Contrary to some beliefs, the bagel was not created in the shape of a stirrup to commemorate the victory of Poland's King Jan III Sobieski over the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. It was actually invented much earlier in Kraków, Poland, as a competitor to the obwarzanek, a lean bread of wheat flour designed for Lent.
Linguist Leo Rosten wrote in "The Joys of Yiddish" about the first known mention of the word bajgiel in the "Community Regulations" of the city of Kraków in 1610, which stated that the item was given as a gift to women in childbirth.
In the 16th and first half of the 17th centuries, the bajgiel became a staple of the Polish national diet, and a staple of the Slavic diet generally. Its name derives from the Yiddish word 'beygal' from the German dialect word 'beugel,' meaning 'ring' or 'bracelet.
Bagels were brought to the United States by immigrant Polish-Jews, with a thriving business developing in New York City that was controlled for decades by Bagel Bakers Local 338, which had contracts with nearly all bagel bakeries in and around the city for its workers, who prepared all their bagels by hand. The bagel came into more general use throughout North America in the last quarter of the 20th century, which was due at least partly to the efforts of bagel baker Harry Lender, his son, Murray Lender, and Florence Sender, who pioneered automated production and distribution of frozen bagels in the 1960s. Murray also invented pre-slicing the bagel.
In modern times, Canadian American NASA astronaut Gregory Chamitoff is the first person known to have taken a batch of bagels into space on his 2008 Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. His shipment consisted of 18 sesame seed Montreal-style bagels, produced at the famous Fairmount Bagel bakery in Montreal; Chamitoff was born in Montreal to members of the city's Russian Jewish community and is related to the Shlafman family that owns the bakery.
We all love bagels, but where to find best bagels? let's talk first about bagel's quality.
The quality of a bagel may be evaluated by considering the experience it provides as it is eaten and its nutritional content.
The ideal bagel should have a slightly crispy crust, a distinct "pull" when a piece is separated from the whole by biting or pinching, a chewy inside, and the flavor of bread freshly baked. The taste of a bagel may additionally be complemented by additions cooked on the bagel, such as onion, garlic, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. The appeal of a bagel may change upon being toasted. Toasting can have the effect of bringing or removing desirable chewiness, softening the crust, and moderating off-flavors.
New york's Bagels versus Montreal's Bagels
As a bagel's lover, I tasted both, and I do love both, The Montreal bagel contains malt and sugar with no salt; it is boiled in honey-sweetened water before baking in a wood-fired 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 moist crust, while the Montreal bagel is smaller (though with a larger hole), crunchier, and sweeter.
Let's talk about my bagel's version, I did try a lot of recipes and ended up by creating my own, a bagel as I love to eat, baking bagels at home seems difficult but once you practice it , you'll find it easy !
Bagel Recipe
Ingredients:
3 teaspoons of dry yeast
1 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar.
1 tablespoon of molasses.
2 cups of warm water, you may need more .
5 cups of bread flour or high gluten flour.
2 teaspoons of salt
Optional Toppings:
Caraway seeds,salt, minced fresh garlic,cinnamon sugar, minced fresh onion, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds.
Preparation:
Bagels were brought to the United States by immigrant Polish-Jews, with a thriving business developing in New York City that was controlled for decades by Bagel Bakers Local 338, which had contracts with nearly all bagel bakeries in and around the city for its workers, who prepared all their bagels by hand. The bagel came into more general use throughout North America in the last quarter of the 20th century, which was due at least partly to the efforts of bagel baker Harry Lender, his son, Murray Lender, and Florence Sender, who pioneered automated production and distribution of frozen bagels in the 1960s. Murray also invented pre-slicing the bagel.
In modern times, Canadian American NASA astronaut Gregory Chamitoff is the first person known to have taken a batch of bagels into space on his 2008 Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. His shipment consisted of 18 sesame seed Montreal-style bagels, produced at the famous Fairmount Bagel bakery in Montreal; Chamitoff was born in Montreal to members of the city's Russian Jewish community and is related to the Shlafman family that owns the bakery.
We all love bagels, but where to find best bagels? let's talk first about bagel's quality.
The quality of a bagel may be evaluated by considering the experience it provides as it is eaten and its nutritional content.
The ideal bagel should have a slightly crispy crust, a distinct "pull" when a piece is separated from the whole by biting or pinching, a chewy inside, and the flavor of bread freshly baked. The taste of a bagel may additionally be complemented by additions cooked on the bagel, such as onion, garlic, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. The appeal of a bagel may change upon being toasted. Toasting can have the effect of bringing or removing desirable chewiness, softening the crust, and moderating off-flavors.
New york's Bagels versus Montreal's Bagels
As a bagel's lover, I tasted both, and I do love both, The Montreal bagel contains malt and sugar with no salt; it is boiled in honey-sweetened water before baking in a wood-fired 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 moist crust, while the Montreal bagel is smaller (though with a larger hole), crunchier, and sweeter.
Let's talk about my bagel's version, I did try a lot of recipes and ended up by creating my own, a bagel as I love to eat, baking bagels at home seems difficult but once you practice it , you'll find it easy !
Bagel Recipe
Ingredients:
3 teaspoons of dry yeast
1 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar.
1 tablespoon of molasses.
2 cups of warm water, you may need more .
5 cups of bread flour or high gluten flour.
2 teaspoons of salt
Optional Toppings:
Caraway seeds,salt, minced fresh garlic,cinnamon sugar, minced fresh onion, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds.
Preparation:
-In ½ cup of the warm water, pour in the sugar and yeast. Do not stir. Let it sit for five minutes, and then stir the yeast and sugar mixture, until it all dissolves in the water.
-Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.
-Pour half of the remaining warm water into the well. Mix and stir in the rest of the water as needed. You want to result in a sort of a firm dough.
- On a floured countertop, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
- Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
- Carefully divide the dough into 15 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. let it rest for 10 minutes.
-Gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425ºF / 220ºC .
-Bring a large pot of 4 quarts of water to a boil. Reduce the heat. Add 2 tabespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, wait a minute, and then flip them over to boil for another minute.
-Top your bagels with whatever you like or leave it plain.
-Transfer them to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
-Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.
-Pour half of the remaining warm water into the well. Mix and stir in the rest of the water as needed. You want to result in a sort of a firm dough.
- On a floured countertop, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
- Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
- Carefully divide the dough into 15 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. let it rest for 10 minutes.
-Gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425ºF / 220ºC .
-Bring a large pot of 4 quarts of water to a boil. Reduce the heat. Add 2 tabespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, wait a minute, and then flip them over to boil for another minute.
-Top your bagels with whatever you like or leave it plain.
-Transfer them to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
ENJOY IT :)
