Bagel Doughnut Difference

Some of you may have wondered what exactly the difference is between these two popular bakery goods.

Bagel:

As the origin of this pastry dates back to Jewish traditions, originally it was made only with unleavened dough in order to be kosher and comply with Jewish food standards.

As the recipe was also adopted into the product portfolio at regular bakeries, also sourdough was used for its making. New York with its numerous Jewish population is still the stronghold of bagel production and said to have the best bagels in the world. Alledgedly the secret for Gotham’s supremacy in bagel making is the Big Apple’s water quaility, but of course there’s much more to it:

….But New York’s bagel supremacy has far more to do with production practices than water quality. Gotham’s bagelries typically poach the bagels prior to baking them — the bagels spend a few minutes simmering in a pot of water before entering the dry heat of an oven. That pre-gelatinization process produces a chewy interior, and slightly changes the flavor of the finished product… New York’s Bagels…

bagel – understated and tasty

Doughnut:

As American cuisine favors most of all fat, salt and sugar, it is not surprising that a doughnut might be seen as a sugary bastardization of the bagel. Although shapes are similar, a doughnut clearly outscores a bagel calorywise, which btw is not easy. A doughnut can be seen as a pimped bagel as it not only comes with a powerful calorycount, but also in glossy and flashy design and sticky sugarfillings.

doughnuts – you eat with your eyes first

pictures: openclipart.org