Lights, camera, breakfast: recreating morning morsels from the screen
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thank you
Welcome to the first edition of our series ‘The Breakfast Club’, where we show you how to recreate breakfast dishes from the screen, so you can munch morning morsels along with your favourite characters.
We’re getting our teeth into EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE , the brilliant and bonkers film that cleaned up at awards season in 2023. The word 'unique' is thrown about all too often but this really is; for a movie about doing your taxes, it surprisingly has a bit of.... well…everything.
It’s a nihilistic, genre-bending, existential crisis that spans the multiverse, and all at once it explores everything from cultural identity to generational trauma. But with all these big ideas, at its core, the film is a family drama about the complexity of our most important relationships, and it teaches us that ultimately, life is about Joy. All of these complex and conflicting ideas are symbolised by the Everything Bagel; an object which has literally, everything(!)
Bagels are full of history, originating from the Jewish communities of Poland, with recorded accounts going as far back as the 15th century. Everything seasoning, on the other hand, is believed to have been invented as recently as the 1980s in New York City.
There are a couple of crucial details that set the bagel apart from a standard bread roll. One is the shape, and the other is the process of boiling before baking. Boiling the bagels first stops the proofing process, ensuring they keep their shape, and it gives them the close texture and shiny, chewy crust that makes for the perfect bagel.
You can find our written recipe below, but if you haven’t watched the episode yet, be sure to go check it out. Please enJOY these Everythings, anywhere, but not all at once.
GO TO:
EVERYTHING BAGELS
Features at 60 mins, 14 seconds of Everything Everywhere All At Once
INGREDIENTS
500G strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
7g instant dry yeast
300ml tepid water
1 tbsp maple syrup or malt syrup
1 tsp kosher salt
BOILING LIQUID
1 tbsp maple syrup or malt syrup
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
TOPPINGS
Eggwash (1 egg + 1 tbsp water, beaten)
Everything bagel seasoning
METHOD
Mix together the yeast and 1 tbsp of maple syrup into the water. The water should be tepid (around 30°C, if it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast).
Leave aside for 8-10 mins until its bubbly with a foam on top, the sugar in the syrup will feed the yeast, and the bubbles indicate that it is alive.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt until combined, then create a well in the centre.
Slowly pour the yeast mixture into the well, stirring to combine. Bring together to form a dough, before tipping out onto a lightly floured worktop or into a stand mixer. nb: If kneading by hand, try not to add too much additional flour, the dough may be a little sticky at first, but it will quickly come together and become easier to handle - push through the sticky stage!
Knead the dough for 8-10 mins until it is smooth, elastic, and bounces back quickly when pressed.
Place the dough in a bowl, greased with a neutral oil. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for around an hour or until doubled in size.
Once your dough has doubled in size, knock it back and turn it out onto your bench. Divide the dough into 8 evenly sized pieces and form into balls.
To shape, take one of your dough balls and put your finger straight through the centre. Spin the dough gently, to stretch out the hole and form a bagel shape. The bagels will expand, so at the stage the hole should be a little bigger than desired.
Place the bagels on a lined baking tray, cover and leave to rest for 15 mins. In the meantime, prepare your boiling liquid and preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add in 1 tbspn of maple or malt syrup and the bicarbonate of soda. The bicarb will fizz and bubble up when you add it to the water.
Slowly lower in the bagels one at a time using a slotted spoon. They require space in the pot, so don’t overcrowd it! Boil for 45 seconds, then flip using a wooden spoon and boil for another 45 seconds on the other side.
Remove the bagels from the boiling liquid using a slotted spoon, draining off the excess water before transferring to a lined baking tray.
Brush the bagels liberally with an egg wash before generously sprinkling over the everything bagel seasoning.
Bake for 20-25 mins until a dark golden brown and cool on a wire rack before serving.
Related Posts
