Archive for the ‘Breads and Treats’ Category

Best Bagels in Washington, DC area?

Posted: March 8, 2025 in Breads and Treats
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As I noted in an earlier FB post, in a sorta do-over, the Washington Post decided to revisit its previous rankings of top bagel places in the Washington DC area. The paper previously ranked Pearls as the number 1 bagel shop. Wow. So it seemed right for them to revisit their clearly erroneous decision after the entire world complained. They said “we overlooked some of the best bagels in town.” So sad. What were they doing?

Anyway they did the do-over and, no surprise, Pearls dropped from number 1 to number 3. First place went to Brooklyn Bagels and second place went to Baked by Yael. Where’s my personal fav Bethesda? Not even in their top 5. Im looking for something sharp to stick in my eye right now.

I visited Baked by Yael, Pearls, Bagel Uprising, Brooklyn, and Bethesda Bagels. Of all of these places, this is the only one I brought home:

It’s not that the rest of the places were bad, just not as good as Bethesda. Anyway, my first stop was Pearls.


Pearls is a cute place and the staff are super friendly. If you can grab one of the few tables, great place for coffee. The bagels are ok, just ok, really designed for a bagel sandwich. That means they are mostly soft and pillowy. There is no discernible difference between Pearls and Bagel Uprising – bagels made for sandwiches. This is not a bagel shop for purists or bagel snobs. The everything bagel was good but the plain bagel was the best.

Baked by Yael was not what I expected. This place really is a bakery, not a bagel shop. Their cakepops looked yummy, but I passed. Ditto the panda toys.

The bagels were flavorful but a bit salty. I did like the flavor. The bagels were underproofed. The everything was overly coated in poppy. This should be illegal:

The bagels came oddly wrapped in tin foil and not cut in half but there it is. I thought all bagel places knew how to use bakery paper and cut a bagel in half. You can see these bagels are underproofed by these pics:

Overall the flavor was elevated, blisters and corn meal only on the bottom, discernible skin with a crunch I liked, but underproofing made them quite dense. I wouldn’t go out of my way for these and I’m a bit confused why the Post thinks they belong in the top 5.

Brooklyn Bagels was respectable enough. The bagels are large but not overly so. There was a thin skin but really no crunch. The flavor just …. neutral, nothing to write home or blog about lol. The toppings don’t really help because they are quite stingy. Here’s the everything bagel:

Here is the Onion bagel (with lox, capers, tomato and red onion):

I do agree with the Post that Brooklyn Bagels is better than Pearls and certainly better than Baked by Yael, but Brooklyn Bagels is absolutely not the best bagel in the DC area. That honor goes to Bethesda Bagels.

This is what a bagel shop should be. Proud display of a wide variety of bagels, stacks of flour bags on the floor and a massive boiling kettle of water with steam making the place feel like a rain forest.

How can you possibly get better than that? The bagels are flavorful, with a crunch skin on the outside, but soft enough on the inside with a nice balance of density and chewiness. Toppings top and bottom are generous. I do think their bagels are too large and they sell a mini bagel that’s too small, but I can deal with that problem.

Weirddoughs Bagels

Posted: July 19, 2024 in Breads and Treats, Uncategorized
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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!

Bagels for Sandwiches?

Posted: July 13, 2024 in Breads and Treats, Uncategorized
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I’m astounded by the number of bagel shops that produce a product so far off the standard.  These bagels are more akin to rolls.  I recently surveyed some bagel shops in Ohio and found a uniform consistency of terrible.  Tasteless, no texture, light and airy, and utterly unremarkable.


There is only one bagel shop in Ohio that is rumored to make a competent bagel (Nubeigel) but, alas, it was closed for a Jewish holiday when I got there (a common problem I’ve run into – I need to closely track Jewish holidays before making bagel runs!)

I’ve come to realize that many of these bagel shops are not in the business of selling bagels – they are selling sandwiches.  I get the economics but I won’t allow that as an excuse.  So, I looked into this idea of making a bagel that is more preferable for sandwiches.  If you’ve ever taken a truly classic “NY style” bagel, sliced it and loaded up your sandwich, it doesn’t really go well.  The density and chewiness can really make the eating difficult, and the contents of your sandwich end up unceremoniously in your lap.

One of my favorite companies, King Arthur Baking Company, has to my great consternation published a recipe for bagels better suited to sandwiches.  I’m starting to question the company’s sanity.  Their idea of “Ultimate Sandwich Bagels” makes a few adjustments, such as using standard bread flower to reduce chewiness (less gluten).  The company tries to keep the flavor profile by using a starter (always correct) as well as malt syrup in both the water and the dough (adds too much sweetness in my opinion – use the powder in the dough instead).  They also unconventionally recommend an egg wash to help the toppings stick (there is no need for this at all – the bagel is steaming hot with wet starchy water when you pull it out of the pot – basically Elmer’s glue).

