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Have you been missing your Bagel fix now that BagelBox are no longer on Cambridge Market? Do you think you don’t like Bagel’s as the only ones you have tried have been mass produced and bought in a Supermarket? Are you looking for something different to buy as a gift or to do with a group of friends or family? Well this could be just what you are looking for!

A friend and I joined Alex of BagelBox for one of his Bagel Making Masterclasses last Saturday. The classes are held in the centre of Cambridge in a rented, modern, kitchen which means that classes are kept small and intimate with a maximum of 6 attendees. The only downside to this is that it is up a couple of flights of stairs so not great for anyone with mobility issues.

As we arrived we were given a glass of bubbly and there was water available throughout, there is also a bar downstairs if you wanted anything else 😉  Everything was laid out ready for us; from ingredients, to equipment, to recipes and an Apron.  Alex is happy for you to take away his tried and trusted recipes but asks that you do not share them.  Alex talked us through each stage including measuring dry ingredients, mixing, adding in wet ingredients and bringing the dough together, kneeding, proving, boiling and baking. We were given the opportunity to make plain, chocolate, cinnamon & raisin or Chilli Bagels. Oddly nobody chose the Chilli Bagels so I can’t tell you about those! Through the whole experience Alex was really hands on, checking that you had the correct consistency and explaining the method as well as the science behind what we were doing. 

There are a couple of times during the class when you are waiting around for proving or baking and it was a great opportunity to ask questions of listen to Alex’s anecdotes – running a masterclass in a field at a festival or in a primary school were probably my favourite tales!

At the end of the masterclass you will come away with your very own 6 bagels (2 chocolate and 4 plain for me) plus two bags of ready measured dry ingredients so that you can relive the experience at home, which means you end up with a total of 18 bagels from the Masterclass.

It amused me that we all tried very hard to make our bagels look perfect and those that Alex produced were much more rustic looking. We got to try his and I realised  at that point that I will never eat another shop bought bagel! My six bagels have kept me in lunches for most of the week, I wasn’t too adventurous and just used cream cheese but to be honest, they were so good they really don’t need much more than that!

Through chatting with Alex it was clear that he is passionate about his craft and wants to spread the love. I am sure he would be happy organising a masterclass for any group size (I’m thinking WI, Scouts/Guides, Schools etc) or venue with cooking facilities if you wanted him to. For smaller groups I highly recommend his Masterclasses in the centre of Cambridge which are held monthly with a morning or evening class.