The perfect crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, cavernous, yet dense, boiled and baked bagel is as elusive as any other "holy grail" food item. Coveted by many, perfected by few, the ability to bake a delicious bagel is truly an art form. After hanging out with Blake and Amy from Beauty's Bagel Shop in Oakland, CA for a few mornings to watch how they make their delicious Montreal style, wood fired bagels, I have learned a whole lot about the process from watching the pros and am excited to share it with everyone here in this Instructable.
Before we get on with the show, let's take a brief moment to learn some bagel history.
Although wildly popular as a breakfast item now, the bagel was if not invented, then at least first mentioned in Krakow, Poland in 1610 as a baked gift to give to women in childbirth. It is not clear whether the bagel was a symbol of fertility, or simply a tasty object for the woman to bite down upon in labor. A rival creation story tells of a Viennese baker who created the bagel in 1683 to honor the Polish King Jan III Sobieski for saving Austria from the Turks. The Baker molded the roll into the shape we now know and love into a stirrup (German for stirrup: beugel) to symbolize the King’s passion for horses. However, the childbirth story from Krakow pre-dates this event and is believed to be the actual beginning of the bagel.
No matter what it's history, bagels are a delicious baked good that's been around since the 17th century and can be made by following these specific steps, either in the professional kitchen, or at home.
Before we get on with the show, let's take a brief moment to learn some bagel history.
Although wildly popular as a breakfast item now, the bagel was if not invented, then at least first mentioned in Krakow, Poland in 1610 as a baked gift to give to women in childbirth. It is not clear whether the bagel was a symbol of fertility, or simply a tasty object for the woman to bite down upon in labor. A rival creation story tells of a Viennese baker who created the bagel in 1683 to honor the Polish King Jan III Sobieski for saving Austria from the Turks. The Baker molded the roll into the shape we now know and love into a stirrup (German for stirrup: beugel) to symbolize the King’s passion for horses. However, the childbirth story from Krakow pre-dates this event and is believed to be the actual beginning of the bagel.
No matter what it's history, bagels are a delicious baked good that's been around since the 17th century and can be made by following these specific steps, either in the professional kitchen, or at home.
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Signing UpStep 1: Beauty's Bagel Shop
There are three things (ok, maybe more) that an east coaster misses when they make the pilgrimage west: a decent slice of pizza, warm summer nights, and good bagel. I have found that Arinell’s Pizza in the SF Bay Area scratches the itch for a good NY slice, and the west coast may never have warm summer nights (but we don’t have the brutal humidity either), but bagels have always been missing, until now.
A hybridized New York and Montreal Style bagel has finally made it west! In late 2012, Blake Joffe and Amy Remsen opened Beauty’s Bagel Shop in Oakland, CA after moving from Philadelphia, PA in 2009 to satisfy the good bagel cravings of the East Bay.
Blake and Amy were nice enough to let me, and therefore Instructables document their careful and exacting bagel making process for us to share and learn from - thanks guys!
A hybridized New York and Montreal Style bagel has finally made it west! In late 2012, Blake Joffe and Amy Remsen opened Beauty’s Bagel Shop in Oakland, CA after moving from Philadelphia, PA in 2009 to satisfy the good bagel cravings of the East Bay.
Blake and Amy were nice enough to let me, and therefore Instructables document their careful and exacting bagel making process for us to share and learn from - thanks guys!
![[Collegiate Meals] Bagel Pizza](http://cdn.instructables.com/FKH/XXSU/LAREXCFFDRH/FKHXXSULAREXCFFDRH.SQUARE.jpg)
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Is it ok to freeze the dough at some point in the process?? In a family of 3, 18 or so bagels don't go before the last few are bricks.
http://shillingandflorin.tumblr.com/post/41402730636/first-beigel-run-complete-using-this-cool
As a avid baker, i will definitely try this.
Last weekend, i made indian "naan" bread with yoghurt and browned butter. I sould have "instrucablized" it... Maybe next time.
Now this recipe really sounds promising.
I'm a big fan of long slow fermentation. It brings out the flavour like nothing else. I also do it in my bread instructable and for my pizza doughs.
Thank you very much for this work.
Peak not Peek
'Love' not lone?
If we're going to be pedantic about English and the written word, then let's put an 'up' in the 'Please write sic [up] that process!'
Do please note the square parenthesis not (brackets) and the 'sic' denoting the Editor's comment rather than the direct quote.
