Who doesn’t love a good bagel in the morning? We’ll take you through all your bagel options, the best way to cook them, and a killer bagel recipe that you can enjoy with just a few simple steps.
Are you a toast or bagel person? We’d agree that both are amazing, especially when cooked correctly and topped with some of your favorite items. But for today, we’re covering everything bagel-related, and by the end, you’re going to have plenty of new bagel ideas for you to whip up in the kitchen.
First, let’s dive into the different types of bagels to choose from!
Best Bagel Flavors
Before going through the different bagel flavor options, some may be curious about where bagels originated. Apparently, there is still some debate over the bagel origin, but the general consensus is that they were invented by the Polish Jews in Krakow during the 17th century. Others may argue that Germany should get the credit or that the first bagel documentation was found in an Arabic cookbook, but either way, they are a world fan favorite now!
It’s also crazy to think that all of the bagels listed below are made from some of the most basic cooking ingredients: yeast, wheat flour, water, and salt. So, what are some of the highest-ranked sweet and savory bagel flavors today?
If you enjoy salty over sweet, then these bagels are for you:
- Plain Bagel
- Everything Bagel
- Asiago Bagel
- Onion Bagel
- Salt Bagel
- Whole Wheat Bagel
- Garlic Bagel
- Cheddar Bagel
- Sesame Bagel
- Pumpernickel Bagel
- Marble Rye Bagel
- Egg Bagel
- Spinach Bagel
- Oat Bran Bagel
- Jalapeno Bagel
- Bialy Bagel
If you enjoy sweet over salty, then feed that sweet tooth with these bagels:
- Chocolate Chip Bagel
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagel
- Blueberry Bagel
- Poppyseed Bagel
- French Toast Bagel
- Cinnamon Brown Sugar Bagel
- Pumpkin Bagel
Our mouths are watering just thinking about all of these tasty bagel varieties. However, a bagel can be taken to the next level if you know how to toast it correctly and pair the right toppings with its flavor.
How To Toast A Bagel In The Oven
Just like any food, bagels have a shelf life. In a perfect world, you’re able to enjoy your bagel right after it comes out of the oven. However, in most cases, people get their bagels from the bread section at the grocery store or at a drive-through from a fast-food restaurant.
Unless of course, you’re from New York City, and your home is known for having the best bagel shops in the entire country.
Either way, it’s very important to know how long your bagel is able to stay fresh. After just one to two days, your bagel will begin to stale and dehydrate. When a bagel is fresh, its starch is fluid, but when a bagel is stale, its starch molecules start to retrograde and take a rigid form. This is why bread feels a lot tougher or firm after a couple of days. Dehydration in bagels is also something to watch out for because that is when they start to lose moisture. Water in the bagel travels to the top of the bread and releases into the atmosphere. There’s no way of getting that moisture back, so be sure to store your bagel properly if you do not plan on eating it right away. A good way to store your bagel is in a zipper-lock baggie in your refrigerator.
Now that you know the process of staling and dehydrating, let’s get to how to cook your bagel in a toaster oven or conventional oven.
There are three different ways to toast your bagel depending on the state of that bagel. Whether it’s completely fresh, stale, or dry.
The first method is simple, just horizontally cut your bagel in half.
The second method is for bagels that are not dry, but are stale. In this instance, it’s best to leave your bagel whole (do not cut horizontally as you would in method one) and place it directly on the oven rack for four to five minutes. As mentioned above, it’s best to store your bagel in the refrigerator within a zip-locked bag. If you properly store your bagel, then putting it in your toaster oven at 375 degrees for a few minutes will significantly help reverse your bagel’s staleness.
The third method is for bagels that are both dry and stale. In this case, you’ll want to run your uncut bagel under hot water and then place it in your oven whole just like the second method. This helps restore your bagel in all its glory and will make it much more enjoyable for you to eat.
Overall, it’s a good idea for you to assess your bagel before deciding how to cook it. Once that is figured out, choose method one, two, or three from above, place your bagel in the 375 degrees preheated oven, and let it sit for about four to five minutes. Toaster ovens and conventional ovens are all different, so be sure to know the strength of your oven’s heat. Otherwise, you may end up with a very badly burnt and inedible bagel.
The length of time you toast your bagel is really up to you though. Some people prefer their bagel barely browned and some favor a nicely browned, crisp top and edge. Whatever you choose, let’s be clear, your bagel will be delicious.
Typically, we lean more toward toaster ovens when we eat bagels and there are so many crazy good ones out there. There are smart toaster ovens, digital toaster ovens, air fryer toaster oven combos, and more that are capable of cooking four-course meals. Our favorite part about our toaster oven is how quick, convenient, and perfectly sized it is. Toaster ovens have plenty of cooking options, whether you need to toast, reheat, broil, or defrost.
Bagel Recipe For You To Try In The Oven
Now that you’re an expert in cooking a bagel, let’s go through some of our favorite at-home bagel recipes you can make in the oven.
Pizza Bagel Recipe
If you like pizza, then you’ll absolutely love this super quick and easy pizza bagel recipe!
You’ll need:
- Your favorite kind of bagel – we suggest plain, everything, or asiago for this one.
- Your favorite kind of meat – we like to add pepperoni slices but you can add anything you want (bacon, sausage, thick salami slices, ham).
- Your favorite veggie – we suggest only adding one since veggies can water down your pizza bagel. We enjoy onions or banana peppers most of the time, but you can top it with anything (mushrooms, olives, green pepper, spinach, tomato).
- Your favorite type of cheese – we suggest mozzarella since it’s such a classic, but we sometimes add a couple of kinds of cheeses to give it that extra flavor and cheesiness.
- Your favorite pizza sauce
- Butter
- Seasoning (optional)
Preheat your toaster oven or conventional oven to 375 degrees.
Step 1: Cut your bagel into two halves.
Step 2 (optional): Spread garlic butter on both bagel halves. If you don’t have garlic butter, you can use regular butter and sprinkle it with garlic salt, garlic pepper, or garlic powder (onion powder is also a good alternative to those).
Step 3: Use a spoon to spread your pizza sauce on both halves. Go light or go heavy, who cares. It’s your pizza bagel.
For these next steps, you can change the order of how you’re topping your bagel. We just prefer it this way!
Step 4: Place your veggie of choice on both halves. We’re putting on some banana peppers.
Step 5: Smother both halves of the bagel with your cheese of choice. We’re mixing shredded mozzarella and shredded provolone together.
Step 6: Add your meat of choice on top of the cheese. For this, we’re using pepperoni.
We like to put our veggies under the cheese because it helps keep them in place so we’re able to get a taste of that veggie in just about every bite. We top that with cheese and then put the meat over that because we like the pepperoni to shrink and crispen to add some texture.
Step 7 (optional): Sprinkle some fresh basil and red pepper flakes over top. Add a little extra cheese as well if you’d like.
That’s it! Super simple!
Now, pop that bagel in your oven and let it bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. While that’s cooking, we like to warm up a side of pizza sauce and melt a side of garlic butter to dip the bagel in when it’s done!
Sources:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-the-bagel-49555497/
https://ny.eater.com/maps/best-bagels-nyc
https://www.articleinsider.com/toaster-oven
