More Bagel Insight

In the quest to make really killer bagels, we’re pulling out all the stops and trying all we can. We’ve tweaked our recipe a dozen times, and they seem to come out good, but not great. It could be possible that making a great bagel is just not within our capabilities, but that won’t stop us from trying.

The best bagel we’ve made thus far is an all-white flour version. I used just bread flour, sans malt, and it came out nicely. Crisp and firm on the outside, and chewy and delicious on the inside. As close as we’ve gotten to Best Bagels, without the cost and hassle of going to the bakery. We have some issues, however, about eating all that starch. I would prefer to make something that has some whole grain in it, just so we can get some complex carbs in that carb overload.

The problem with whole wheat flour is that it has such a strong taste, you really lose that great bagel flavor. I’ve tried ratios, but at some point it’s not worth it, and you might as well just use all white flour. Recently, however, I gave King Arthur’s White Wheat Flour a try, and it wasn’t bad. It has a lot more fiber than white flour, less than wheat flour, but not as strong a flavor.

It worked pretty well, and we may have found our bagel recipe, for now. It even got the A&N seal of approval, which is all that matters. I still think it’s impossible to make an ethereal bagel like they do at Best Bagel, but for now, these will do. Plus, we love a sense of empowerment, not to mention accomplishment.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.