Story Time: The Bagel Dough That Almost Went in the Trash

There are days when baking goes smooth. And then there are days when you’re standing in the kitchen looking at a perfectly good batch of bagel dough thinking, “I am about to throw you straight in the trash.” 😭🤣

That day was cinnamon swirl bagels.

The dough itself? Fine. Beautiful, actually. Developed. Smooth. Doing exactly what it was supposed to do.

Then I added the cinnamon. 😳

That dough immediately decided it had never met itself before in its life. The cinnamon would NOT incorporate. The dough wouldn’t stick back to itself. Every time I tried to fold it, press it, knead it, tuck it, persuade it, threaten it…

Nope.

It was like trying to laminate two pieces of rubber with dust between them. And I’m standing there getting madder by the second because the dough had been PERFECT five minutes earlier.

At one point I was absolutely ready to pitch the whole thing.

Straight into the trash.

Because… are you SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?!?! It in fact was very serious… and I’m standing there thinking I just ruined perfectly good bagel dough. But eventually I stopped fighting it, worked with what I had… added a couple tablespoons of water and trapped it inside. After about 20 mins of sitting there it FINALLY started to behave… I and the bagels survived the drama.

But for a solid stretch there, those fools were one cinnamon-coated fold away from becoming garbage. And if you think that’s where it all ended… it’s not.

2 mins after they went in the oven I looked at my hubby and said…

CRAP!

Startled He said “what?!?!”

I said… I forgot the egg wash!!!

He said you think my mouth is gonna know the difference?!?!

See? Even us seasoned bakers have “ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!” days.

Sometimes the dough is fine. Sometimes the recipe is fine. Sometimes you just added one ingredient and everybody threw a temper tantrum. Including you.

But the smartest thing you can do is not throw perfectly good dough away just because it made you mad.

Want more laughs like these? Pamela’s whole personality lives inside her “Stop…Just Stop. Fresh Milled Flour Doesn't Follow Rules.” Book Series. Packed with lesson upon lesson to teach you what to do on those “Are you serious?!?!” days.