Bagels & Pretzels

A bagel is a traditional ring-shaped Jewish bread, unusual in being cooked twice: first by boiling for about 15 seconds, then by baking. Bagels are usually brushed with an egg glaze so that they are golden brown when cooked. They come in a variety of flavors, among the most popular are egg, pumpernickel and cinnamon-raisin. Plain bagels can be enlivened with toppings of dried garlic, onion flakes and poppy or sesame seeds. A split bagel with cream cheese and lox (see Salted salmon) is a New York delicatessen classic. A bialy—named for the Polish city of Bialystok—is made of the same dough but is not boiled, and has only a slight indentation instead of a hole.