Why Do Bagels And Donuts Have Holes

Bagels and donuts have holes for very different reasons, one rooted in engineering and the other in pure culinary tradition.
 
The hole in a bagel is all about achieving that perfect chewy texture, while the hole in a donut is a clever trick for even cooking and a playful shape that we’ve all come to love.
 
It’s fascinating how such a simple feature can completely change the way a baked good comes together.
 
In this post, we’ll dig into why bagels and donuts have holes, looking at the history, the science, and the practical reasons behind these iconic ring shapes.
 
Let’s get right into the doughy details.
 

Why Bagels and Donuts Have Holes: The Core Reasons

When you ask why bagels and donuts have holes, the answer for each is tied to how they’re made and cooked.
 
For bagels, the hole isn’t just for looks—it’s a functional necessity that helps them boil evenly and bake to that signature dense, chewy crumb.
 
For donuts, the hole ensures the center cooks at the same rate as the outside when they’re fried in hot oil.
 
Let’s break down each one so you can see exactly why bagels and donuts have holes in the first place.
 

1. The Bagel Hole Is All About Boiling and Baking

Bagels are boiled before they’re baked, and that’s where the hole becomes a game-changer.
 
When you drop a bagel into boiling water, the hole allows the water to circulate around the entire dough ring.
 
This means the outside gets a consistent gelatinized crust, which locks in moisture and gives bagels their glossy, shiny finish.
 
Without that hole, the center of a bagel would be undercooked and the outside would be overcooked, leaving you with a sad, doughy mess.
 
The hole also increases the surface area, so more of the bagel gets that satisfying, boil-then-bake treatment.
 

2. The Donut Hole Is For Even Frying

Donuts are fried, not baked, and that changes everything about why they need a hole.
 
When a donut hits hot oil, the outside cooks very quickly because it’s in direct contact with the heat.
 
If you had a solid, flat disc of dough, the center would take much longer to cook through, leaving you with a raw middle by the time the outside is perfectly golden.
 
The hole solves this by allowing the hot oil to reach the center of the ring, so the entire donut cooks evenly and quickly.
 
That’s why donuts get that light, airy interior—the hole helps the heat penetrate from all sides.
 

3. The Hole Boosts Surface Area for Texture and Toppings

Beyond cooking, the hole in both bagels and donuts increases the surface area, which means more room for all the good stuff.
 
For bagels, that extra surface area gives you more of that chewy crust and a better spot for cream cheese, lox, or butter to cling to.
 
For donuts, the ring shape means more crispy edges and more space for glaze, sugar, or frosting to coat every bite.
 
So when you ask why bagels and donuts have holes, part of the answer is that the hole just makes them taste better and easier to top.
 

The History Behind Why Bagels and Donuts Have Holes

The origins of these holes are steeped in tradition, and they’ve been around for a lot longer than you might think.
 
Understanding the past helps explain why bagels and donuts have holes even today, when modern ovens and fryers could technically handle solid shapes.
 

1. The Bagel’s Story Starts in Poland

The bagel is believed to have originated in Poland in the 16th century, and the hole was there from the very beginning.
 
Some say the round shape with a hole was designed to honor the Polish king’s victory in battle, since the ring looked like a stirrup.
 
But practically, bakers back then used the hole to thread bagels onto wooden dowels or ropes.
 
This made it easy to transport large batches of bagels to markets, and they could hang them for display or storage without getting squished.
 
So the hole wasn’t just about cooking—it was a brilliant way to carry and sell more bagels at once.
 

2. The Donut’s Hole Was a Stroke of Genius on a Boat

The donut’s hole is often credited to a young American sailor named Hanson Gregory, who supposedly punched a hole in his fried dough in 1847.
 
The story goes that he wasn’t happy with the raw, doughy center of the fried cakes he was eating on a ship.
 
So he used the ship’s tin pepper pot to cut out the middle, and the ring-shaped treat cooked perfectly.
 
While the story might be a bit romanticized, the timing fits with when donuts became popular in the United States.
 
And that’s why donuts have holes today—one guy’s clever fix for an undercooked snack turned into a global phenomenon.
 

The Science of the Hole: Surface Area and Heat Transfer

If you’re still wondering why bagels and donuts have holes, the science of heat transfer gives you the clearest answer.
 
When you cook dough, heat has to travel from the outside toward the center, and thicker pieces simply take longer to cook.
 
A hole shortens the distance that heat needs to travel, so the dough cooks more uniformly from edge to edge.
 
In a bagel, the boiling water plus the hole ensures the entire ring swells evenly, giving you that consistent crumb.
 
In a donut, the hot oil can hit the inner edge of the ring just as fast as the outer edge, so nothing stays raw.
 

1. The Hole Also Affects Dough Rise

The shape of the dough changes how it expands during cooking, and the hole plays a role here too.
 
For bagels, the ring shape allows the dough to expand outward while the hole keeps it from puffing up too much in the middle.
 
This helps bagels keep their dense, chewy texture instead of turning into fluffy bread rolls.
 
For donuts, the hole lets the dough expand evenly in all directions, which results in that light, tender crumb.
 
So the hole isn’t just about cooking evenly—it also shapes the final texture of the baked good.
 

2. Even Cooking Means Better Shelf Life

Another practical reason why bagels and donuts have holes is that even cooking gives them a better shelf life.
 
When food cooks unevenly, the undercooked parts spoil faster and can make the whole batch go stale quicker.
 
With a hole, both bagels and donuts cook all the way through, so they last longer on your counter.
 
This was a big deal in the days before refrigeration, which is part of why the hole caught on so widely.
 
It’s a simple design that improved both taste and longevity.
 

So, Why Do Bagels and Donuts Have Holes?

Bagels and donuts have holes primarily for even cooking, but the reasons diverge from there.
 
Bagels need their hole for the boiling process and to maintain that dense, chewy texture that bagel lovers crave.
 
Donuts need their hole for hot oil to reach the center, ensuring a light and fluffy interior without any raw dough.
 
Historically, the bagel’s hole made them easy to transport, while the donut’s hole was a clever fix for undercooked centers.
 
So the next time you bite into a bagel or a donut, you’ll know that the hole is there for some pretty smart reasons.
 
It’s a perfect mix of tradition, science, and pure practicality that has stood the test of time.
 
And that’s the full story of why bagels and donuts have holes.