Across the nation, bagel masters are elevating the humble breakfast classic with new flavors and techniques.
There are few things New Yorkers are more fanatic about than bagels. And former Per Se head baker Melissa Weller takes them as seriously as anyone, given the options at her SoHo restaurant, Sadelle’s: there are four types of “everything” bagels and even gluten-free versions.
In Philadelphia, Philly Style Bagels has perfected its own recipe, boiling dough in a mixture of beer and water to add malt flavor. The result is slightly sweet and addictively chewy, and will be sold at its Fishtown store this winter.
The guys behind San Francisco’s new Wise Sons Bagel Shop use a cold-fermentation technique—the dough is refrigerated for 36 hours so that the yeast and sugars develop more flavor. “We’re making the classics as good as they can be, and re-creating the sights and smells of old Jewish bakeries,” says owner Evan Bloom. “You’ll never see a cinnamon-raisin bagel here.”
