Obwarzanek

DESCRIPTION

Crispy outside soft and chewy inside.

This recipe for egg-free Jewish Kraków Bagels (Obwarzanki Krakowski) In short the bagel is normally a plain ring while the Polish Obwarzanek Krakowski made was made for Lent and its plaited. That's the short version for more information read on.

Street food vendors sell these twisted ring breads from colorful carts throughout Poland, but especially in the main market square of Kraków. Smaller, untwisted rings are threaded on a string and many children wear them like a necklace, munching as the spirit moves them. The Polish bagel is crustier and not as chewy texture so popular in New York City.

Bagels are best eaten fresh from the oven or lightly toasted to give a freshly baked taste. IMHO the best bagel is one filled with thick salt beef, topped with pickle and mustard, if you don't mind breaking Jewish law topped with cream cheese or to stay within Jewish law, cream cheese with lox salmon.

The bagel (Yiddish: בײגל‎ baygl; Polish: bajgiel), also historically spelled beigel, is a bread product originating in the Jewish communities of Poland but they originated from the Polish Obwarzanek Krakowski made for Lent. The the origins of bagels are somewhat obscure, it is known as fact they were widely consumed by Ashkenazi Jews from the 17th century. The first known mention of the bagel, in 1610, was in Jewish community ordinances in Kraków, Poland it differed from the Obwarzanek Krakowski as it was not spiraled as the Lent bread. It is thought that Polish Ashkenazi Jews emigrated to America pre 1900 and set up a bakery in New York Lower East Side and the bagel as we know it today was born.

The Kraków Bagel/Pretzel (Obwarzanek Krakowski) is so well-known that the iconic bread is used in marketing campaigns of Kraków to visitors. The classic baked bread is a circular spiral of dough. The name denotes that this is “parboiled” (the dough is boiled before baking) They have a short shelf life, and are best if eaten within a few hours of baking. They are usually sold straight from the cart of basket, unpackaged, and unlabeled at a cost of 2 zloty (Nov 2019) which works out less than .40p each. It’s estimated that over 150,000 are sold in Kraków everyday. If you’re planning a visit to Krakow, there is a museum dedicated to Obwarzanek Krakowski. Visitors learn about the history of the baked Bagel and have a chance to make their own, this is done in small groups.

The earliest written reference to Obwarzanki comes from the ledger of the Royal household, a the bakers are said to have made the bagel in the late 17th century. It was made as a tribute to the King of Poland, Jan Sobieski III The bakers guild of Kraków were then granted a monopoly of preparing all the white bread including the Obwarzanek Krakowski. It was made in the shape of the king’s stirrup and called it a beugel (the Austrian word for stirrup). Initially they were only prepared during the period of Lent and only by bakers designated by the guild. By the mid-1800s, the rules had relaxed and any baker could prepare them at any time of year. This meant that Jews of Poland could finally make their bread again within the confines of the city walls of Kraków.

The best Obwarzanki Krakowskie or Bagel is 100% home baked. If you like making bread you just need to make a few changes. For the traditional bagel dont plait the dough. Did you know that the Obwarzanki Krakowskie is now a registered regional product with the European Union.

The bad news: They aren't particularly healthy. Most bagels lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Without fiber, the carbohydrates in a bagel digest quickly, convert to sugar, and then, stored as fat, well the sugar that's not used. You can add 5 grams of inulin to up the fiber content.....

So how do we make it and how long will they take?

• Total: 85 mins

• Prep: 60 mins

• Cook: 20 to 25 mins

• Refrigeration time: 24 hrs/overnight

• Yield: A bakers dozen bagels, dependent on size

Ingredients:

• 1: tablespoon/22 grams baking soda, and a dessert spoonful of honey

• 1: 1/2 cups water (warm at 40C)

• 1: tablespoon/355 grams water (warm at 40C)

• 3: 3/4 cups bread or 00 flour (500g)

• 2 teaspoons/14 grams kosher salt

• 3/4 teaspoon/2 grams yeast (instant)

• Optional: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, kosher salt (for toppings)

Instructions:

1. Add flour and salt to a clean mixing bowl

2. Add yeast to 1: 1/4 cups warm water, stir and allow the yeast to dissolve, 5 – 10 minutes

3. Add yeast mixture to flour, and mix until well combined, Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with cling film and a kitchen towel, place in a warm place and let rise for 2 hours until doubled in size depending on the temperature of your room.

4. Preheat oven to 200 C

5. Divide dough into 6 portions, roll one portion into a long rope, about 24 inches long, bring the two ends together, holding the ends plait together then lightly roll until your dough is nicely spiraled, secure the ends by pressing together, and shape into a circle or oval, use a cocktail stick to pin together. and let them rest for 15 minutes.

6. Arrange the bagels on a cornmeal-dusted or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover well but loosely with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.

7. Bring 3 L of water to a gentle simmer, add baking soda, and honey

8. Gently place a circle of dough into the water, turning it after 15 – 20 seconds, lift it out and place on kitchen paper, repeat with remaining 5 circles. Note the longer you parboil the more chewy texture so no longer than 60 seconds a side.

9. Dip the tops into the toppings of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or kosher salt and arrange them, seeds up. Reduce oven to 180 C and bake on baking tray for about 20 to 25 minutes or they begin to lightly brown.

This is a chimney joke. I’ve got a stack of them. The first one is on the house.