27.Jul.2009 Have you done your Kagels today?

Kale bagels, that is. I’m at my second batch already, because even though the husband isn’t that huge a kale fan, he just can’t say no to these puppies.

A couple of notes about ingredients:

Use the flour you want – as mentioned in the previous post, I don’t get to go grocery shopping as much as I normally would, and ran out of whole wheat flour prior to traveling, so I made do with using only bread flour.
Just go for whatever flour you prefer and be happy. Consider adding 1 tablespoon (9 g) vital wheat gluten if not using bread flour, to make the dough worship you like the god/dess you truly are.

Also: prepare your kale the way you like best, as long as it’s packed with (good) flavor, it’ll work out just fine.
First batch I made: described below in the recipe itself.
Second batch: I simply mixed the trimmed bunch of raw kale with enough Goddess (from Trader Joe’s) dressing to have it generously coated, grated a clove of garlic on top of it, then cooked it all until wilted and tender.

Hope you’ll like them if you try them!

Kale Bagels

One bunch kale, about 8 ounces (225 g), stems and ribs removed, torn into small pieces, thoroughly cleaned
1 tablespoon (8 g) nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon (15 ml) tamari
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon (16 g) tahini
1 large clove garlic, grated

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan, cook on medium-high heat until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Transfer and pack down really tight (with a spoon) into a glass measure, and cover with water until reaching the 2-cup mark.
Blend with an immersion blender, or transfer to a countertop blender.
Check that the temperature is at about 100°F (38°C), and stir in:

1 tablespoon (12 g) active dry yeast

Set aside for a couple of minutes.
In a large bowl, add:

1 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 cups (480 g) bread (or other) flour, more (about 1 to 2 cups (120 to 240 g) as needed while kneading

Combine kale/water mixture with salt and flour. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and pliable. Shape into a ball.
Lightly coat a large bowl with about 1 teaspoon of any oil, turn dough around to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, 60 to 90 minutes.
Punch down dough. Divide it into 8 equal portions, shape into balls by pulling at the dough from the sides onto the bottom, to cloak. If the dough retracts when you try to shape it, give it 5 minutes to rest until it cooperates.
Insert your thumb in the center of each dough ball, and twirl dough around it until the hole reaches about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) in size.
Let rest for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Prepare a couple of large baking sheets with parchment paper, a silicone baking mat, such a Silpat, or grease them with a little oil. (I manage to fit all bagels on a single large baking sheet, but you decide what you like best.)
Once the bagels have rested, place 4 bagels at a time in the saucepan, and let boil for 1 minute in all, flipping them over after 30 seconds: try to avoid having them get too close to one another.
Scoop out bagels with a slotted spoon. Place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat until all bagels have been boiled.
Bake for about 24 minutes, one sheet at a time, until the bagels are golden brown and sound hollow when the bottom is tapped. Let cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 8 bagels