Book 9, Question 69
Why Do Bagels Get Boiled Before Baking?
Bagels get boiled before baking because the quick bath sets the outside of the dough! That makes bagels chewy and shiny. Without it, they would puff up into soft rolls.
More fun facts
- Boiling bagels before baking gives them a crunchy outside and a chewy inside.
- A traditional bagel dough rises only a little before it is dropped into boiling water.
- Boiling bagels in water with baking soda locks water into the starch in the dough.
- The quick boil helps make a shiny, chewy crust.
- According to one bagel expert, bagels began in 17th century Poland, where unfair laws stopped Jewish bakers from baking bread, so boiling the dough first was a clever loophole.
Sources: BBC, BBC, Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
Are bagels just bread with a hole?
They are a kind of bread, but boiling before baking gives them their special chewy crust.