This whole terrible idea only compounds the common problems I find in so-called bagel shops across the country.  Inferior ingredients (crappy flour, malt distribution) and improper techniques (quick rises to save time or worse, poking a hole through a ball of dough instead of rolling it up correctly, or make it today to sell tomorrow) make for bad bagels.  Other shops think they are different and unique in a good way by adding unconventional flours and techniques, but it doesn’t make it good, it only makes them look incompetent.  

I did enjoy a wood-fired bagel out of Portland, Maine a couple weeks ago that was very well done. Forage creates a good bagel in a unique way but using high quality ingredients and traditional craftsmanship. I highly recommend!

Closer to home, I’ve already covered Walker Bakeshop in Sperryville, Virginia, which I highly recommend and scored their bagels an 8.2 out of 10 (the owners were reportedly unhappy with my rating). Just down the street is a cool cafe-style restaurant called Off the Grid in Sperryville, Virginia. They make their own bagels as well and some excellent bagel sandwiches. Overall I found their bagel well done. Good texture and crumb. Great aroma. The everything seasoning was generously applied but mostly sesame – both toasted and straight – and poppy (I couldn’t detect anything else). Not bad at all and I’ll give it a 7.8 out of 10.

If you’re headed this way, be sure to stop there for lunch and check out some of the other cool shops in town.

Next week a relatively new bagel shop is opening in Warrenton, Virginia, called Weirddoughs Bagels. I promised the owner I’d visit and do a review and I’m hoping they don’t dislike me afterwards. The name of the shop has me a bit apprehensive and skeptical – what’s “weird” about their dough? Oh please don’t be unconventional and unique in a bad way!

Perfect Pound Cake

Posted: March 18, 2012 in Breads and Treats, Uncategorized
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PERFECT POUND CAKE

This recipe is too good not to share. It is derived from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe – need I say more?  The art of making pound cake is not in the ingredients, but in how you handle them. Careful, precise measuring and handling will give you a pound cake with a silky texture and a delicate, sweet crust, that can’t be had anywhere at any price. The key is not to over-mix the ingredients and to treat the resulting batter as gentle as you would a baby. Here’s how to make using a bowl mixer with a paddle attachment:

Ingredients

6 eggs – room temperature – let sit out for 30 minutes or so, but no more than 2 hours.
1 cup (8 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
1 8-oz package cold cream cheese – cut into 1-inch cubes. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
1 teaspoon kosher salt – use precise measurements.
2 ¾ cups of sugar – precisely measured.
4 teaspoons pure vanilla – precisely measured.
3 cups CAKE flour – precisely measured – and SIFTED. I don’t recommend using regular flour, but if you must (sigh) then use 2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons. As for sifting, if you don’t have a flour sifter, you can use a fine mesh strainer and gently tap the sides of the strainer over a bowl. If you want to step up your game and purchase a flour sifter, then I’d recommend the classic all-American sifter made by Jacob Bromwell, which can be drooled over at http://www.jacobbromwell.com and actually purchased for about 25 bucks. Such sifters may not be around much longer and certainly not the ones currently being made on the original equipment from 1819!

The Art

Using soft butter, generously butter two 8×4 inch loaf pans. Lightly flour the pans, knocking excess flour off.

Beat cold butter pieces about 2 minutes on low speed using paddle blade. Occasionally turn on high speed to dislodge butter from paddle. Add cream cheese cubes. Continue on low speed for another 3 minutes, with occasional bursts to dislodge butter/cream cheese mixture from paddle.

Add sugar in a slow, continuous stream – 2 ¾ cups of sugar should take a minute and a half to pour into the butter/cream cheese. Pour very slowly, but continuously. Add salt. Continue creaming butter/cheese/salt mixture for 5 minutes more. Half-way through, scrape down sides and bottom of mixer bowl. Increase speed to medium for another 2 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of mixer bowl once half-way through. Turn off mixer.

Add eggs one at a time. Break each egg into a cup first. After adding each egg, blend on low speed until the egg is just blended in – about 20-30 seconds, but no more! Beat in vanilla with last egg.

Gradually add 2 ½ cups of the flour on low speed. Do not over mix, just until its well blended. Turn off mixer and remove bowl. Carefully fold in remaining flour with a rubber scraper. Be gentle with the batter but make sure the flour you add manually is well blended. Fold the mixture carefully with the rubber scraper – do not beat it. Mix it diligently and patiently.

Carefully and gently turn batter into prepared pans. Be gentle so the batter doesn’t lose its volume. Shake to evenly distribute.

Place pans in the middle of the center rack of a cold oven. Turn oven to 300 degrees and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. DO NOT open oven door while baking! After time is up, open the door and check for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester.

Transfer to cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing. Wait until completely cool before serving.