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A 'bagel' is a bread product traditionally made of yeasted wheat dough in the form of a roughly hand-sized ring which is boiled in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior. Bagels are often topped with seeds baked onto the outer crust with the most traditional being poppy or sesame seeds. Some have salt sprinkled on the bagel.
It has become a staple bread product in the United States and Canada, especially in cities with large Jewish populations, such as New York and Montreal, each with different ways of making the bagel.
Bagels are distinct from the similarly shaped doughnuts and from the similarly textured bialys, primarily because of the cooking method amongst other differences.

Contents

History

Bagel varieties

Type of seasonings

Toppings on bagels

Non-traditional doughs and shapes

Preparation

Keeping bagels fresh

Bagels around the world

References

See also

External links

History

The bagel was invented in Central Europe, possibly in Kraków as a 1610 document mentions ''beygls'' given as a gift to women in childbirth. This is cited as the earliest known reference, but the document is not absolutely clear about what a ''beygl'' is. Also uncertain is the relationship, if any, to the sweet Hungarian pastry, beigli.
An oft-repeated story states that both the bagel as well as the croissant originated in 1683 in Vienna, Austria, when local bakers created them to commemorate the victory in the Battle of Vienna over the Turks that sieged the city. Similar to the crescent-like bend croissant ('' in German, ''little horn'') which is said to have been inspired by the Turkish flags, the bagel is supposedly related to the victorious final cavalry charge led by King John III Sobieski of Poland. Thus, the baked good was fashioned in the form of a stirrup (, or the similar ''Bügel''-shaped horseshoe, or saddle, tales vary).
That the name ''bagel'' originated from ''beugal'' (old spelling of ''Bügel'', meaning bail/bow or bale) is considered plausible by many, both from the similarities of the word and due to the fact that traditional handmade bagels are not perfectly circular but rather slightly stirrup-shaped. (This fact, however, may be due to the way the boiled bagels are pressed together on the baking sheet before baking.) Also, variants of the word ''beugal'' are used in Yiddish and Austrian German to refer to a round loaf of bread (see Gugelhupf for an Austrian cake with a similar ring shape), or in southern German dialects (where ''beuge'' refers to a pile, e.g. of wood Holzbeuge)
Since the middle of the 19th century, bakeries on Brick Lane in London have been selling bagels (the local orthography is "beigel").

Ashkenazi Jew immigrants in the 1880s brought the bagel to the Lower East Side New York City, where it continues to flourish as a local cuisine popular not only with Jews but also as an icon of the city. The same phenomenon has happened to the Montreal bagel. In the 1920s, bagels were rare in the United States except in a few cities with large Eastern European Jewish populations. The bagel came into more general use throughout North America in the last quarter of the 20th century. Today, bagels are enjoyed all over the world, and have become one of the most popular breakfast foods.

Bagel varieties

The two most prominent styles of traditional bagel in North America are the Montreal bagel and the New York-style bagel. The Montreal bagel contains malt and egg but no salt; it is boiled in honey-sweetened water before baking in a wood oven; and it is predominantly either of the poppy "black" or sesame "white" seeds variety. The New York bagel contains salt and malt and is boiled in water prior to baking in a standard oven. The resulting New York bagel is puffy with a noticeable crust, while the Montreal bagel is smaller (though with a larger hole), chewier, and sweeter. Poppy seeds are sometimes called by their Yiddish name, spelled either ''mun'' or ''mon'' (written מאָן) which is very similar to the German word for poppy, ''Mohn'', as used in ''Mohnbrötchen''.

Type of seasonings

In addition to the plain bagel and the standard poppy or sesame seeds, variants feature different seasonings on the outside, including, garlic, onion, caraway, and salt.
The "everything" bagel (also known as an "all dressed" bagel) is topped with a mixture of a large variety of toppings; the exact ingredients depend on the vendor. Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes, caraway seeds, garlic flakes, pretzel salt, and pepper, are all popular toppings that most vendors use on an everything bagel.

Toppings on bagels

There are several different toppings that are popular on bagels. Bagels topped with cream cheese, lox (salt-cured salmon), tomato, and onion is a popular Jewish dish. A bagel can also be substituted for two slices of bread. In London, bagels are often eaten as a sandwich filled with salt beef.
Bagels are sometimes used as breakfast sandwiches, that are filled with eggs, cheese, ham, and other fillings. McDonald's has a line of breakfast bagel sandwiches that contain egg, cheese, and meat combinations between the bagel slices.
Pizza bagels are another popular way to prepare bagels, in which they are sliced, then topped with tomato sauce and cheese and then toasted or re-baked.

Non-traditional doughs and shapes

While normally and traditionally made of yeasted wheat, in the late 20th century, many variations on the bagel flourished. Non-traditional versions which change the dough recipe include pumpernickel, rye, sourdough, bran, whole wheat, and multigrain. Other variations change the flavor of the dough, often using salt, onion, garlic, egg, cinnamon, raisin, blueberry, chocolate chip, cheese, or some combination of the above. Green bagels are sometimes created for St. Patrick's Day. Many corporate chains now offer bagels in such flavors as chocolate chip, and French toast.
Breakfast bagels, a softer, sweeter variety usually sold in fruity or sweet flavors (''e.g.'', cherry, strawberry, cheese, blueberry, cinnamon-raisin, chocolate chip,maple syrup, banana and nuts) are commonly sold by large supermarket chains; these are usually sold pre-sliced and are intended to be prepared in a toaster. A flat bagel, known as a "flagel," can be found in a few locations in and around New York City and Toronto. A sweet variant of the bagel known as the “fragel” is found in Michigan; bagel dough is fried and coated with cinnamon sugar. A sandwich chain called Così has created square bagels, or "squagels", as an alternative to round bagels in crafting bagel sandwiches which are often filled with luncheon meats.

