John M

Your bagels didn’t rise because of one or more issues with yeast activity, dough hydration, gluten development, or proofing conditions.   When your bagels don’t puff up the way they should, it’s easy to feel frustrated, especially after all that kneading and shaping.   But the good news is that most reasons why bagels don’t … Read more

Your bagels deflate after boiling because the structure you built during shaping and proofing isn’t strong enough to survive the boiling water bath.   It’s a frustrating moment when you pull those gorgeous, puffy bagels out of the water and watch them turn into sad, wrinkled discs.   But the good news is that bagel … Read more

Your bagels crack because of a combination of dough handling, fermentation, and baking techniques that all influence the outer skin’s ability to stretch and hold together.   If you’ve ever pulled a tray of beautiful, puffy bagels out of the oven only to find ugly cracks running across the surface, you know the frustration.   … Read more

Your bagels came out dense because of a few key mistakes in technique, most often related to dough hydration, gluten development, or the shaping process.   Dense bagels are a super common frustration for home bakers, and the good news is that it’s totally fixable once you understand what’s going on.   If you’ve been … Read more

Onion bagels are hard to find because they’ve slowly disappeared from many bakery shelves and grocery store displays.   You might remember a time when the onion bagel was a staple right next to the plain and everything varieties, but now it’s often the first flavor to sell out or the last one to get … Read more

New York bagels are so good because of the unique combination of the city’s hard water, the traditional boiling-then-baking method, and the high-gluten flour that gives them that perfect chewy texture.   It’s not just one thing that makes New York bagels so good, but a perfect storm of ingredients, technique, and local pride that … Read more