Yeast Breads: French Toast Bagels

There's nothing like French toast, but it's messy to make. If you're looking for a similar taste but with less mess, consider making your own French toast bagels. These are soft and sweet with a maple, cinnamon flavor that is just perfect for breakfast. Consider making multiple batches. They'll disappear quickly.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
3½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
 1 cup water
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup maple syrup
 2 tbsp honey
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


Preparation


Place yeast, flour, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss is mix. Add water, 1 egg, vanilla, and maple syrup. Blend until a loose dough forms. Turn this dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a dough that is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Set aside to rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 1 hour.


Punch down the dough to remove all air bubbles. Shape into bagels either using a bagel cutter or by dividing the dough into 12 equal pieces and shaping them one at a time. Place bagels on prepared baking sheet. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Fill a bowl with water and add honey. Bring to a boil. One at a time, boil bagels for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The longer you boil them the chewier they'll become. Place boiled bagels back on prepared baking sheet. Brush bagels with beaten egg. Combine sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of bagels.


Bake bagels for 22 minutes, until bagels are browned. Remove from baking sheet immediately and cool on wire racks.


These bagels will keep for up to 5 days if you store them in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Asiago Bagels

Asiago is one of my favorite cheeses. It's tart like parmesan, but packs much more flavor. These bagels have asiago in the dough and sprinkled on top, so they pack double the punch. Serve them with chive-flavored cream cheese or a fried egg for a delicious breakfast.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup water
¾ asiago cheese, grated and divided
 2 tbsp honey
1 egg, lightly beaten


Preparation


Start by placing the yeast, flour, salt, brown sugar, and water into a large bowl. Mix until you have a loose dough, then turn that dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Add ½ cup asiago cheese and knead until a soft and elastic dough forms. This will take about 5 minutes.


Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Set aside in a warm location to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough to remove all air bubbles. Shape into bagels either using a bagel cutter or by dividing the dough into 12 equal pieces and shaping them into bagels. Place on a prepared baking sheet and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Fill a small pot with water and add honey. Bring to a boil. One at a time, boil bagels for 30 seconds to 2 minutes each. The longer you boil them, the chewier they'll be. Place boiled bagels back on the prepared baking sheet.


Brush with egg, then sprinkle with remaining asiago cheese. Bake for 22 minutes, until bagels are golden brown. Remove from baking sheet immediately and cool on wire racks.


These bagels will keep for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Basic Pretzels

There's nothing simple or basic about a pretzel, except in how they're made. A soft pretzel is easier to make than you think, and they're delicious fresh from the oven. This basic recipe gives you a place to start, but don't be afraid to get creative. And don't skip the baking soda bath. It's what makes a pretzel a pretzel.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
3 tbsp baking soda
1 egg, slightly beaten
coarse salt (optional)


Preparation


Start by combining yeast and flour in a large bowl. Toss to blend. Add butter, sugar, salt, and water. Mix until a soft dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a soft and elastic dough forms. This will take about 5 minutes. Do not over knead the dough.


Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Set aside in a warm location to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Uncover and punch down dough to remove all air bubbles. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll it out into a long rope. 12 inches will give you a pretzels much like the picture. Roll it longer if you want a large and thinner pretzel, shorter if you want something fatter. A fatter pretzel makes a good bun for burgers, by the way.


Form the rope into a pretzel shape and press ends together to seal. Place the pretzels on a prepared baking sheet and cover. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat oven to 375°F.


Fill a medium-sized pot with water and add the baking soda. Bring to a boil. One at a time, boil the bagels in the baking soda bath for 30 seconds per side. When flipping the pretzels, be gentle. I use silicone tongs, but  you can use a slotted spoon as well. Just be gentle. Place boiled pretzels back on the baking sheet.


Brush the tops of the pretzels with the beaten egg, then sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt, if desired. bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until pretzels are a deep brown. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.


Pretzels will keep for 5 days if you store them in an airtight container.

Snacks & Appetizers: Risotto Rolls

I make risotto a lot, mostly because my kids adore it. I make it in large batches so they can take it to school the next day, but sometimes there's a bit left even after that. I've taken to making rolls with whatever I have left. These rolls can be cooked immediately, or you can freeze them and cook them later.


This recipe works with any risotto you have left. Try Parmesan Risotto, Cheddar Risotto, Spanish Risotto, Mushroom Risotto, Hot Pepper Risotto, or any other type of risotto you're fond of.


Ingredients


1 package rice paper
leftover risotto


Directions


Making these rolls is a simple process. First, your risotto must be cold. If it's still warm, it becomes more difficult to shape your rolls. When it's cold, open your package of rice paper. Rice paper is stiff right out of the package. So stiff you won't be able to work with it immediately. You'll need to soak it.


Fill a shallow dish with cool water. Make sure this dish is large enough to fit a single piece of rice paper without bending. If you bend dry rice paper, it will crack on you. Place one piece of rice paper in the water. Let it soak until it is slightly pliable. This can take up to 20 or 30 seconds, but if you leave the rice paper too much longer than that, it will practically disappear on you.


