A practical dilemma during Passover is taking lunch to work or school without finding a brown bag filled with egg salad adhering to shards of matzah pieces in the bottom. Here’s my answer: bagels!
Made like the classic pâte à choux dough for cream puffs, these rolls turn out crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Shaping the dough into a bagel with a hole allows for even baking so the inside of the roll isn’t soggy. The hole closes up most of the way during baking so you don’t lose the contents of your sandwich.
Ingredients
2 cups matzah meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil
4 eggs
Directions
- Combine the matzah meal, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Bring the oil and water to a boil and add to the matzah meal mixture all at once. Stir well to combine.
- Using a wooden spoon or stiff spatula, beat in eggs thoroughly one at a time until each is incorporated into the dough. Let stand covered for 15 minutes.
- With oiled hands, scoop up about 2 heaping tablespoons of dough and shape into rolls. Place on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Grease your forefinger. Insert your finger into the middle of the roll and twirl your finger around until a hole is formed in the center.
- Bake at 375°F for 40–50 minutes.
Additional Notes
- Have all of the ingredients premeasured in the bowl and saucepan. If the water mixture boils too long, the proportion of matzah meal to water will be off and will result in dense bagels.
- Oiling your hands serves two purposes: the dough won’t stick when you’re shaping it and making the hole in the center, and it helps to lightly “fry” the top to give the bagel a crisp crust.
- The most important rule for working with matzah meal is always allowing the mixture to sit covered for at least 15 minutes. Matzah meal needs time to hydrate (absorb the water). Many people make the mistake of adding more meal when the mixture looks too thin. Their finished product is always too heavy and dry.
