- So, I'm making bagels from scratch.
I've only made 200 so far. (laughing)
(upbeat music)
Hi, guys.
I'm Matt, a Tasty producer,
and today I wanna find out
if it's worth making your own bagels at home
or if you should just buy them from the store.
^So, I'm gonna prep my ingredients and get started.
I buy most of bagels from the grocery store,
so for this first comparison,
I've decided to use the brand that I usually get.
It's pre-sliced and consistently good,
which is really all you can ask for
from a pre-packaged bagel.
My second comparison bagel comes from a well-rated bakery
here in Los Angeles, and yeah,
I know New York has some of the best bagels in the world.
Luckily, most of the reviews said
that these were the closest thing they'd had
to a New York style bagel outside of New York,
and honestly, I kind of agree with them.
They were made fresh the day I bought them
and they looked and tasted amazing.
^This homemade recipe was developed by our food coordinator,
^Alexis, and tested many many times by both of us,
and I mean so many times.
You have no idea how many bagels I made.
Bagels are deceptively simple looking.
Sure, they don't require that many ingredients,
but there are tons of ways for things to go wrong,
and I know because I messed up so many times.
Speaking of mistakes, you cannot substitute for bread flour.
You need that nice gluten development
to get the right consistency and texture.
Because of that, do not consider kneading the dough by hand.
The quickest way is with a food processor.
If you try to knead it with your hands,
it'll take close to a half hour
^to reach the right consistency.
^You're not making bread,
so the dough should not be moist and gooey,
it should be a bit firm
and very very stretchy like a rubber band.
But don't over-knead
or you'll end up with really dense braids.
Oiling is how bagels get their shine and chewy texture.
Now, I used barley malt syrup for color and flavor.
The water tray is optional,
but I found that whenever I used it
my bagels cooked more evenly and didn't burn as badly.
Once your dough is ready,
feel free to divide it into six or eight pieces,
keeping them as uniform as possible.
You can use a scale
if you really wanna be specific about the sizes of them.
Now, this is not the official bagel forming technique
that professionals use.
So, this method is what worked best for me
given the constraints that I had.
You're basically working the dough
so that the surface stretches tight
and the seam on the bottom gets as small as possible.
Poke a whole through it and gently stretch the ring out,
rotating as you go.
Make sure to take your time.
If you go too quickly,
you'll tear the dough and it'll burst open in the oven.
And I'm gonna be real, this step is exhausting.
It's a real arm workout, but persevere,
it's totally worth it in the end.
Now, I boil my bagels for about 30 seconds a side;
^however, if you want chewier bagels,
^you can let them go for up to a minute.
^Just don't go for too long or they'll overcook.
An egg wash is optional,
but it guarantees the bagels will be shiny
and golden brown on the outside.
Plus, it's how you get the toppings to stick,
and you can use whatever toppings you want.
Feel free to experiment, have a little bit of fun.
Sesame and poppy seeds are good enough for me though.
And that's it, you've made bagels.
They're best if you eat them right away.
Within a day, they'll get pretty stale.
It's a lot of work, but if everything goes right,
I promise you'll be proud of the bagels you've made.
So, how did the bagels stack up?
^The store bought bagels are the cheapest,
^but barely beat out the bakery ones.
^The homemade ones are the most expensive,
which makes sense given the cost of the syrup,
the yeast, and all the ingredients.
^The store bought and bakery style bagels
^are also the most time efficient,
^taking a matter of minutes to prepare,
^while the homemade ones take hours.
The store bought and bakery are also the least challenging.
All you have to do is toast and top.
It took 16 practice batches for me to feel confident
making bagels from scratch.
The store bought and bakery bagels
are much easier to clean up after as well.
Homemade bagels require mountains
of equipment and cookware that need cleaning,
but ultimately, it all comes down to taste.
In a blind taste test,
my coworkers favored the bakery and homemade bagels
for their balance of flavor and texture.
So, should you make your own bagels at home?
No, absolutely not. (record scratching)
If you like a challenge, by all means go for it.
I'm proud of myself for tackling this,
but they take way too much time and effort
to justify making on a regular basis.
Store bought is great,
it's convenient and consistently good,
but nothing beats a bagel from a bakery.
They're fresh and chewy and delicious, and by buying them,
you're helping support a local business,
and I think that's the best way to go.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, that one.
(upbeat music)