Bagel Basics
A Good Bagel Has Some Bite.
A bagel should give you a little something to chew on. After that, there’s room for an opinion. Here’s a useful way to find yours.
Start With the Crust
Look for a distinct outside and a close, chewy interior. In a traditional boiled bagel, the hot-water step helps set the surface before baking. Dough, fermentation and baking also affect the result; the hole alone doesn’t tell the story.
Further reading: The baking behind the bite · King Arthur Baking
Give Plain a Chance
Our suggestion: try a bite before the spread. A plain bagel lets you notice the bread itself. Then try sesame or everything and see how the topping changes what you like. There’s no scorecard to pass.
To Toast, or Not?
A fresh bagel is worth trying as it comes. For a day-old bagel, toasting the cut halves can bring back some contrast between a crisp surface and a softer middle. Toasting is also a perfectly reasonable preference. Your breakfast, your call.
Further reading: Toasting advice · King Arthur Baking
Find Your Usual
The one you keep coming back for is the point. Next time, change one thing: the bagel, the spread or the toast. Keep the rest familiar. It’s a small experiment with a good breakfast at the end.