What are bagels? What makes a roll a bagel?

Question: What are bagels? What makes a roll a bagel?

Bagels are known in some areas as cement doughnuts

Answer: Sometimes referred to as the cement doughnut, the bagel has long been a staple in New York delicatessens and a favorite of the Jewish community. Once relegated as a bland breakfast food given flavor by the addition of lox and cream cheese, there are now more bagel flavors than you can shake a stick at. The bagel has also risen in up the culinary ladder to become a popular base for sandwiches.

From a purist standpoint, a bagel is a round yeast roll with a hole in the middle, no egg in the dough, malt rather than sugar, cooked in water, and then browned in the oven.

This process produces a dense, chewy roll with a crisp exterior, hence giving rise to the term cement doughtnut. Of course, nowadays, bagels have evolved to include not only egg (for a bit lighter roll), but also spices, herbs, and fruit to give added flavor.

A common misconception is that water bagels are any bagel cooked in water. Of course, all bagels by definition are cooked in water and then browned in the oven. To the purist, water bagels are bagels made with water in the dough, specifically with no egg or flavoring additions.

More about Bagels and Bagel Recipes:

• What are bagels? FAQ
• Bagel Storage and Slicing Tips
• Bagel History
• Bagel Recipes
_{Bagel Photo © 2008 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.}