Passover Bagels

So, anyone who has ever been to a Passover Seder knows that Passover baking is not always the finest. During Passover, those who celebrate remove all grains and grain based items from their homes, with the exception of matzo and flour made from matzo. We also refrain for eating anything with leavening, such as yeast, baking powder, or baking soda. (This article does a good job of explaining the basics, if you are interested.) Naturally, this makes baking complicated. Things tend to not taste quite like what they are trying to be and often end up like edible rocks.

My family celebrated almost every year of my childhood with another family, and that other family always made Passover Bagels. The matriarch of the other family, Susan, remains to this day as one of my favorite adult figures from my childhood. Susan didn't cook-- in the whole of my youth, I recall her making a total of three things, all of which made repeated appearances at various functions: orange jello mold, caramel brownies, and passover bagels. All three were delicious. Though Susan passed away a number of years ago, I think of her every Passover, and this year, I tried my hand at her Passover bagels.

Before we get to the recipe, keep a few things in mind: 1) generally, these don't look exactly like bagels-- in fact they look a little bit of a mess; 2) they won't taste like regular bagels; 3) despite items 1 and 2, they are delicious. Susan used to make hers the size of regular bagels, I made mine a bit smaller so that they can be eaten like a dinner roll with the Passover meal.


(For a printable version of this recipe, click here)
Passover Bagels (Yield 2 dozen small or 1 dozen large bagels)

7 eggs
2 1/2 cups matzo meal
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

Step #1 - Preheat oven to 425* F.

Step #2 - Boil the water, oil and salt.

Step #3 - Add matzo meal, remove from heat, and let cool.

Step #4 - Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add cooled matzo mixture. Mix until a loose dough forms.

Step #5 - Shape dough int o heaps/balls and make a hole in the center. I made balls about the size of my palm and used my pinky finger to create a hole. Once you have created your bagel shapes, place them on a well greased cookie sheet.

 

Step #6 - Bake at 425* for 20-35 min, depending on how large you shaped the bagels. The ones you see here baked for about 20 minutes. They will be lightly brown when done. Do not over bake or they will be hard.  Cool bagels on a wire rack. They will 'deflate' slightly once cool.

Happy Passover!