In the UK, there’s a limited choice on the bagel front. Plain, poppy seed, sesame and onion. Some delis go to town with rye, black bread or cinnamon and raisin, but, for the most part, unlike our American cousins, we’ve kept thing simple.
So, with the arrival of New York-style bagels to our shores, the biggest news has been the everything bagel. What an everything bagel isn’t is an overstuffed bread roll packed with every single filling option you can think of. No, this variety is a plain white bagel, slathered in a seasoning combination that mixes several other topping options – sesame, poppy seed, onion etc – you get the idea.
How does it taste? “Everything bagel is garlicky, nutty, crunchy and delicious” explains Francesca Goldhill, founder of Hertfordshire bakery, bagel + schmear , who developed her own recipe for the savoury sprinkle when she set up shop two years ago, making New York-style bagels that she’d fallen in love with when living in the Big Apple. Goldhill explains there is no standard recipe, but that most versions use a combination of sesame, sea salt, garlic, and either fennel or nigella seeds — which add a contrasting colour. “We use black and white sesame seeds; poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion and plenty of flaky sea salt” she explains.
“The feedback I had to my original recipe (from American customers) was that my first recipe was too sesame-heavy. So now the recipe is more balanced with the salt, garlic and onion.” She sa.
