Bagels on display at Murray's Bagels store on Eighth Avenue in New York. Murray's still uses the traditional boiling method to make its bagels. David Brabyn/Corbis hide caption
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David Brabyn/Corbis
Bagels on display at Murray's Bagels store on Eighth Avenue in New York. Murray's still uses the traditional boiling method to make its bagels.
David Brabyn/Corbis
One of the first life lessons I picked up in college was this: The secret to the shiny crust and chewy bite prized in New York bagels is boiling. Any other way of cooking them, my Brooklyn born-and-raised, freshman-year roommate told me, is simply unacceptable.
Now, many years later, it turns out she was pretty much right. In a new video, the American Chemical Society breaks down the chemistry of what makes New York bagels superior to the also-rans — the disappointing "bagels" you often encounter outside of New York that merely taste like bread with a hole in it.
According to popular mythology, the uniquely superb texture of the New York bagel has to do with New York City's water — specifically, its low concentrations of calcium and magnesium, which make it softer.
But while New York's water does play a role in influencing bagel texture, the effect is actually pretty minor, according to the ACS video. Harder water toughens the gluten in the dough, while super soft water can make it goopy.
What's far more critical is the boiling.
As chef Richard Coppedge of the Culinary Institute of America explains, superior bagels are made from shaped dough that's first left to sit in a refrigerator for a couple of days. This process is called retarding because the cooler temperatures slow down the activity of yeast in the dough as it rises. This longer, slower fermentation gives the microbes more time to generate tasty flavor compounds.
Then comes the key step to making what Coppedge calls a "true bagel" — boiling. Traditionally, Coppedge tells The Salt, the chilled dough rings are poached or boiled in a solution of water and malt barley for anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. This pre-gelatinizes the starch in the dough, locking the liquid inside of it and expanding the interior. As the video puts it, it's like flash-frying a steak before grilling it to seal in the juices. The boiling also thickens the crust — Coppedge says it "is essential to produce a more 'chewy' bagel."
So why doesn't everyone boil their bagels before baking?
Steaming-hot bagels are scooped out of the water in which they were boiled and dumped onto a stainless steel drain board at a bagel bakery in Queens, New York City, 1963. Traditionally, bagels were boiled, but bakers who use the modern method skip this step. Dan Grossi/AP hide caption
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Dan Grossi/AP
Steaming-hot bagels are scooped out of the water in which they were boiled and dumped onto a stainless steel drain board at a bagel bakery in Queens, New York City, 1963. Traditionally, bagels were boiled, but bakers who use the modern method skip this step.
Dan Grossi/AP
According to Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, they used to. The traditional bagels that Eastern European immigrants introduced to New York in the early 20th century were always boiled, he writes. But this step gets skipped in the more modern baking method — which, McGee says, is faster and easier to automate. Instead, the shaped bagels are baked in a hot oven that is also injected with steam.
As Coppedge explains, "This steam will gelatinize the surface only, and encourage more color and shine, but not promote the unique chewiness, because the steam won't get to the starchy interior." The result is a lighter, puffier bagel with a thinner crust.
Coppedge says some folks might actually desire that less-chewy texture. To each his own, I guess. But for me? If the bagel isn't boiled, fuggedaboutit.
FAQs
a regular bagel is the water you boil them in. Much like a specific vineyard terroir is used to make a wine, certain minerals in New York City tap water are attributed to creating the best bagels. These include low concentrations of calcium and magnesium and a high level of sediment.
What is the secret to New York bagels? ›
The Key to a Real New York Bagel
New York bagels get boiled prior to baking, defining their special texture in a solution of water and barley malt. A long boil and thicker crust inhibit rising, resulting in a dense interior while a short boil yields a crusty yet chewy bagel bite.
Are Einstein bagels water boiled? ›
Unlike the traditional boiling method, Janelle says Einstein has steam injection ovens that simulate the boiling process. “They're steamed for, I'd say, about 30 seconds,” Janelle said.
What makes New York bagels different from other bagels? ›
A New York–style bagel is always boiled in water that has had barley malt added, which gives a bagel its signature taste, texture, and leathery skin.
Is New York water actually different? ›
Every city's water differs slightly, depending on where the water comes from. New York water is considered to be "soft," meaning it has low concentrations of calcium and magnesium due to the makeup of the water that flows into the Catskills and Delaware Watershed.
Why does NYC tap water taste so good? ›
Our water contains ideal quantities of calcium and dissolved minerals, which causes a process called “the calcium-ion effect” to kick in and strengthen the wheat protein, producing the chewy texture New Yorkers had come to expect.
Are Panera bagels the same as Einstein bagels? ›
By 2014, the bagel brand, which now consisted of Einstein Brothers, Noah's New York Bagels, and Manhattan Bagel, was sold to JAB Holding Company for around $374 million. In 2021, Einstein Bros. merged with fellow JAB brands Panera Bread and Caribou Coffee to form Panera Brands.
Are Panera bagels water boiled? ›
The longer the boiling time, the harder the crust and the denser the bagels become. However, Panera went a different route with its bagels, opting to steam them with a steam-injection oven rather than boil them. Steaming is an easier option in Panera's kitchen.
Does Costco boil their bagels? ›
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Do real New Yorkers toast their bagels? ›
Real New Yorkers don't toast their bagels! As a life long New Yorker, I want to show you where to eat a bagel and how to eat a bagel like a New Yorker. You'll have the most authentic New York experience and won't be judged by those around you.
In American Jewish cuisine, a bagel and cream cheese is sometimes called a "whole schmear" or "whole schmeer". A "slab" is a bagel with a slab of cream cheese on top. A "lox and a schmear" is to a bagel with cream cheese and lox or “Nova” smoked salmon.
Why are NJ bagels the best? ›
These ingredients are mixed with Jersey water. Why is the water in New Jersey so important to the end product? Jersey has soft water that contains a low concentration of minerals. This allows for the perfect baking chemistry when mixed with the flour's high concentration of proteins.
How does water affect the quality of a bagel? ›
Harder water toughens the gluten in the dough, while super soft water can make it goopy.
What makes NY NJ bagels so good? ›
Secondly, and most importantly, New Jersey's water is the best suited for making bagels. NJ gets its water from the Catskill Mountains, which has very soft water, meaning it has low concentrations of calcium and magnesium. This soft water perfectly matches the high protein concentration of the bread flour.
What does a water bath do for bagels? ›
Water Bath.
We do this for a couple reasons; Boiling bagels gives the finished bagel their signature shine. By adding sugar and baking soda into the water it helps develop more flavour and deeper colour. The boiling cooks the outer layer of the bagel and helps it maintain its shape during the baking process.
How does Brooklyn Water Bagel get their water? ›
The Water. By using our proprietary water treatment system, known as “Brooklyn Water Works,” Brooklyn Water Bagel® can successfully replicate the natural composition of the water that flows through the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York into the homes of Brooklyn residents.
