Ever gone to a café to get breakfast and got stumped about choosing among so many bagel flavors?
Do you ever want to make your own bagels and haven’t decided which type to make?
The bagel has become one of the most popular to-go, tummy-filling breakfast meals.
You can buy it anywhere coffee is available, and you can serve it fresh and piping hot for your family’s morning rush.
What is a bagel?
A bagel is a food product originating from the Jewish communities of Poland.
Using traditionally hand-shaped and yeasted wheat dough, it comes in the form of a hand-sized doughnut boiled for a short time and then baked.
After baking, bagels have a very dense and chewy interior dough and a browned, crisp exterior.
How is a bagel different from bread?
The simplest definition of bread is an international staple baked food made of flour and water dough.
Since there are so many flour types, bread recipes vary from place to place, with several added ingredients to enhance the taste and produce different flavors.
The bagel is a type of bread, but it differs in that most bread goes straight through baking while the bagel has to be boiled beforehand.
Different Types of Bagels
Over the years, different types of bread have emerged, and the bagel has developed into so many varieties.
Although people have traditionally topped the bagel with poppy seeds or sesame seeds, it has transformed into many delicious variants.
Let’s take a look at the world’s most common bagels and how each one differs from the rest.
Plain Bagels
As the name suggests, a plain bagel is the most basic of all types.
Made using plain bread flour, it does not have any toppings, giving you the option to customize add-ons.
You can have it with various fillings, including cream cheese, fresh fruits, bacon and eggs, and ham and cheddar cheese.
Pumpernickel Bagels
Pumpernickel bagels are made using sourdough and coarsely ground whole rye grains.
Its color is dark brown to slightly black and almost has no crust even after baking.
Pumpernickel bread comes from Germany.
You can distinguish the American version of pumpernickel bagels by looking for caraway seeds in the mix.
Marble rye bagels are a version of pumpernickel bagels showing a marbling blend between light and dark rye dough.
Salt Bagels
Salt bagels are ordinary plain bagels topped with the right amount of sea salt before baking.
The salt makes a perfect base for the bread and makes the bagel an ideal partner for mildly seasoned sides.
There is no basis for how much salt is in a salt bagel, and you can either add more or put less if you try baking some.
Blueberry Bagels
Blueberries are superfoods packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals.
An excellent way to start your day is by having them in your bagels.
Blueberry bagels have a slightly bluish-purple tint, which it absorbs from the infused blueberries during mixing.
Sesame Bagels
Sesame seeds elevate the savory flavors of a bagel.
Both crunchy and delicious, sesame bagels have a warm, nutty flavor that even fits any topping or additional filling.
Egg Bagels
To make egg bagels, bakers add some egg yolks to the dough mixture. The result is a bagel with a soft texture and sweet flavor.
Unlike most bagels, egg bagels are consistently soft both inside and outside.
Egg bagels are best paired with cream cheese to stimulate a balance between sweet and salty.
Whole Wheat Bagels
Since they are heavier than other types of bread, too many bagels can ruin your diet regimen if you don’t turn to the whole wheat type.
Whole wheat bagels have fiber and other minerals, so it is considered the healthier choice.
With whole wheat bagels, you can have the same taste without too much carb intake.
Whole wheat bagels can be sesame bagels, blueberry bagels, onion bagels, or whatever dough mixture you desire as long as you stick to using whole wheat flour.
Garlic Bagels
Garlic can bring great flavor to any dish. It starts savory and spicy and mellows down after cooking.
Garlic bagels have a rich aroma, and the cooked garlic brings out a rich, sweet flavor to the bread.
Onion Bagels
Like garlic bagels, onion bagels also take advantage of the aroma and flavor of the vegetable.
Pair onion bagels with cream cheese, and you will be elevating it to a whole new level.
Have breath mints handy, though, as onions and garlic are the best friends of bad breath.
Asiago Bagels
The Asiago bagel takes its name from the cheeses produced in the Asiago plateau of Italy.
Makers sprinkle shredded Italian cheese over the boiled dough and wait for it to turn golden-brown as it bakes.
Chocolate Chip Bagels
Care for more sweetness on your bagels? Try out some chocolate chip bagels while they’re warm.
Bakers put chocolate chips in almost any type of bread, as they surely add a rich, sweet flavor to every bite.
French Toast Bagels
If you know how to make French toast, you wouldn’t think twice about making French toast bagels.
It is better to soak your bagels in the French toast mixture overnight to ensure you soak every part in that custard.
Poppyseed Bagels
Poppy seed bagels are definitely a must-try.
They are soft and crunchy at the same time, and they are irresistibly fruity, albeit being nutty.
Be ready to check your smile in the mirror after munching a whole poppy seed bagel. These tiny seeds tend to get stuck in your teeth.
Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Like any cinnamon raisin bread, this type of bagel has the sweetness of raisins and the subtle cinnamon spice.
Cinnamon raisin bagels are not as versatile as plain bagels, but they are a great coffee partner.
Cheddar Bagels
Cheddar bagels have the same famous partnership between bread and cheese.
You can top them off with some jalapenos for a spicy and cheesy treat.
Everything Bagels
This type of bagel suggests that it combines everything the original bagel recipes have in them. These include sesame seeds, poppy seeds, salt, onions, etc.
It will let you have a taste of several types of bagels in just one bite.
What is the most popular bagel?
The best bagels in the world come from the bustling streets of New Jersey and New York.
Bakers from these places make great additions to any bagel flavor and convert them into delicious, perfect pairs for a very delightful meal.
Imagine ordinary everything bagels stuffed with scallion cream cheese or pumpernickel bagels with lox and plain cream cheese.
Another famous variation is the Montreal style bagel.
Smaller and thinner rings than ordinary bagels, Montreal style bagels are handmade and wood-fire baked.
What is the best bagel?
The best bagel need not be popular, expensive, or even bought.
As long as you have the right recipe, you can turn a homemade bagel into the best bagel.
Infuse your homemade plain bagels with some cream cheese and some smoked meat to add some savory flavors.
Who knows? Your neighbors might even commission your baking skills for some of those bagels.
Conclusion
Bagels are very delicious, and we suggest you try out all the types. Better yet, try making your own bagel flavor at home.
There are a lot of bagel recipes for you to bake.
Once you start experimenting, you’ll be amazed by how your bagels begin to compare with all the available store-bought types.
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