Who are the Otters?

Until now few people have really had the chance to compare just what IS a REAL bagel. Though there are variations of bagels, such as the famed Montreal bagel which is boiled in honey water and baked in a wood-fire oven, there does exist a decades (centuries?) old understanding of what makes up a REAL bagel. Here are the three BIG factors for “keeping it real”:

“Keeping it Real” 💯 Rule # 1

A bagel is ALWAYS boiled first. ALWAYS ‼️This is non-negotiable. If you visit a “Paneria” (wink wink) it doesn’t take an Einstein (ehh hmm 🤔) to see the bagel is missing that wonderfully crispy crust on the outside . . . it’s because the bagel was never boiled. Instead it was steamed while baking and never touched actual boiling water (the reason for this can only be assumed for the purposes of efficiency production).

The boiling water is essential because it kicks off a baking event called “gelatinization”. This event occurs when hot boiling water engages the starches on the surface of the bagel. This is what initiates one of the most important characteristics of the bagel - that crispy exterior surrounding a beautiful dense-yet-pillowy interior. When a bagel is steamed first while baking it’s literally a different baking technique being used though the steam is water. It must be boiled first. 🦦

It matters!

“Keeping it Real” 💯 Rule # 2

A bagel is ALWAYS cold-proofed for at least 12-hours (at TOBs we “cold cure” ours for 48-hours!) Cold-proofing or “retarding” the dough is a common fermentation process used in pizza dough. Patience is the name of the game here. When bagel dough is placed inside refrigeration it slows the yeasts that are digesting the starch-sugars and slows the enzymes doing all kinds of bagel alchemy. It’s during this time that the dough takes on its distinctive flavored nuances and textures. It’s also here a key clue can be found if a dough has been cold-proofed . . .micro blistering.

Micro-blistering occurs on the surface of the bagel when baking a bagel under high heat and the presence of steam (after being boiled!) and the dough has been cold-proofed for at least 12-hours. You can’t cheat the proof! 🦦

It matters!

“Keeping it Real” 💯 Rule # 3

Bagels - when boiled- are ALWAYS boiled in an alkaline sweet-water bath. Now, that sweet-water is traditionally achieved through the use of barley malt syrup but the use of raw sugar, brown sugar or even honey are also acceptable (purest may balk but that’s okay!). But, again, the sweetness component is a supporting actor to the lead here and that’s the alkaline bath. Alkaline water, again, lends itself to reacting with the starches on the surface of the bagel blimp rendering a greater susceptibility to browning during the bake period. Alkaline sweet-water bath. 🦦

It matters!