New York Style Bagel Recipe - Finding Silver Linings (2024)

FAQs

What makes an authentic New York bagel? ›

NYC bagel purists will claim the main difference between a New York bagel vs. 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.

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.

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.

The primary characteristic that makes New York-style bagels unique among other bagels is that they are boiled before they are baked. This distinctive preparation method gives New York style bagels their iconic chewy texture and slightly shiny surface.

There are three main components that differentiate an NYC bagel from any other bagels: the water, the rolling of the dough, and the boiling process.

Montreal bagels tend to be smaller, thinner, sweeter and less salty than their New York City counterparts. Both are boiled, but Montreal employs wood-burning ovens for baking, while New York utilizes burlap planks. Many NYC loyalists tout the local tap water as the secret ingredient.

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.

It sets the outer layer of the dough, giving the bagel its distinctive chewiness. The boiling process gelatinizes the starches on the surface, creating a glossy, crackly crust during baking. Additionally, boiling gives the bagel its characteristic dense interior while maintaining a tender crumb.

While the city's water is certainly unique and has defining qualities, the impact it has on the actual taste and texture of bagel and pizza dough may be more minimal. In fact, the production techniques are likely what makes these New York specialties taste better.

The bagels should be boiled in an alkaline solution for that authentic taste, just like pretzels, but not as strong, though. The way we make the solution alkaline is by adding food-grade lye—about 3 grams pr. 2 liters of water.

What do New Yorkers call cream cheese on a bagel? ›

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.

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.

Bagels are traditionally made from yeasted wheat dough that is shaped by hand into a torus or ring, briefly boiled in water, and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior.

A bagel is an iconic New York food. It's a round bread, with a hole in the middle, savory, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It's topped with seasonings and traditionally filled with cream cheese and smoked fish. It's most known as a breakfast item but can be eaten at brunch or lunch time.

"If someone is coming to the city and they want to get a classic New York bagel, they're probably gonna go to Ess-a-bagel." Ess-a-bagel has four locations throughout the city: three in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn, which means visitors to the city will almost always find an Ess-a-bagel nearby.