Undoubtedly a stupid thought...

[ffutures]

I've eaten a lot of bagels over the years.

All of them have been cut in half with some sort of filling added - cottage cheese, meat, pickle, etc.

And all of them have been made in the same toroidal shape. Which has a hole in the middle, which lets bits of the filling fall out fairly easily.

Is it possible to make them without the hole? I presume that there's a traditional element, e.g. everyone expects them to be that shape, but is there any more practical reason, e.g. the flavour is different if there's no hole / the way that they're made only works for that shape? Has anyone ever tried to sell bagels that are a solid oblate spherical shape, like other rolls?

No particular reason for asking, apart from eating a cottage cheese bagel for supper, but now that I've thought of this I really want to know the answer...

Comments

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

I believe its to do with the cooking process. The hole allows them to cook evenly throughout, whereas if it was solid, you'd get a raw bit in the middle, or burnt outsides.

[vincentursus.livejournal.com]

That's kind of like asking "Is it possible to make peanut butter without peanuts?"

The term 'bagel' implies the toroidal shape.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

I've had "bagel logs" before--basically, bagels that haven't been bent into the round shape. Can't say there was anything special about 'em.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Exactly the reason why I don't like bagels and the ones I've had (usually at some hotel for breakfast) weren't particularly nice and taste mass produced.

If they werent' a toroid shape, they wouldn't be bagels, just a type of roll.

Wikipedia says the hole is there to ensure more even baking (and I guess that makes sense because bagels are more dense than other breads) and for ease of transport/storage (threaded on wooden pegs).

[aisb23.livejournal.com]

Speaking as the scion of generations of Jewish bakers, to even suggest otherwise is heresy! :)

[pauldrye.livejournal.com]

The only thing that's unusual about the baking of bagels is the initial boiling of them in water. So far as I know, the hole in the middle has nothing to do with that so, short answer, no there's no practical reason.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Where I grew up there was something called a bulke which tasted similar but was a roll. It was never as good as a bagel tho.

But a really good, chewy, proper bagel (not one of those inflated pillows) should be eaten either with nothing but butter, or with smoked salmon and cream cheese, none of which fall out.

Chopped liver goes on matzo, not bagels :-)

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

You can have donuts without holes (beignets), but because you boil bagels first, you need the hole to get even cooking throughout.

Bruegger's has attempted what you're thinking of: a lower-profile hole-less bagel for sandwiches. They're more re-shaped bagel-suggesting bread than actual bagels. They do not have the crispy shell that a good bagel should.

In my many years, including in my grandfather's Jewish bakery, I have never seen bagels put on pegs or strung together. Bins, boxes, and bags, just like other bakery products. Don't believe anything you read on Wikipedia.