“The bagel is a lonely roll to eat all by yourself because in order for the true taste to come out you need your family. One to cut the bagels, one to toast them, one to put on the cream cheese and the lox, one to put them on the table and one to supervise.” –Gertrude Berg
How to Make Bagels
Said to have been invented in Krakow, Poland in the late 16th century as a Lenten bread, bagels have endured to this days served the world over, especially in regions with large Jewish populations. In 2008, bagel sales in the USA topped $430 million.
Bagels are representative of Jewish culture. Because of the Jewish no-work rule for the Sabbath, Jews would prepare the dough for the bagels before sundown on Friday night, and then cook the bagels upon Saturday’s sundown. With the dough already prepared in advance, it made for an easy and filling food for Jewish families to serve at the end of the Sabbath.
The Two Types of Bagels
How to Make Bagels
The two main types of bagels are the Montreal-style bagel and the New York-style bagel. A Montreal bagel is lean and unleaven, made with malt and sugar, boiled in honey water for a sweeter flavor and a crunchier outer shell. ANew York bagel is puffy, and is boiled in regular water for a more bread-like flavor and a softer consistency.
How to Make a Montreal Bagel
The following recipe is for a Montreal bagel, which is smaller, crunchier, and sweeter than the New York variety.
Montreal Bagel Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 18 g package dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon malt drink powder or syrup
- 4 1/2 cups unbleached white bread flour (you may need more)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup poppy seed (or 1/2 cup sesame seeds – or both if you prefer)
- 6 quarts water
- 1/3 cup honey
Preparing Montreal Bagels
- Stir together warm water, sugar, canola oil, yeast (not instant), egg and malt in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix by hand until yeast has completely dissolved.
- Stir in salt and one cup of flour.
- Slowly add enough flour, a little at a time, to make about 3 cups of soft, pliable dough.
- Knead the dough for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring in extra flour as needed.
- When the dough firms and becomes smooth, cover with another bowl, inverted, for 10 minutes.
- Separate the dough into 12 pieces of equal size.
- Roll each piece out into a rope, about 10 inches long, then curve each one, pressing ends together to make a round bagel.
- Use a drop or two of water as a glue to hold the two ends together.
- Let the bagels sit for about 30 minutes to rise.
- Fill a large pot with the water and honey and bring to a boil.
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Drop the bagels into boiling honey water for 90 seconds, turning once.
- Drain on clean towels (peper towels won’t work because they’ll stick to the dough).
- Place the bagels on the baking sheets and sprinkle generously with poppy (or sesame) seeds.
- Place the trays in the heated oven and bake for 20 minutes, turning once.
How to Serve Homemade Bagels
When bagels are ready, slice in half and slather with cream cheese. Serve with lox (thinly sliced smoked salmon) for a traditional Jewish meal.
Cream cheese now comes in a variety of flavors, like garlic, onion, blueberry and strawberry.
For a crunchier bagel, slather halves with butter and place butter-side up under the oven broiler for 5 minutes, until golden at the edges. Then add cream cheese.
Bagels also make great sandwiches. Slice and toast a bagel. Layer on sliced cheese, roast turkey, lettuce, mayonnaise and crispy bacon for a bagel club!
As absurd as it may seem, every year emergency rooms see thousands of “bagel injuries” from people holding a bagel in the palm of their hands and slicing downward. Because this injury has become so common, many stores now sell “bagel slicers”. The bagel is held in place in the device without the need for delicate fingers, and a blade is passed through.
With a little practice, you can use a bagel slicer to make bagel chips. Slice bagels into thin shards and toast on a baking sheet in the oven for about 10 minutes at medium heat. When golden, remove the chips. These can be used as a snack dipped into flavored sour cream or yogurt-based party dips. Also tastes great with hummus.
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