Thursday, August 13, 2009

Exquisite Beauty of the Process

So this is a picture of the first batch. They have come such a long way since I started baking them six months ago. To finish my story from the last blog...... After that first batch, I just kind of new, that this was going to be something bigger than me just baking bagels for the regulars at the shop. They have sold out every single day since I started making them. My favorite thing is that there are so many combination's of things that you can put on a bagel! So far these are the kinds that I have tried.
Jalapeno Cheddar (best seller)
Tomato Basil
Tomato Cheddar
Blueberry
Cinnamon Sugar
Onion
Gorgonzola Cranberry (AmAZING!)
Bacon, Tomato, Cheddar
Plain
Tuscan(garlic, tomato, basil, onion)
Pizza ( pizza sauce with the works)
Sesame
Breath Bomb (garlic, jalapeno, onion, and cheddar)
Dill, onion
It's possible that I have done more, but gosh that is a lot. In this blog I want to write about the random things that I have learned the hard way through making bagels, and how it applies to my life. Across the street from my coffee house there is a mental health facility, and at about 545 this morning, one of my favorite patients came in. She is my favorite because she is over the top elaborate. Any who, for the last three years she seems to only come in when I need to hear something from the Universe...stay with me I have a point....and today she said something that really struck me, she said "Caitlin, have you ever noticed the exquisite beauty of the process?" she went on to talk about how, the interesting parts of life are in the actual process of the goal you are trying to obtain. I cant stop thinking about how often I myself take advantage of the process. I need to appreciate it more, because it is absolutely true, and what I realized is that, that is what I love so much about baking bagels....not the end result, but the act of doing it.


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

This is my first Blagel (bagel blog)

Well This is my first blagel, I decided to start this blog as a sort of journal into my personal quest to learn about baking. It all started about 6 months ago, I own a coffee house and the recession had finally caught up with me! Instead of people buying their four dollar skinny lattes with no foam, they had decided to cut down and buy regular old coffee. All the money is in the espresso drinks. During this time there was a local bagel place in town, that was kind enough to deliver us bagels every morning. I guess the times hit them too, because day by day the bagels we were recieving were getting smaller and smaller, harder and harder, and they went from being fully clothed to somewhat naked. So I thought to myself "this cannot be that hard?" I mixed and matched a few recipes I had found online to taylor the needs of the coffee driven public, and out came my first batch.......The light went on in my head and it was love at first bagel! I didn't know that a bagel could look or taste this way............. I have to go serve some customers and do my dishes, and then I will be back to finish the story.