Say you never had a proper bagle. No need to insult a culture.

Try a bagel from a bagel shop in nyc then post

Well, you have a point.

Bagels are a dense dough, we’re talking around the 50% range, depending on who’s making them. Could be closer to 60, but that’s still dense as fuck compared to your basic sandwich bread, that tends to start in the high fifties, or something like brioche that’s gonna sit in the mid sixties (again, depends on the exact recipe, but you don’t see brioche under maybe 58ish on a regular basis). You’d be amazed the figurine difference as little as two to three % can make. (Edit: That’s the percentage of water to flour)

They’re also not made with any fats at all. No milk, no butter, no oil, nada.

So dry is indeed the case. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, they’ll stay edible longer than some of the higher hydration doughs, and respond rather well to toasting for a softer chew. You toast regular bread, you get, well toast; dry and crunchy. You toast bagels, you crisp the exterior and soften the inside.

Even fresh out of the oven, they’re not soft initially. They tend to be softer after a toasting. But they’re softer than when sat around. They’re also more elastic, they pull delightfully the way some pizza crust does, because the gluten tends to be well developed.

When I was still baking, I made sourdough bagels a few times, and even though the density was still there, holy shit was the taste amazing.

I’d honestly say that if you’ve had them fresh from the oven (not just made fresh at the bakery then stored until sale an hour later) and didn’t like them, you never will. Which is perfectly fine. It you haven’t, then I wouldn’t totally dismiss them because when they’re still hot and chewy like that, it isn’t just texture, you get the scents of the boil used, the yeastiness, and that “bread” smell all hitting your sinuses at once along with that stretchy chew for maximum flavor.

But yeah, unless you know a home baker willing to put in the extra effort for good bagels, chances are that they aren’t for you.

You’re a disgusting, nasty, dried out bread donut! throws chair

Hold me back, bros! Home me back, RRRARGH!

An actual unpopular opinion.

You haven’t had a good bagel, or a fresh one. Sounds like you’re eating grocery store or brand name.

Bagels are something that can only be done right at a bakery that knows that they are doing.

You have to fuck them first, obv. Gawd heckin amateurs in here.

Good content for the community.

I’m assuming you eat them without anything on them? Like cream cheese? Butter even? Something to make any bread seem less dry?

The first time my grandparents from both sides met each other, my father’s mother brought a bunch of bagels as a food offering. My mother’s mother took one and ate it. When she was finished she said “I’m not sure these donuts are very good” because she had never seen a bagel before. When informed of what a bagel was, and given cream cheese, she said the second bagel was better lol.

Are you toasting them in the microwave? Can’t imagine how they dry out otherwise.

And I love that thick hard chew.

If they’re dried out, you’ve been getting bad bagels. They are literally just regular bread that’s boiled before being baked to give it that smooth, shiny crust.

You also don’t generally eat them plain. You put stuff on them like at least some creamcheese or butter.

I will agree they make bad sandwhiches. Condiments end up leaking out of the holes, getting your hands dirty and I am pretty sure that goes against the Earl of Sandwich’s intentions. Now I got mustard and mayo all over the cards.

Hard core man, nice

Do you like pretzels?

Some people just do not like bagels, i get at least 1 person a week who stops by my bagel stand at the farmer’s market to tell me they like donuts more. To each their own, but the two are far from comparable.