Written by Have you ever tried bagels for breakfast? If you have, you probably know why they’re one of the most loved breakfast foods around the world.
Bagels are a type of bread shaped like a circle with a hole in the middle (like a donut). They start as dough made from wheat and yeast. To make bagels, the dough is shaped by hand and then boiled before going into the oven to bake.
These bread rolls also come in many flavors! Some are plain, while others have toppings like seeds or herbs, and there are even sweet ones like cinnamon raisins. Many people enjoy them with cream cheese, butter, or other spreads, making them taste even better.
Did you know that around 200 million bagels are eaten daily in the United States? That’s about 73 billion bagels a year!
It’s also become a favorite bread with its special day: National Bagel Day on January 15th!
Pretty cool, right?
But have you ever wondered how bagels are made and where they come from?
In this post, I’ll share everything you need to know about the origins of bagels!
How Bagels Were Invented
There were many theories about how these breakfast pastries were made before.
One popular legend says that a baker in Vienna, Austria, created the bagel in 1683 to honor Polish King John III Sobieski, who helped defeat the Turks during the Battle of Vienna.
The baker shaped the dough into a circle, which resembled a boot stirrup because the king was known for his love of horses. In German, this is called a “beugel.”
Another theory is that Jewish bakers in 19th century Prussia or Poland started boiling their bread because an antisemitic law prohibited them from baking it.
An antisemitic law is a rule or law that discriminates against Jewish people or treats them unfairly because of their religion.
Now you might wonder, what’s the real history of this tasty bread? Are these theories true?
Well, neither is true!
Maria Balinska, an American journalist and filmmaker, discussed the history of bagels in her book “The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread.” She explained that bagels originated in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, even before the famous Battle of Vienna.
Their origins are linked to Jewish bakers in 13th-century Eastern Europe, particularly in what is now Poland. In the 14th century, records from the Polish royal court mention obwarzanek, a ring-shaped boiled bread.
At that time, Jewish bakers had more freedom under some unfair laws—they could bake for themselves and Christian customers.
The first bagels were actually a type of German pretzel bread, shaped like pretzels and given to monks. It’s believed these breads made their way from Germany to Poland in the 1300s with immigrant workers.
In Poland, people started to change the shape of this pretzel bread, leading to smaller, round bread called obwarzanek (pronounced obe-var-jon-eck).
Unlike today’s bagels, obwarzanek used expensive white flour and was mostly enjoyed by the wealthy and royal families, while poor folks had to stick to cheaper rye bread.
This boiled ring bread, obwarzanek, became quite popular, especially during Lent, when Christians avoided pricier foods. Jewish bakers made a smaller version for everyday eating, later known as bajgiel in Polish and beygal in Yiddish.
Over the next century, bagels became more and more popular. These special breads even had songs written about them all over the country.
Then, European Jewish immigrants introduced bagels to America in the late 1800s, especially in New York City. However, it took a long time for bagels to be recognized beyond Jewish neighborhoods.
Historian Matthew Goodman notes that for many years, bagels were considered food for just one ethnic group and were not widely known to others.
However, as time went by, they became popular. As a result, more bagel shops opened, offering various types and flavors. Today, New York City bagels are considered a classic food and are often considered the best in the U.S.
Why Bagels Have Holes
You might wonder why bagels have that hole in the middle. Well, it turns out the hole serves a couple of important purposes!
First, it helps the thick dough cook evenly. Without the hole, the center would take forever to bake, and the outside could end up overcooked. So, the hole makes sure the bagel stays nice and chewy throughout.
Also, the hole is handy for bakers. It lets them easily stack and transport the bagels by threading them onto wooden dowels. In the past, bagels were sold on poles, making them easy to carry and share.
How Bagels are Cooked and Why
Bagels must be boiled for 30-60 seconds on each side before baking. Why? This step is really important.
When you boil bagels, it helps set the crust before they go into the oven. It creates a crunchy crust while keeping the inside dense and chewy.
The boiling water doesn’t soak in deeply; instead, the starch on the outer layer forms a barrier. This barrier helps set the crust and stops the bagel from rising too much in the oven. This leads a great bagel texture.
Image Credit: Dan Grossi
Also, how long the bagel is boiled affects the interior texture. A quick boil will give a thin, stretchy crust, which allows the bagel to rise nicely in the oven. This also results in a soft texture. On the other hand, if you boil the bagel longer, it creates a thicker crust that doesn’t let it rise much, making it dense inside.
How to Boil Bagels:
– Boil them for 30 to 60 seconds.
– You can add barley malt syrup or baking soda to the water. This enhances both the browning and flavor of the bagels.
– After boiling, let your bagels rest briefly before baking them.
– Make sure to shape the bagels well before boiling to keep them from puffing up too much during baking.
Now, before I end this post, here are some fun facts:
The first recorded mention of bagels appeared in Poland in 1610. A community regulation stated that bagels should be given to pregnant women.
By 1900, bagels had made their way to the United States, with at least 70 bakeries already operating on New York City’s Lower East Side. These bagels were brought by Eastern European immigrants who missed the flavors of home.
1927 Polish immigrant Harry Lender opened Lender’s Beigel Bakery in West Haven, Connecticut. His main customers were Jewish delis in New York City.
