In terms of bread, is there a bread more bread-like, bringing more pure, unadulterated bread pleasure, than a bagel?

The answer is obvious, but as this is a blog let’s talk around the subject a bit before giving the answer about 400 words further down the page.

Numbers first. A normal, workaday roll comes in at a modest 133 calories. A bagel packs more than twice the calorific punch, coming in at an impressive 289 calories.

These raw, inarguable stats, are at the heart of the bagel’s appeal.

But the bagel isn’t just a heavyweight bread – it is also the most delightful to have and to hold.

As with all the best designs, the bagel’s perfect composition has a utilitarian purpose that would have the Bauhaus lads purring. The hole in the middle provides more surface to allow the thing to bake more quickly and has the added advantage…