Bagels

Bagels
© Denzil Green

Bagels are chewy because they are boiled before they are baked: possibly the only bread that is made in this way, aside from some varieties of bread Pretzels.

Dough made with yeast is formed into rings and allowed to rise. When the dough has risen, the rings are dropped for a few seconds into boiling water, then baked. Before baking, some are brushed with sugar water, others with beaten egg. A good Bagel is both chewy on the inside and crusty on the outside -- the boiling sets the stage for the crust on the Bagel when it is baked.

Purists reputedly don't like the beaten egg gloss, a modern innovation.

Nor do they like many of the generic Bagels now being mass-produced by the we-make-everything bread factories. Such Bagels, they say, are bloated, soft, crustless over-flavoured breads. The strong flavours now being sold -- pesto, sun-dried tomato, garlic etc -- are to mask the blandness of a bad Bagel, they maintain.

Montréal Bagels

The big debate today rages between New York Bagels and Montréal Bagels. Many people, New Yorkers included, concede that Montréal Bagels have the edge.

Montréal Bagels are different from New York Bagels in several ways:

They are smaller, about 2/3 the size;
Honey is added to the boiling water, which gives an amber colour and sweetness to the crust;
They are cooked in wood-fired ovens, giving another dimension of taste;
Sugar and malt are added to the dough. Malt gives the Bagel a slightly grainy taste;
There is no salt used in the dough;
The Bagel is denser, chewier and sweeter

Whatever the reason, the reputation of Montréal Bagels has at least given Canada the edge over America abroad in Bagels: Bagels now being sold at in-store bakeries in Britain are called "Canadian Bagels."

Toronto Bagels

Many feel that Toronto Bagels are just a breadroll baked in the shape of a doughnut. If you're going to have a Bagel, they say, have a Bagel.

Nutrition for Bagels

Per plain Bagel, approx 200 calories.

History Notes for Bagels

The first written mention of Bagels was in Krakow, Poland, in 1610. Though it later became popular amongst Jews, the Krakow community regulations at that time -- which made the 1610 mention of the Bagel -- specified that pregnant women should be given Bagels, with no mention of women of any particular religion.

The Bagel really took off, though, when it hit Chicago and New York. Bagels have been made in Montreal for hundreds of years using the methods described above.

Literature & Lore about Bagels

"A Bagel creation that would have my parents turning over in their graves is the oat-bran Bagel with blueberries and strawberries. It's a Bagel nightmare, an ill-conceived Bagel form if there ever was one." -- Ed Levine, in "New York Eats".

Language Notes about Bagels

Though the word "Bagel" has its origins in old High German, many modern Germans are puzzled by what a Bagel is as the word is travelling back to Germany (via means such as Breakfast Bagels at McDonald's.)

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Also called:

Ringförmiges Brötchen (German)