The Baker's Dad

Warrenton, Virginia

A relatively new bagel shop opened in Warrenton, Virginia!  There is nothing weird about Weirddoughs Bagels and they have now taken over my list as the top bagel shop in our tri-county area (Culpepper, Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties) with an overall rating of 8.4, a well-earned rating that, but for a few minor criticisms, could have been a solid 8.6.

Having moved out of their previous digs on the other side of town (that was very unattractive and inhospitable so I refused to go), they now occupy an adorable little shop on Culpeper Street.  The venue is well-done with both indoor and outdoor seating and is certainly a great place to hang out for a bagel and coffee in the morning.

They make traditional “New York style” bagels, clearly hand-rolled, properly risen, boiled and baked fresh each morning.  As typical, I arrived mid-morning and ordered one each of their everything, onion, asiago and plain bagels, not toasted, with plain cream cheese.

There was a longer-than-expected wait for the bagels in the modestly busy shop but I didn’t let that bug me.  The friendly staff brought it out from the back and politely handed me my order.  The bagels were unusually wrapped in a large wrapping but, once opened, demonstrated a properly cut bagel with a generous smear.  All is as it should be.

The color and texture were sublime, with a nice malty yeasty yummy aroma that spiked my taste buds and expectations even before my first bite.  The bagels are a respectable size – neither too small nor large.

The seasonings on the onion and everything bagels were a bit stingy, but nicely included on both sides of the bagels.

The onion bagel:

The cheese on the asiago on the other hand was generous and even melted through the discernible hole to pool on the bottom in a good way.  

The plain bagel had nice color and texture.

Each of the bagels were properly dense as should be expected.  The thin crunchy skin on the outside was in good shape and not too thin.  The favor profile was superb, with a nice tang.  Their processes are not readily observable because the kitchen is buried behind walls (sadly there was no steaming kettle of water visible) but I venture to guess these bagels begin life with a starter sponge, are made with good high-quality high-gluten flour (14%) and diastatic malt syrup, are hand rolled and allowed to rise in a cool long environment before boiling in water alkalized with baking soda. 

There was a nice pull to the bite – not overly tough. The crumb was slightly dense and moist, indicating to me that they were either under-baked (by about 1 minute) or not allowed to rise sufficiently.  Bagels should be baked at a proper 500ºF for approx. 7 minutes, then rotated and finished at 450 ºF for another 7 to 8 minutes. For the rise, the float test should always be used prior to going all-in.

Overall I truly enjoyed these bagels and am very happy Warrenton has a new shop to celebrate.  I will certainly return and encourage everyone to give them a visit!