Best Montreal Bagel Recipe (Step-by-Step, 1 hour) (2024)

FAQs

What makes Montreal bagels so good? ›

Compared to a “New York style bagel”, what makes the Montréal bagel the far superior is that, not only is each single bagel is made by hand, but they are poached in honey water before being baked in a wood-fire burning oven. This cooking process gives the bagel its distinctive chewiness, golden color and crust.

In order for the bagels to develop that well-browned exterior and slightly dense chewy texture, they must be boiled briefly before baking. This works because the boiling water sets the exterior crust before it hits the oven, preventing the bagels from rising very much, while further developing that browned exterior.

Montreal bagels are also boiled before being baked, just like New York style bagels. However, Montreal bagels are boiled in honey water, giving them a slightly sweeter taste than bagels that are made in New York.

Montreal bagels tend to be smaller, thinner, sweeter and less salty than their New York City counterparts. Both are boiled, but Montreal employs wood-burning ovens for baking, while New York utilizes burlap planks. Many NYC loyalists tout the local tap water as the secret ingredient.

For starters, Montreal's bagels are smaller and thinner, with a larger hole in the center. They're also baked in a wood-fired oven, whereas New York's bagels go in a conventional oven, according to Delish. Then there's the matter of toppings.

One of the most important steps in making bagels. is boiling before baking. Baking the dough right away gives a bagel with a matte. finish and an open interior structure. Boiling the bagel pre gelatinizes the crust.

Bagel dough rises fast and if you let the pre-shaped ropes hang out too long, they'll start developing giant air bubbles inside which you'll want to collapse in the next step.

Over proofed dough will lose its strength too early and cause the bagels to deflate either during the second rise or while cooking.

Whereas, the standard size of a Montreal bagel is thinner, smaller and has a larger hole as compared to the New York one. The Montreal bagel has a calorie range of 120-220. This means it is definitely healthier than other versions of a bagel.

Should you toast Montreal bagels? ›

If you are eating your bagels on the same day that you receive them, they should remain fresh and delicious. If you are eating them the next day, we recommend toasting before enjoying them.

The Bagel Time reports that what makes the Montreal bagel unique is that it is always handmade and cooked in a wood-fired oven. Yep, this bagel is always hot and fresh. Another difference between the Montreal and the New York bagel is that the Montreal's dough is much denser and sweeter.

Bread flour – Because of its high protein content, bread flour makes these homemade bagels delightfully chewy. This recipe also works with all-purpose flour, they're just a bit less chewy than bagels made with bread flour. Maple syrup – It activates the yeast and gives the bagels a hint of sweetness.

Moreira: Usually if you get dense bagels, it's because they were underproofed. But it could also be that your yeast is bad. When you're at home using dry yeast—especially if you don't use it that often—you should always bloom the yeast in a little bit of sugar and water to make sure it's active.

Montreal style bagels are boiled in honey and water, resulting in a sweeter taste.

New York stands tall as the nation's bagel empire for the second year in a row. The Bagel Apple brings home the gold in bagel Popularity, with locals and tourists alike seeking out the city's most iconic breakfast food.