What?
Lekue silicone bagel moulds are conical moulds with perforated bases. They hold dough in ring shape through rising, boiling and baking.
Why?
Who could passover homemade bagels? (Note to self – bagels contain yeast, so are not eaten at Passover. Idiot.)
Well?
The stakes feel high as I stare at the rubbery buoys in front of me. For a start, they are silicone and conical, whereas I’m comical and cynical, so we’ll either get on famously or one of us will have to go. There’s also the fact that I adore Jewish food. Nothing brings on my reluctance to share like a stack of gefilte fish balls. One heady summer, my friend Mad and I made serious plans for a popup restaurant called something like Mind Over Matzo, or Make You Wanna Challa. Sadly, as neither of us were Jewish, the whole thing was itching for a lawsuit and plans were shelved. But for me, the flame still flickers. If this gadget promises the keys to good-looking homemade bagels, it had better deliver or there will be hell to pay.
I can’t actually see a product name on the box, only the words “Bagels x6”, which is more of a light shopping list. Bagels feel intuitively complicated, but the method is joyously simple. I poke the silicone prongs through rolled-out dough balls, leaving them to rise. I drop the lightweight moulds with their doughy cargo in boiling water, where they bob around in a disturbing way (I think it’s because the cones resemble wide-brimmed pointy hats, and for a moment I feel like a 17th-century witchfinder general).
Finally, I chuck them in the oven. It’s a bit like cremating mini traffic cones, therapeutic for anyone who has failed a scooter test. After a quarter of an hour, I pull out my brown, chewy pillows. They are a revelation. The rings are perfect, the texture even. They taste unbelievable when fresh. I don’t want to get schmaltzy, but faith has been rewarded. I might even call Mad, get the band back together with a new name. Chicken soup may suit the soul, but bagels have my heart. Holy snack heaven!
Any downside?
Everyone’s hole preference varies. If you prefer a blooming, closed bagel, look, the kit is unnecessary. But if you don’t like it, then you should put a ring in it.
Counter, drawer, back of the cupboard?
Israeli worth your time (sorry). 4/5
