Maya Bagel Express

Sounds like we are getting a "real deal" bagel place here in Louisville. Anyone have more information on location, opening, etc.?

Article says location will be Middletown or Highlands. Sounds more like an idea for a bagel place.

[Robin Garr]

Living in NYC, even for just four or five years, has really spoiled me for bagels. I don't think anyplace in town has ever hit the target.

Living in NYC, even for just four or five years, has really spoiled me for bagels. I don't think anyplace in town has ever hit the target.

That has been our struggle for so long too! For us, Dooley's came close. Recently, we found that the texture of the bagels at Payne Street Bakehouse (Nancy's) are pretty close, but they are way smaller than a NY bagel. I would also kill for a bialy - the one at Butchertown Bakery is nice, but I still have family send me emergency care packages every once in a while. Will definitely keep this place on our radar.

So, what makes a NY bagel different? I like bagels but don’t seem to appreciate them the way some people do. Could it be I’ve just never had a good one?

[Robin Garr]

Living in NYC, even for just four or five years, has really spoiled me for bagels. I don't think anyplace in town has ever hit the target.

That has been our struggle for so long too! For us, Dooley's came close. Recently, we found that the texture of the bagels at Payne Street Bakehouse (Nancy's) are pretty close, but they are way smaller than a NY bagel. I would also kill for a bialy - the one at Butchertown Bakery is nice, but I still have family send me emergency care packages every once in a while. Will definitely keep this place on our radar.

Ha! I feel pretty similar Michele. Living in Astoria really spoiled me. I recall Dooley's being all right for a Louisville Bagel but a far cry from NYC. Butchertown Bakery is nice, and I actually like Bruegger's Bagels pretty well, although I haven't been there for ages. Nancy's? I was so offended by their bagels on Frankfort that I haven't even tried Payne Street. Maybe I should try Payne Street, but ...

[Robin Garr]

So, what makes a NY bagel different? I like bagels but don’t seem to appreciate them the way some people do. Could it be I’ve just never had a good one?

Carla, that's a tough one. They just are!

Seriously, people credit the New York water, which comes from clear springs in the Catskills but is shipped to Gotham through some mighty funky pipes, so I dunno. More realistically, NYC has extremely soft water, low in minerals, and it really is a fact that wheat gluten responds differently to hard vs soft water. I'd also chalk up NYC's dominance to tradition and long practice - they've been making them for 150 years or so, and they've got the practice down. A proper bagel process uses a little malt, and the formed and risen bagels are boiled before baking, which creates that thick, tough skin that you've got to bite through to get to the soft and tender aromatic interior. So, tall, chewy outside, tender within, with a really good wheat flavor and a touch of sweetness, made by folks who know what they're doing and eaten by folks who appreciate that.

So on a trip to NYC 2 summers ago, someone recommended Essa Bagels. It was my first true nyc bagel experience and it was amazing! Since then we have ordered from Essa via goldbelly.com. There are often promos they offer for new customers to make the delivery of bagels surprisingly affordable!

A lifelong Montrealer friend took me and my son to a bagel place in the Mile End district a few years back. It was the type of place that had a line in the evening while they churned out fresh-baked treats--its was good stuff! Montreal has some deep culinary roots and old neighborhoods that often engender NYC comparisons.

We used to go to Litbergs in Chicago around 10pm and get the bagles when they came out of the oven .. blew up the transmission on my Opel Kadet when 13 of us piled in it and went over there..

GG

I think the NY versus Montreal bagel debate is a tale of two bagels that share a name and general shape, but little else! Montreal bagels are boiled in water with honey, so come out a tad sweeter; they also use malt syrup in the making, which NY don't. Montreal bagel by tradition are baked in wood burning ovens, giving them a smokey and crispy texture/crunch/taste differential. Also, Montreal bagels have bigger holes and are a touch smaller, meaning they aren't really as good for a sandwich (IMHO) but are great with just a spread. NY bagelries have a wide range of flavors, all standard (e.g.: plain, egg, sesame, everything, onion, garlic, wheat, so forth), while most Montreal bagelries have five or six "flavors" which can be unique (all have poppy seed and sesame seed, the main flavors, but you can find muesli bagels, flax bagels, et al as each place has its own specialties!).

While I think Nancy's has gotten better over the years, I haven't yet found anything in Louisville that can compare to either a NY or a Montreal version!

I think the NY versus Montreal bagel debate is a tale of two bagels that share a name and general shape, but little else! Montreal bagels are boiled in water with honey, so come out a tad sweeter; they also use malt syrup in the making, which NY don't. Montreal bagel by tradition are baked in wood burning ovens, giving them a smokey and crispy texture/crunch/taste differential. Also, Montreal bagels have bigger holes and are a touch smaller, meaning they aren't really as good for a sandwich (IMHO) but are great with just a spread. NY bagelries have a wide range of flavors, all standard (e.g.: plain, egg, sesame, everything, onion, garlic, wheat, so forth), while most Montreal bagelries have five or six "flavors" which can be unique (all have poppy seed and sesame seed, the main flavors, but you can find muesli bagels, flax bagels, et al as each place has its own specialties!).

While I think Nancy's has gotten better over the years, I haven't yet found anything in Louisville that can compare to either a NY or a Montreal version!

That was a nice analysis. I never realized there was such an expansive art behind this.

Opel Kadet...

Wow. Had forgotten about those.

Living in NYC, even for just four or five years, has really spoiled me for bagels. I don't think anyplace in town has ever hit the target.

Has anyone made bagels at home? Recipe in The Bread Bible has me intrigued and so I intend to buy some “Non-Diastatic Malt Powder” from King Arthur. Apparently, that’s a key ingredient. Will use LWC water.

Has anyone made bagels at home? Recipe in The Bread Bible has me intrigued and so I intend to buy some “Non-Diastatic Malt Powder” from King Arthur. Apparently, that’s a key ingredient. Will use LWC water.

If you are successful, please post the recipe! I've managed a decent bialy, but for some reason bagels are just beyond my skill level ;-(