Waddya say hey Jimmbo?
or shall we simply let these minor idiosyncratic grammatical errors pass without getting ourselves up onto little high horses.
Maybe a deleted comment?
If it's about my English, i was born and raised in Switzerland.
There are four official languages spoken here. English isn't one of them.
I startded learning English at age 13. It was the third foreign language i learned.
Although i also like to read a decent English, the topic of the instructable is more important to me.
Indeed, if JustJim speaks and writes Italian, French or German to level of competency that you do vis a vis English, he is a fortunate man. My guess is that Jim doesn't. There is a good reason why this forum has a 'be nice' policy, and I simply get irked at 'know lotses' who frankly take the joy out of many amazing instructible comment pages. Shame really Justjim couldn't discern the humour (albeit dry and of the sisterly nudging variety) in my comment.
James, jim, just jimmbyjimbo, jimbarella... learn to laugh at yourself and others may laugh along with you rather than as now, at you.
Enough! Jimsiebaby, you've become 'low hanging fruit' so I shall desist from sport with you, as people with humour challenges are too hard work.
I am reminded of Dante Alighieri's view that as such " A mighty
flame followeth a tiny spark ....."
I truly would love to see your naan recipe.
Here is the recipe i started with:
7g instant dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar (dark sugar might be interesting)
250ml water
600g wheat flour (i used type 550 bread flour)
4 tablespoon browned butter (it was Ghee in the original recipe)
(i browned around 150g butter for the dough and for brushing the baked breads)
240g natural yoghurt (no low-fat bullshit)
18g salt
I added the ingredients into my bread maker, always adding the salt and the fats late during mixing.
My Panasonic takes 45 minutes in the pizza dough program.
So i add the salt and fat only after 6-8 minutes, while the other ingredients are already incorporated in the dough.
You can do this by hand or with your kitchen machine as well. I use my Kenwood for larger batches. It's 20 years ago, i did it manually...
After 90 minutes rising, i divide the dough into 18 pieces and form balls.
Leave them covered for 20 minutes to relax the gluten (dough).(If you don't relax the dough, the stretching will be a nuisance.)
Form oval or drop-forms about 10mm (half-inch), put on on cookie-paper.
Let them ferment and rise for another 20 minutes.
Then sprinkle them with water by hand and then with sesame seeds. You can take dark and light ones mixed.
Puncture them with a fork, otherwise they will blow up like balloons.
Bake them 8 to 10 minutes on a pizza stone at around 200°C or until light brown. Don't bake them too dark, if you need to reheat it.
After they come out of the oven, paint them with browned butter.
If you have a "Tandoor", smack your "naans" to it's walls. I could bake them in my wood fired pizza oven, but now it's freezing outside ;-)
Naan is served in linen covered baskets. It's not crunchy when served. But still, baking them to a golden brown in the first place, gives the right flavour.
Happy baking
You may have noticed, in your rush to educate me, that I make no such effort on comments. The actual published Instructable is the important thing.
It is unfortunate you jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Waddya say we leave it to the actual author to decide whether I succeeded in my intention?
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/
Sweet Montreal bagels vs not sweet Toronto bagels.
I am a Torontonian. To me a Montreal bagel is a semi petrified donut. Rather effeminate. Often too soft. Merely a circle of sweetened bread. Suicide for us diabetics who should not be eating any bagels at all but who are inexorably drawn to those lovely, wholesome Toronto creations that go Thunk! when they reach your stomach.
This article, nevertheless is excellent. I'm hungry.
Fear not Blake and Amy. A little controversy will boost business. You have a winner.
When I was a kid (1930's) my mother would send me to the baker's to buy a dozen bagels. There was only one kind then - plain. I would come home with the bagels dangling from a string through their holes - no bag. A dozen bagels to our neighbourhood baker was 13. Try it.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Kind regards,
Anna.
PS I have tried this and the results are utterly delicious. Truly fabulous!
Probably peak times? The idea of a manager busy managing the oven while a bunch of people try to get a peek was entertaining tough!
Affects, not effects.
Thanks for this 'ible!
Burlington VT has Myers Bagels. AMAZING Montreal style. They are pretty much sold out of the best of the stock by 9 or 10am each day. That and having moved an hour away 4 years ago means none of that for us anymore... so this instructable is an Illuvatar-send and I so hope we can pull it off. NY bagels = blech comparatively.
thanks so much!