Everything Bagel

A bagel without a hole is like a person without a soul - Sid Tafler

This started out as a treatise on whether or not a bagel should have a hole. It raised a lot of opinions on a couple of Facebook pages  about Jewish Food. My curiosity peaked and this evolved into much, much more, and expands on my Bagel vs. Bagel.

There are as many stories about the origin of the bagel as there are varieties and ways to enjoy them; regardless, this iconic boiled and baked roll will forever be associated with Jews and Jewish Cuisines, specifically Ashkenazi.

What most food historians agree on is the name comes from the Yiddish word beygal, which comes from the German dialect word beugel, meaning "ring" or "bracelet".

Here's a few of the most popular stories about its origin and shape.

- Their shape-‑with no beginning and no end‑‑symbolizes the eternal cycle of life.

-  It may have originated in ancient Egypt or the Mediterranean area.

-  In the 14th century, German immigrants brought soft pretzels to Poland, which may have evolved into an obwarzanek, a bagel-shaped roll.

-  In 1863 Austria by a Viennese baker trying to pay tribute to the King of Poland, Jan Sobieski.

- Jewish bakers created bagels in response to anti-Semitic laws that prevented Polish Jews from baking bread. So they made a circle of dough and boiled it.

-  To honor the known equine enthusiast, a Polish baker shaped his roll into circles meant to resemble boot stirrups

-  The hole makes transporting and selling them easier. In the past, vendors would thread the circular breads onto dowels to sell them on street corners.

A Basic Recipe

Here's a link to a basic recipe for homemade bagels. There are a lot of them out there, but I liked this one for its straightforward approach and explanations. Some bagel bakers believe the syrup in the boiling water helps make “softer” water like New York Bagels, and gives a nod to Montreal Bagels. You can leave the sweetener in the water out if desired.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-bagel

It's all in the water

Some bagel purists believe that the water used to boil bagels is the main difference between New York bagels and other bagels. New York water is considered soft, with low levels of calcium and magnesium. The chemical makeup of water can affect the gluten in dough, with hard water making it tougher and soft water making it softer and gooier.

Submersion, Waterfall, and Steaming

Most bagel purists agree a bagel is just not a bagel unless it is boiled. Submersion in boiling water is the oldest and most traditional. Technology has provided other methods,  each gives the bagel a different crust and texture, as well as unique (i.e., marks, blemishes) characteristics that make a bagel unique.

Submersion Boiling: The bagels are  pot or conveyor boiled in water. A long boil crust can prevent rising, resulting in a denser interior and thicker crust. A shorter boil can result in a chewier bagel.

Waterfall Boiling: The bagel is transported through waterfalls of boiling water before baking, resulting in a thinner crust that is crispy and a dense interior.

Steaming While Baking: The bagel passes through a steam tunnel before entering the oven. This results in medium crust, duller shine and less chewy bagel.

Note: this describes professionally steamed bagels. Some bakeries and eateries quick steam a bagel before serving.

Egg Wash

After the boil and before the bake comes the egg wash. Brushing each bagel with an egg white wash. This will ensure a shiny crust. It's also a great glue to hold all of you toppings.

No Matter What Shape

Here's a list of bagel shapes I've run across in my research.

Balls or Holes - stuffed and unstuffed

Chips - thin sliced baked or stale

Dachshund (true!) - round with dog face and tail

“Flatz” No Rise - squished

Holiday Shapes - Heart, Star of David

No Hole - looks like a shiny Kaiser roll

Pretzel - pretzel shaped or pretzel dough in bagel shape

Scooped Out - scooped before serving

Sticks - long and narrow

Square - square with square hole

Twists - long and narrow but twisted

International “Bagels”

Many countries or regions have their own version and/or name for a foll similar to a bagel 

Friselle (Italian)

Jerusalem Bagel (Israeli)

Ka’Ak (Syrian)

Koulouri (Grecian)

Montreal Bagel (Canadian) - See Below

Purple Sweet Potato (Japanese)

Simit (Turkish)

“Holy Bagel, Batmensch, It's Jalapeño” - Rubin

There's over a couple of dozen different common flavors of bagels I've found, and most likely a dozen or so I've not run across yet. The ones I've seen (haven't tasted them all) run the gamut from the usual savory (plain, pumpernickel, everything), to a few sweet (blueberry, cinnamon raisin),  to the unusual (French Toast, jalapeno), and finally the celebratory (red, green, rainbow). 

The dough is versatile enough to accept any flavor or color, and many bakers take advantage. Some colored bagels have no flavor (i e. Rainbow), while others have a matching flavor (i e., beet, pumpkin).

My current topping,flavor, or color list. Some are a combination of two, or all three!

Traditional

Cinnamon Raisin

Blueberry

Egg

Everything

Garlic

Onion

Plain

Poppy

Pumpernickel

Salt

Sesame

Whole Wheat

Less Traditional

Asiago

Banana Nut

Beet

Cheddar

Chocolate Chip

Cranberry

Flaming Hot Cheeto

French Toast

Green (St. Patrick)

Jalapeno

Marble (Rye and Pump)

Pineapple

Pizza

Pumpkin

Purple Sweet Potato

Rainbow

Red (Valentine)

Rye

Saffron

Spinach

The Montreal Bagel

No discussion on bagels is complete without the Montreal Bagel. It's a close cousin to the New York bagel. Montreal bagels are smaller, denser, sweeter, and thinner than New York-style bagels, have egg in the batter, are boiled in a sweetened water, and are baked in a wood-fired oven.  

And finally, is the Bialy a Bagel? In short, no. 

Like the bagel, the bialy (which is short for the Yiddish bialystok kuchen) originated in Poland, specifically the city of Bialystok. It has a much shorter shelf life than a bagel, so is not as popular.

The Bialy is shaped differently  with a dent in the middle as opposed to a hole, and filled with onions, garlic and poppy seeds. It's not boiled, is mostly beige in color, has a crisp crust, and is less chewy inside. So no it's not a bagel, just a close  cousin, although many consider it a bagel as evidenced by a quick internet search… even Google AI!

You can read all about Bialys in Mimi Sheraton’s book on Bialys, The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World