Engineers of History

How Bagels Are Made

How bagels are made and the history of them

“A bagel is a doughnut with the sin removed.”

– No Fuss Kitchen

Bagels are a highly delectable treat, but they are also very fascinating to make! There is an interesting process behind making bagels and some intriguing history too! In actuality, making bagels is quite simple. You simply need 3 ½ cups of bread flour, 1 cup of warm water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 packet of active dry yeast. To make the bagels, mix the water, yeast, and sugar, and let the mixture sit until bubbles form (about 5 minutes). Next, combine the bread flour with the salt and mix thoroughly. Then you put a well in the middle of the mixture. After that, pour the wet ingredients into the well and combine with a bread hook until a soft dough is formed. When you have the dough formed, knead for 10 min. Then you will let it rise for 1 hour. Once the bagels are done rising, the dough will need to be pushed down and let rest for 15 min. When they are finally done rising, you will take the dough, then form it into the classic bagel shape and boil on each side for 1 min. You will then set your oven to 425 and bake for 20 min.

Now let’s take a look into the history of bagels! The first ever bagel was found in 1610, almost 400 years ago, in a Jewish town in Poland. The bagels were originally used as gifts for pregnant women to symbolize good luck and a healthy newborn. Now bagels aren’t just a gift though. Bagels are eaten by people all over the world for anything from a snack to a whole meal. Bagels have also greatly improved their variety since 1610. Now, bagel flavors are made with chocolate chips, seeds, and even cinnamon! Even with all these flavors, almost everyone agrees the best bagels are still from New York. But did you know there is a reason for this? If you go to New York, all the locals will say it’s the water, so the YouTube channel “Food Theory” actually decided to try it. It turns out that bagels from New York turn out better because their water has less calcium and magnesium in it, making the bagels cook differently than anywhere else!

Although bagels have changed over the years, they have remained a favorite treat for millions, and will hopefully be around for hundreds of years to come.

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Bagel.html

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Bagels

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-bagel

https://www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2009/10/new-york-style-bagel-recip

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