Natalie Byrnes Professional Baker?

Natlie Byrnes has been baking since she was a little kid. She has always loved baking and it’s one of her many natural talents.

“I bake mostly because it takes up some free time and it’s relaxing and it’s the enjoyment of creating something.” Natalie bakes a lot of different types of foods, such as cookies, cakes, cupcakes, baguettes, sourdough bread, challah, bagels, artisan loaves, pavlova, meringue, pies, and more. But she especially loves to make cookies and cupcakes. She said she loves to bake them because they're super easy and you can make them fast, unlike some of the breads she makes.

Natalie makes a lot of different types of bread, which take hours to make. Natalie said. “Baguettes take around 6 hours, sourdough takes days because you need to make a starter, bagels take 5 hours, challah takes 5 hours, artisan loaves take 8 hours.” I also asked Natalie who she enjoys baking for. She said that she bakes for mostly anyone like family, friends, her church, and even clients.

During quarantine, Natalie started her very own mini bakery business. She mostly sold cookies and baguettes and made over $1,500 in just a small amount of time. Natalie actually donated all of this money to a lot of different charities. Natalie really loves this talent and would like to go to the Culinary Institute of America to pursue a culinary career, however, her plans for the future are undecided. She might also change to go into the medical field. I asked Natalie what one of her favorite recipes was and she said bagels because, “my family enjoys them”. Natalie was kind enough to share the recipe for bagels below.

Bagels Ingredients

• Water

• 10 grams yeast

• 23 grams sugar

• 500 grams bread flour

• 6 grams salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bloom your yeast by combining warm water (90 degrees Fahrenheit) with your yeast and sugar.

2. Give a little stir and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, add bread flour, salt, and yeast mixture and mix with your hands until you get a shaggy dough.

3. Turn dough out onto a work surface and begin kneading for 10 minutes.

4. Once the dough reaches a silky smooth surface; fold sides into itself and place in a well-oiled bowl.

5. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for one hour. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough in the center to deflate.

6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 8 equal parts by cutting it in half and then cutting each of those halves into 4 equal pieces.

7. Shape each piece into a ball by pinching and forming a seam.

8. Place the dough ball seam side down and swirl it around on a non-floured surface while maintaining constant contact.

9. Place on a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel for 10 minutes. To make the Everything Flavored seasoning, combine onion flakes, garlic flakes, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and sea salt in a bowl until thoroughly combined.

10. Take a dough ball and press a floured thumb and index finger through the center to make a hole.

11. Twirl the dough around two fingers lightly, pulling and stretching it apart. Repeat the process until you get the right width.

12. The hole should be an inch in diameter.

13. Begin to boil a pot of water

14. Drop bagels in one at a time and leave room in the pot for expansion.

15. Gently boil the bagels for 1-2 minutes per side.

16. Drain bagels and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet, brush with egg wash and sprinkle on your everything bagel seasoning.

17. Place in the oven and let back at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

18. Remove from the oven, let cool, and top with your favorite ingredients.