Quaint depression-era customs

Do you remember how your parents used to talk about how they made their way through the great depression by scrimping and saving and making do?

Well no, of course you don't, because your parents were born in the 1950s, a world war and a post-war boom later than the depression years.

But don't despair, now you have a chance to lay down your own stories that you'll be able to tell your kids.

I love a toasted bagel with blueberry jam for breakfast. For years I have been getting my bagels, a dozen at a time, from the local boutique bakery. During the big commodity inflation surge last spring, he hiked the price to $8.95 a dozen. Well last weekend, I went to get the bagels on Sunday, only to find that he was closed for Easter. So I came home and tried my hand at baking my own bagels.

Well it turns out that baking bagels is really pretty easy, and the bagels are nearly as good as the boutique items (despite using 10-year old sesame seeds). So now I just make my own bagels. My recipe (which is listed below) makes eight bagels and costs about $3 in materials. It's not a huge money saver, although when you factor in the cost of driving to get the bagels, and the chance that you'll pick up something else at the conveniently co-located strip mall, it probably works out to $300 or $400 in savings for the year.

Depression Bagels

Start with 1/2 cup of warm water (about 110〫F) . Add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and two packets of yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes and make sure that it develops a nice foam on top (that tells you that the yeast is alive).

Put 3 cups of white, 1 cup of whole wheat flour in a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour in the water & yeast mixture and turn on the food processor. Now gradually add 1 cup of warm water.

The dough will form a ball in the processor. Let the processor grind away at it until the ball is smooth and round.

Remove the dough and place it in lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough until it's covered with a light film of oil. Soak a dishtowel in hot water and cover the bowl. Place in a warm, quiet place (your oven is ideal, but don't turn it on).

Allow the dough to rise until it's doubled in size -- typically about an hour. When the dough has risen, put about 2 inches of water in a large skillet and set it to boil on the stove. While you're at it, turn on your oven and set it to 450 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet and set it aside.

Punch the dough down to its original size and turn it out on a floured surface. Form the dough into eight balls. Roll each ball flat, to a thickness of about 1/2". On the floured surface, take each ball, poke your index finger through the middle of it, and spin the dough around your finger until it forms a nice donut shape.

When the bagels are all formed, place them in the skillet with the boiling water. Reduce the heat so that the water is at a gentle rolling boil. Boil the bagels for 1 minute, then flip them and boil for another 2 minutes. While they're boiling, beat one egg with two teaspoons of water in a separate bowl and set it aside.

Carefully place the bagels on the cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and brush the tops of the bagels with the egg wash. Sprinkle the bagels with your favorite topping (poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes, garlic, etc.) and return to the oven.

Bake for another 10 minutes, then remove and turn the bagels over on the cookie sheet. Return the bagels to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet and place the bagels on a rack to let them cool.