside the house and throw up everywhere! Yep, it?s all true! So perfect time not exactly and if I can do this then have no fear, You Can Do This To! So other than all the commotion throughout the day, the bagels turned out surprisingly well. The perfect texture inside and an incredible taste- however, I have to admit I need to work on my bagel dough shaping skills. Tasty? Yes! Perfectly Shaped? No!

It was actually fun making the dough and watching it float to the top in the water. Now there were 100 million different bagel recipes out there for me to choose from. 99% of them decided that making bagels should be a 3 day process and involve 50 steps. However, as a mother of an 18 month old I don?t have 3 days to make any one thing so I opted for a simpler version by Martha Stewart. I have no idea how the other bagel recipes could have tasted any better than this one. You know the saying really is true, the simpler the better! Note: Barley Syrup or Powder is common in all bagel recipes. Who on earth has barley syrup lying around and if you?re like me, I couldn?t even find barley syrup in my grocery store, so I just googled substitute for it and molasses popped up. I know some bakers out there are probably shaking their heads at the screen right about now but google said I could:) and so I did and they turned out great!

Be fearless and whether it is making bagels or something else, get in the kitchen and make something you have never made before but always wanted to. Even if it doesn?t take great or look perfect, the thrill of doing the unknown is rewarding in itself!

Sidenote: You all now can find me at the Southern Culinary Book Club where my first recipe post is for my famous Shrimp & Glitz! The Southern Culinary Book Club was founded by Susan Gregg Gilmore, a proud Southerner, fine cook, good eater, and author of "Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen" and "The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove." The Book Club has a wonderful recipe section for you to submit a recipe inspired by one of your favorite southern books and that is where you will find yours truly. Of course, for my first submission I picked my Mom's book! Who can blame me- it is perfection!

Help me out and leave a comment on this post and the other three. What is the one thing you want to make that you haven?t or you are scared to make. Maybe, its something on my bucket list and we can make it together! Every comment you leave helps me get one step closer to winning that much needed gift card and brings you one step closer to winning the Bake for the Cure Pink Baking Prize that will be rewarded to one lucky reader who leaves a comment on each Bake for the Cure post! Love ya?ll to pieces!