Preparation

At its most basic, traditional bagel dough contains wheat flour (without germ or bran), salt, water, and yeast leavening. Most bagel recipes call for the addition of a sweetener to the dough, often barley malt (syrup or crystals), honey, or sugar. Leavening can be accomplished using either a sourdough technique or using commercially produced yeast.
Bagels are traditionally made by:

★ mixing and kneading the ingredients to form the dough

★ shaping the dough into the traditional bagel shape, round with a hole in the middle

★ proofing the bagels for at least 12 hours at low temperature (40-50 degrees F = 4.5-10 ℃)

★ boiling each bagel in water that may or may not contain additives such as lye, baking soda, barley malt syrup, or honey

★ baking at between between 175 ℃ and 315 ℃ (about 350 to 600 degrees F)
It is this unusual production method which is said to give bagels their distinctive taste, chewy texture, and shiny appearance. In the context of Jewish culture, this process provided an additional advantage in that it could be followed without breaking the no-work rule of the Sabbath. The dough would be prepared on the day before, chilled during the day, and cooked and baked only after the end of the Sabbath, therefore using the Sabbath as a productive time in the bagel-making process (as the dough needs to slowly rise in a chilled environment for a time before cooking).
In recent years, a variant of this process has emerged, producing what is sometimes called the "steam
bagel". To make a steam bagel, the process of boiling is skipped, and the bagels are instead baked in an oven equipped with a steam injection system ^[1]. In commercial bagel production, the steam bagel process requires less labor, since bagels need only be directly handled once, at the shaping stage. Thereafter, the bagels need never be removed from their pans as they are refrigerated and then steam-baked.

Keeping bagels fresh

In order to preserve the freshness and taste of the bagel for consumption within the next five to seven days, allow them to cool in a paper bag and then slice them lengthwise and store them in a freezer in a closed paper bag which is wrapped tightly inside a larger, plastic bag. Some people omit the paper bag and just freeze their bagels in a plastic bag. To thaw, moisten lightly with cool water and toast or bake. Bagels freeze well for up to six months.
To revive a refrigerated bagel to near fresh-baked status, slice the bagel in half and lightly moisten the surfaces with a small amount of cold water. Toast or bake the bagel until it is hot throughout and slightly crispy on the surfaces. Reheating in a microwave oven will not produce the same result as a regular oven or toaster as microwaves tend to make bread soft and mushy; if one must use a microwave, wrap the bagel in a paper towel or cloth while it is being re-heated.
If freezing is not an option, bagels kept out at room temperature in an air tight bag or container will last considerably longer than those left exposed to open air.

Bagels around the world

In Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, the ''bublik'' kind of pastry resembles bagels. Other ring-shaped pastries known among East Slavs are ''baranki'' (smaller and drier) and ''sushki'' (even smaller and drier).
In Lithuania bagels are called riestainiai and sometimes the Slavic name baronkos.
The Uyghurs of Xinjiang, China enjoy a form of bagel known as ''girde nan'', which is one of several types of nan, the bread eaten in Xinjiang ^[2]. It is uncertain if the Uyghur version of the bagel was developed independently of Europe or was the actual origin of the bagels that appeared in Central Europe.
In Turkey, a salty and fattier form is called ''açma''. The ring-shaped simit is sometimes marketed as a "Turkish Bagel."
In some parts of Austria, ring-shaped pastries called ''Beugel'' are sold in the weeks before Easter. Like a bagel, the yeasted wheat dough, usually flavored with caraway, is boiled before baking, however, the ''Beugel'' is crispy and can be stored for weeks. Traditionally it has to be torn apart by two individuals before eating.
The pronunciation of 'bagel' varies between communities. In Canada, for instance, people from Toronto and Montreal, pronounce it like ''bay'', the correct Yiddish pronunciation, whereas people from the smaller towns of Northern Ontario and the East coast of Canada tend to pronounce the first syllable as ''bag'', like in ''shopping bag''.
On Brick Lane in East London there are two long established bagel shops in which the item is spelled Beigel, with pronunciation to match.
In Romania, bagels are popular topped with sesame seeds or large salt grains, especially in the central area of the country. They are sold as ''covrigi''.
"Bagel" is also referred to as a "Yeshivish" term to one who sleeps 12 hours straight. Thus called a bagel as the clock goes around in a full circle.

References

1. Reinhart, P: "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" page 115. Ten Speed Press, 2001
2. (Allen, Thomas B. (March 1996). Xinjiang. ''National Geographic Magazine'', p. 36–37.)

See also

★ Appetizing

★ Bagel toast

External links

★ A documentary film on two famous factories in Montréal, St Viateur and Fairmount

★ Bagel Making Video #1

★ Bagel Making Video #2

★ Bagel Making Video #3