The quintessential NYC bread: the bagel

I love a good bagel. Everything or sesame bagel with some good ol' fashion cream cheese is the way to my heart.

It is the quintessential popular bread, but it is a complicated process to get perfect. It's a seemingly easy recipe, when you study it, but getting it to be of the bakery-standard is actually quite difficult. I have practiced a couple of times, and come to the realization that the yeast level was an issue one time, and the type of flour mix was another the following time. Getting it perfect is tricky. Trying and persevering is effortless. I live in NYC, so it only makes sense that I bake the New York style bagel, because it's what I enjoy eating, but it is also the best type of bagel I've had, and I've tried it in different places abroad and across the nation.

The New York bagel has a deep rooted history, heralding from the Polish Jews. There are contradicting accounts of the bagel's history, some saying it dates back to about the sixth century in Poland by way of the German pretzel, with others saying it originates in the 17th century in Austria paying tribute to a Polish king. What is relatable in both and definitely the truth is that the bagel is intrinsically linked with the Jewish religion in Poland, and was an evolution of the German pretzel. It's had a long history since arriving in NYC in the 19th century, bursting into popularity in the '60s, and by the '80s it had grown in size to become known as the classic New York bagel. Interesting fact; most bagel shops here aren't even Jewish-owned today.

One thing that is important with bagel making and what makes them so special, apart from New York water (yes, I went there and will defend it), is technique. Technique isn't just mastered overnight or baking it once and ta-da, but over time and practice. I definitely would have to keep practicing to find the perfect process of rolling and oven temperature that suits my recipe, which is a mix of Peter Reinhardt and Sophisticated Gourmet's methods. However, my last batch were definitely worth the trial and errors along the way to making a very good homemade bagel, at last. Peter Reinhardt calls for instant yeast, whereas most call for active yeast. As long as you know how to use either or, you will be fine, no matter which type the recipe calls for. It's simply adjusting slight measures when it comes to instant vs active dry. So, make sure you find the best calculation online to determine the correct amount from one to the other. I've definitely mistook the calculation of active dry yeast for instant dry yeast, and ended up with hard flatter bagels. May as well have been stale bread.

I opted for cinnamon raisin this time around. It's not usually my go-to, but I do crave one every now and then. It was also the requested 'topping' in the family household, so I obliged. It's a tangy sweetness that's balanced out by the raisin complimented by the cinnamon sugar. It is a subtly sweet flavor in your mouth, but raisins aren't for everyone either. I read through a couple of recipes, combining my basic bagel process from Peter Reinhardt and Sophisticated Gourmet, and incorporating the cinnamon sugar roll-in process from another baker. They all have very similar touches, but what I appreciated about Sally's Baking Addiction recipe is that it is logical and efficient - she recommends that you knead your dough in the cinnamon sugar mix, rather than stir it in beforehand and knead over flour. That way you are being more effective with getting an even layer of cinnamon sugar rolled in with your knuckles and palms, but also avoid using more flour unnecessarily. You're also saving yourself a little bit of time this way. The cinnamon sugar can be to your taste, it is your very desire how sweet you want it to be. The beauty of making your own baked goods, is that you have all the control, and can make it as sweet or as bitter as you desire.

Another adjustment I opted for in this version is using whole wheat bread flour, instead of white bread or all purpose flour. Firstly, all good bagels usually consist of being made entirely from bread flour, or at least a good amount of it. Bread flour is a higher protein content producing a lot of gluten, which makes for loftier yeasted breads. Secondly, gluten is the stringy strands that gives bread dough its stretch and elasticity, known for its characteristic chew. It is more popularly used when you want chewier results, i.e bagels and sometimes even pizza, though I do prefer the Italian Type '00' flour for flatter, light pizzas, but alas, that's for another post. It doesn't matter whether you use white or wholewheat, but do know that wholewheat is tougher to work with. You may need to use less of it than white bread flour or substitute other measures to get a perfect dough, because it tends to be a little lower in protein content than a white bread flour, making for slightly denser breads. If you want less dense, and more gluten, stick to white. Using wholewheat flour will almost feel like you've done something wrong or that it won't come out right, because it is a tougher knead, but trust the process. You need to make sure you watch and measure; you may need to add a little more water to make sure it's got the right amount of elasticity when kneading. You don't want tough dough as the end result. You want smooth and elastic, very slightly tacky, and that is by process of kneading for at least 10mins.

My earliest memories of a real bagel was when I lived in Canada for a little bit. Me and some college friends took a weekend road trip to Montreal in my first year, where I was introduced to the Montreal bagel. I had no idea what constituted that sort of a bagel, but was definitely keen to try a sesame one and understand what gave it its name. It was delicious, but wide and dense. I remember it being so dense and doughy. It was definitely different to the store bought cheap versions we were accustomed to when living abroad, where bagels weren't true to themselves, because it was just a mass produced thing. Bagel makers this side of town, America and Canada alike, would be offended. They probably are.

The Montreal bagels, a great debate, are made slightly smaller than the New York brethren, but with a wider hole, making it a bit thinner. The density of the bagel comes from the boiling process, which is a sugary honey mix versus the New York style, which is always malt syrup or baking soda. The latter provides puff and a more aerated texture. Montreal style bagels are then baked in a wood-fire oven, charring and quickly caramelizing it, whereas its counterpart is simply baked in traditional ovens after the boiling process, giving it that extra chewier bite, but remains fluffy enough. The New York style is rich in taste, and savory, but it also has a larger variety of bagel types that allow you to pick between sweet or salty, per your heart's desire. Montreal style is always subtly sweet, and bready, no matter what variety you pick. They are about less fuss, you can almost call that a Canadian thing, but my heart desires the New York style. I prefer the rich and savory taste, even if it's a cinnamon raisin. If I had a wood-fire oven just casually sitting in my kitchen, I would definitely give Montreal bagels a try, but for now, I'll be focusing on perfecting the good ol' New York style bagel, trying various toppings along the way.

The bagel, the quintessential New York bread, has come a long way since its origins, which have cast a very raw and deep rooted look into its history, in accordance with culture and religion. There are still varying accounts of where it started and how it came to be in New York, but its ultimate ties to Poland, and Jews specifically, are a sure enough testament to its history. The bagel, which The New York Times described in 1960 as "an unsweetened doughnut with rigor mortis" has outlasted one food phenomenon to the next. Think back to the cronut, the cupcake and even the cake pop. It is a bread that spans across the globe, almost all know what you are talking about when you mention the bagel. However, how it is made, from its texture to its taste, is indicative of its evolvement across the globe, spanning centuries.

It isn't just a bagel. It's a bread that developed from a pretzel. A bagel speaks to us a lot more than we could ever know. It has a bigger story that stems far more than being a chewy (or dense for some cases) round bread with a hole in the middle. You can begin to understand that it has been around for a very long time, packed with history, ultimately evolving into what it is known as today - a breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack pick-me-up. It is versatile and all purposeful. That's what makes the bagel a devout food partner, and loyal bread.