I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. After a busy week, I’m enjoying my quiet Sunday afternoon at home, baking toasted sesame bagels in the kitchen and working on some new project(s). I’m so excited to share some incoming snail mail inspirations and my bagel recipe with you.
Here’s the tiniest mail I received from talented illustrator,Β Rhya.
My friend Bibi moved to Japan around the time I was leaving Yunnan. Her package arrived this week, full of small goodies from Kofu. Don’t you love the llama stickers?
A mix-cd in a hand-folded packaging.
Bibi knows what makes me smile!
Toasted Sesame Bagel Recipe
adapted from “boiled bagels” and “new york style bagels“
Bagel Ingredients:
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Bagel Topping:
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup sesame seeds
Directions
1. In a small bowl, pour in warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt. Pour in yeast mixture and beat with a mixer at a low speed.
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 10 minutes. You want a moist and firm dough.
4. Place dough in oiled bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Let it rise for 45 minutes.
5. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 8 portions and shape into balls. Gently press a finger into the center of the ball to make a hole, and work the bagel into a uniform shape. Repeat for the remaining dough. Cover with wet paper towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
7. Bring a big pot of water to a boil, then reduce the heat. Put 4 bagels into the simmering water. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip over, and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. Drain them. Boil the other 4 bagels the same way.
9. In a small bowl, whisk egg and water to make an egg wash. Lightly coat the top of each bagel with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
10. Place prepared bagels on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Because I’m ridiculously indulgent: cream cheese mixed with crispy bacon, bacon grease (yep!), andΒ finely chopped scallions.
It might be because I spent one too many years without a proper oven, I’m on a huge baking kick lately! I always thought bagels would be difficult to make, but it was really fun and easy.
Do you have any favorite recipes or something you’ve always wanted to bake from scratch?
31 Comments
catarina
March 4, 2012 at 7:55 pmlovely little things <3
Sewon
March 4, 2012 at 8:35 pmThanks, Catarina! π
Veronica Fish
March 4, 2012 at 8:25 pmOh my gosh, I love it all – look at you all Russ Daughters!!
Ronnnie
March 4, 2012 at 9:06 pmThose are the cutest snail mail packages I have seen in a while! Kinda jealous, because I don’t really receive snail mail (apart from bills) anymore!
Ronnie xo
γγγ‘γγ
March 4, 2012 at 11:26 pmγγγγ~~ eveything is so cute! and thank you for the simple recipe!! I think I will love it π
Nicole
March 5, 2012 at 2:35 amWauw, I love the things you received! Especialy that small envelope, how cute.
And those bagels look so deliciouss π makes me hungry, I’d probably get some breakfast π
kelly zarb
March 5, 2012 at 3:04 amI love Rhya’s little mail package its rad. One of my favourite baked recipes is making my apple and cinnamon topped cake and carob and coconut brownies. yum!
Barbara
March 5, 2012 at 4:55 amYummy! Baking is kind of healing! And I love this tangerine fabric! Enjoy it!
Studio Meez
March 5, 2012 at 5:50 amLovely mail you got and I definitely will try out the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Marlous
March 5, 2012 at 5:52 amHey Sewon!
I love your snail mail upate, you get the lovliest things!
Your bagel recipe looks really good, I’m definitely gonna try that some time!
Gabby
March 5, 2012 at 7:24 amThat bagels look so yum! I am so jealous with your baking skill since mine is zero π‘
And your photography skills. And your lovely friends sending you those cute little packages!
Anyway I am starting a publication in http://www.vociferousmag.com perhaps you would like to drop by π This month’s theme is about apocalypse so it’s rather gloomy tho :p
tasha
March 5, 2012 at 7:27 amthis could possibly be one of the loveliest, cheeriest, most summery post i’ve seen in awhile! π i think all the little things in your life are so adorable. such a ray of sunshine those packages are. and those bagels look so darn good! xxxx
Claudia
March 5, 2012 at 9:26 amI have never seen such tiny mail! It’s so cute!
Love the fabric!
joana
March 5, 2012 at 12:08 pmbeautiful mail π
those bagels looks absolutely delicious!
emilie
March 6, 2012 at 3:52 pmsuch a cute package, loaded with beautiful gifts !
your bagels kick ass, they look delicious !
Lindsey
March 6, 2012 at 6:52 pmThose bagels look awesome! I don’t have a good oven, so unfortunately I don’t bake. Although I’ve always wanted to so much!
That mix cd cover is incredibly creative!
Lydia
March 7, 2012 at 12:30 amI wish I have found out about this bagel recipe earlier. I was crazily craving for bagels when i was in China! The ones you made look amazing!
Btw, can you send me your current address to me through email? I have sth to send to you too!
vibeke
March 7, 2012 at 10:07 amthank you so much for the wonderful craft it forward snail mail you sent me,
i LOVED everything!: )
nice to see the lovely little things you show, little things that makes one very happy : )
and that bagel looks heavenly…yum!!!
v
Jesslyn
March 7, 2012 at 1:44 pmI love your blog style! π
Nadiye
March 7, 2012 at 2:54 pmI really adore the mail you received!
And i am deffs going to try out that recipe! Xo
nuumi
March 9, 2012 at 12:09 amyou have any favorite blogs to see cause urs is nice!
alma
March 9, 2012 at 8:27 amIncredible pictures as always! Heyyy I’ve received your mail dear Sewon! It’s soooo great! I just looove your tiny polaroids, your photo catalogue and the sweet little things I would call “brimborions” and that make life so nice! So thank you so so much and I wish you a very nice spring. I’m preparing something for you asap! Love love love.
Anna
March 9, 2012 at 9:04 amOh thanks for this yummy recipe!!
winnie
March 10, 2012 at 11:03 amThat wrapped cd mix tape is soo pretty, what a genius way to wrap a gift! Also those bagels look super yummy, they must have been so nice fresh out of the oven!
Taylor
March 11, 2012 at 12:44 amLove the itty bitty envelope! Love the package for the mix tape as well! Your blog never fails to make me smile. So cute!
Amelia
March 13, 2012 at 11:29 amThe amount of patience it took to make that small envelope – I admire that person. Absolute badass right there!
janet
April 2, 2012 at 8:06 amomg, this looks so yummy!
pau
November 25, 2012 at 7:39 pmsewon! I want to do this but can I do it with royal instead of the yeast? if so, do I add everything else on the list?
Sewon
November 25, 2012 at 7:51 pmPau, you’ll need to use levadura de panadero (yeast). I’ll get in touch with you via Twitter!
Shannah
January 14, 2013 at 10:54 pmaww, I love the tiny envelope!
30 Days of Thankfulness (Days 1 – 10)
August 28, 2015 at 12:22 am[…] idea and when my weekend picked up it was her idea not to worry about them.) I used Sewon’s bagel recipe, but left off the sesame seeds and incorporated dried cranberries and orange zest into the dough […]