The word bagel comes from the Yiddish word, beygel. The bagel was a staple bread in the villages around Krakow and was created as a competitor to the bublik (a lean wheat flour bread designed for Lent in the early 1600’s. It is traditional Eastern European bread roll).
In 1610, the community of Cracow Poland, states that "beygls" will be given as gifts to women in childbirth.
Jews from central Asia, where similar type of ring bread still exist, might have brought the concept to eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. Jewish immigrants who moved to the northeastern United States brought bagels to America.
In general, bagels have a very simple formulation. The formula is very similar to simple bread or roll formulas: flour, salt, yeast, and water. Normally, high gluten flour with protein content 13.5–14% used for baking because it gives body and toughness to the bagel. Flour also provides flavor due to the low moisture content.
Bagels are mostly steamed and are offered in every conceivable flavor, from the more traditional pumpernickel or onion to the sweetened blueberry or chocolate chip versions, as well as many other flavors in between.
What is bagel?
