BY EMMA DRIBAN, EDITOR
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Though we all know bagels are a quintessential Jewish food, many of us may NOT know why.
In the early Middle Ages, Church officials forbade Jews from baking bread altogether. In their eyes, bread—symbolically used in religious ceremony (knows as the sacrament) as the body of Christ—was a holy food and, therefore, too good to be enjoyed by Jews. This, and the Jews overall poor treatment in Medieval Europe, sparked a mass migration to Poland, which was considered relatively progressive at the time. As many Germans made their way to their new home, they brought the tradition of making pretzels with them. In their new land, the Jewish Poles quickly favored this bread, turning the twists into a round pastry with a hole in the middle called obwarzanek.
As for the name bagel, the origin of the word itself is oft disputed. Some say it is the German word for “bracelet,” while others attribute the name to the Yiddish word beigen, meaning to bend. Others, still, “trace the name to 1683, when a Viennese baker crated the ring-like pastry in honor of King Jan Sobieski of Poland, to thank him for leading the Austrian troops to repel the invading Turkish army. Because the king loved horses, this pastry was supposedly called a ‘stirrup,’ or beugel in German.” (Aish.com)
Bagels became more common across the globe in the 20th century, as many Jews left Eastern Europe and came to North America and other areas of Europe and began selling bagels from pushcarts in places like the lower East Side of Manhattan and in the East End of London.
There is a lot to learn about the history of one of our people’s most iconic foods, and I highly recommend reading up on some of it. Familiar sites like My Jewish Learning and Aish have a lot to offer in the way of modern Jewish history and other bagel-loving sources share in the storied past of the beloved bread.
If you, too, believe in the power of bagels, try your hand at making your own with this recipe from Modern Jewish Cooking by Leah Koenig.
Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 ½ cups/360 ml warm water (110° F)
- 4 cups/500 g bread flour
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp barley malt syrup
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- Sesame seeds or poppy seeds for sprinkling
Instructions:
- Stir together the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Let stand until foaming, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir the malt syrup into the yeast mixture. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast mixture. Gently stir with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to form, then turn out the dough onto a flat, lightly floured surface and knead well, until a supple but not sticky dough forms, 8 to 10 minutes. Rub 1 tsp oil around the bottom of a large bowl, add the dough, and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let stand in a warm place until puffed, about 30 minutes.
- Gently deflate the dough with the heel of your hand, turn it out onto a flat surface, and divide into 12 equal pieces with a knife. Working with one piece at a time (keeping the other covered with a dish towel, use your hands to roll a rope about 8 ½ inches/20 cm long. Bring the ends together to form a circle, slightly overlapping one side, and pinch to seal. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Place the bagels on a lightly floured flat surface, cover with a damp dish towel, and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425° F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a large saucepan with water, set it over high heat, and stir in the baking soda and honey. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and keep at a gentle simmer. Working in batches of 3 or 4, gently drop the bagels into the simmering water. Cook for 30 seconds, flip with a slotted spoon, and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet.
- Lightly brush the tops of the boiled bagels with the beaten egg and generously sprinkle with your topping seeds. Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the bagels are golden brown, 16 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in a toaster or toaster oven.
And one last bit of wisdom from Dean Ross, The secret to the best at-home bagels?
“Patience, patience, patience. The dough needs to rest in the fridge overnight so it can properly cure. The next day, you must boil the dough before baking. The biggest mistake people make is trying to rush and do everything in one day.”
