No. 39 - Bagels

There's nothing more yummier in the morning than a fresh bagel. I prefer the "everything" bagel, typically with both butter and cream cheese and, occasionally, with smoked salmon on top. Today I had one from Manhattan Bagel. Oh-So-Delici-Oh-So! I've heard the term New York bagel used before, but what I didn't know is that there are two popular styles of bagels in North America: the New York-style bagel and the Montreal-style bagel.

The New York-style bagel contains malt and salt and is boiled in water prior to baking in a standard oven. It comes out puffy with a moist crust.

The Montreal-style bagel contains malt with no salt. It is boiled in a honey-sweetened water and is baked in a wood-fired oven. How awesome does that sound? Everything tastes so much better when cooked with wood, am I right? The Montreal bagel is smaller, with a larger hole, crunchier and sweeter. It typically only comes with black (poppy) or white (sesame) seeds. Pictured is the Montreal-style bagel. Now I just have to figure out how I can get me one of those.