Remove the rice paper from the water and lay it out on a cutting board. Take some risotto and place it in the center of the rice paper. Shape the risotto into a log using your fingers. Fold the rice paper around the risotto on 3 sides, then roll up on the remaining side. Pat the damp rice paper in place the seal the roll.


Place the roll on a fresh cutting board or pan to dry a little. Repeat the process with remaining rice paper and risotto. Line up the rolls beside each other, but don't let them touch or they'll stick together.


At this point, you can either cook them or freeze them. If you freeze them, freeze them individually. Once they're completely frozen, you can put them in a bag or container together, but don't let them touch while freezing or you'll never be able to get them apart.


Whether you freeze them or not, cooking them is the same. Warm 3 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat. Place the rolls in the pan, not touching each other, and cook until golden brown on each side. The risotto is already cooked, so you only need to crisp up the rice paper.


Drain on paper towels, drizzle with soy sauce or honey garlic sauce, then serve warm.

Drop Cookies: Chocolate Bonbons

Get ready to fall in love with these Chocolate BonBon Cookies—sweet, soft, and dusted in sugar while still warm from the oven! In this video, we walk you through our easy step-by-step recipe and directions for making these delicious homemade cookies from scratch. Perfect for any home baker, these cookies come together quickly with simple ingredients like milk chocolate chips, vanilla, and all-purpose flour. They’re the ideal treat for holiday baking, weekend snacks, or anytime you’re craving something chocolatey and comforting.

This cookie recipe is part of our ongoing Andersen Acres kitchen series where we focus on cooking at home with farm-style simplicity. Whether you're into homesteading, hobby farming, or just love trying out new baking recipes, these Chocolate BonBon Cookies are sure to become a family favorite.

Watch to learn how to mix, shape, bake, and sugar-coat each bite-sized cookie for the perfect finish. With easy directions and no fancy equipment needed, this recipe is accessible for beginners and rewarding for seasoned bakers alike.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with your fellow food lovers!

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Yeast Breads: Chocolate Chip Bagels

Everyone loves chocolate chips. so putting them in bagels is bound to be popular. They're certainly one of my favorites. It's no more difficult to make these than it is to make plain bagels, so have some fun and indulge your sweet tooth.


You can use any type of chocolate chips you like. I use milk chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet, dark, or even white chocolate.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup water
½ cup chocolate chips
 2 tbsp honey
1 egg, lightly beaten


Preparation


There's no need to dissolve the yeast, so place yeast, flour, salt, brown sugar, and water in a large bowl and mix until you have a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Add chocolate chips and knead the dough until it is soft and elastic. The chocolate chips should be evenly distributed throughout the dough. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely. Set in a warm location to rise until doubled in size. This will take about an hour.


Punch down the dough to remove all air bubbles. Shape the dough into bagels either by rolling out the dough and using a bagel cutter or dividing the dough into 12 pieces and shaping those pieces into bagels by hand. Either method works. Place your shaped bagels on a prepared baking sheet and cover. Set aside.


Heat oven to 375°F. Fill a small pot with water and add honey. Bring to a boil. Uncover bagels and boil them, one at a time, for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The longer you boil them the chewier the finished bagels will be. Place the boiled bagels back on the baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the bagels with the beaten egg.


Bake for 22 minutes, until bagels are golden brown. Remove immediately from baking tray and cool on wire racks. These bagels can be kept for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Blueberry Swirl Bagels

Bagels are delicious, especially when combined with the tart flavor of blueberries. The swirl pattern is created by gently kneading the blueberries into the dough after the first rising. If you add the blueberries at the beginning, you could end up with a bit of a mess on your hands. Make sure your blueberries are frozen or they'll be crushed during the kneading process.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup water
½ cup frozen blueberries
 2 tbsp honey
1 egg, lightly beaten


Preparation


Place yeast and flour in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Add salt and brown sugar. Toss again. Add water and mix until you have a loose dough. Turn this dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a soft and elastic dough, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set aside in a warm location to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.


Punch down the dough to remove air bubbles. Press dough into a rough circle on a lightly floured surface. Place blueberries in the center of the circle. Gently knead the dough, folding the dough over the blueberries. Don't press too hard. Even frozen blueberries will crush if you aren't gentle. Allow the juice to swirl through the dough as you distribute the blueberries as evenly as possible.


When you're finished, shape your bagels. You can do this either by using a bagel cutter or dividing the dough into 12 equal pieces and shaping them by hand. To do this, roll the pieces of dough into balls. Pick up one ball and press your fingers through the center of it. Stretch the hole you just made until you have something resembling a standard bagel. Place these on a prepared baking sheet and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Fill a small pot with water and add honey to it. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. One at a time, boil your unbaked bagels for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The longer you boil them, the chewier they will be. Once they're boiled, place them back on the prepared baking sheet. Brush bagels with the beaten egg, then bake for 22 minutes,


Remove baked bagels from baking sheet immediately and cool on wire racks. These bagels will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container. Do not store in the fridge.