Recipes and more delivered to your inbox! They found that there was indeed a difference in pH levels. Now whenever people talk of pH we’re measuring acidity (it’s a measure of the “H+”, hence the pH and yeah, there’s something called a pOH also, which would measure the basicness). Well let’s go through it together (I hope you brought your thinking hats on today). https://foodary.com/164/acid-alkaline-baked-products-food-chart Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. pH level is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. the rising agents would not affect the texture. It's not like Thomas that you have to toast it, instead it's edible and white, like Wonder Bread, on the inside (the inside of the bread that is). Do you remember the Maillard reaction? New York water, reports Gizmodo, has lower levels of calcium carbonate and magnesium . A longer rest makes a lighter, more open, bagel and a shorter rest makes bagels that are a too dense, 10-12 hours gave me that characteristic texture I was looking for. But Formoli learned about a secret ingredient from Graf: lye, or sodium hydroxide. Well happens to be we really don’t cook a lot with bases. We actually spoke about it a loooong time ago, and quick review – the Maillard reaction for all intents and purposes is responsible for any browning that goes on in the kitchen. The theory behind an alkaline diet is that, when you eat a less-acidic diet, your body (specifically the kidneys) has to do less to help you maintain the optimal pH. While waiting, preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F and bring a large pot of water to a boil, then reduce heat to just below a simmer. Just don't skimp on the barley malt. Another sticking point is the water’s pH. But more on this another time.). Your welcome. It would open up another spot to accept that positive charge, and make it a stronger base (It still won’t be as strong as lye, but it’s a start). A more basic or acidic liquid disrupts fermentation and the way proteins in the mixture denature, causing the dough to become sluggish or throw off the flavor. And what is that white butter that tastes nothing like … A lab analysis revealed that New York water did have a different pH level and lower amounts of calcium carbonate and magnesium than other cities, but also tested the pH levels in the finished bagels they baked, and found a minuscule difference between those made in … The only thing I can come up with is, when people say that the water is different, they mean the water is “harder.” Hard water is water that has more dissolved minerals in it, specifically calcium and magnesium, which readily make calcium carbonate scales (hence the build up that comes with hard water), and that “carbonate” part is very similar to the “bi-carbonate” part of our sodium bicarbonate. The problem is, I couldn’t just look up a recipe, and make it, I had to understand what I was doing. In fact traditional bagels and pretzels are made with a compound called lye (NaOH), which is a very strong base, and has to be handled with gloves, because it is corrosive. Lastly, America's Test Kitchen tested the pH levels in the bagels after they'd fermented (yes, their recipe leaves the bagels out overnight to ferment -- this in fact is actually one of the reasons New York City bagels are so great) and the difference was miniscule. Is that a New York bagel? Graf explains that even a very small amount of lye — at a concentration that’s entirely safe to handle — dramatically increases the pH level of the water, resulting in a crispier, browner crust. Ok if you look at water, which we all know is H20, it’s amazingly compromised of one H+ part and another OH- part (that’s the base part). Your lungs and kidneys are the major organs responsible for controlling your blood pH. (where they are located). ), they are then boiled in water for a short period of time, and then baked in the oven. This is a crucial step in making NYC bagels. Furthermore, for many people with severe reflux, though the good-foods-for-reflux diet may be limited, for the first two weeks of the reflux diet, we recommend only eating foods that are pH 5 or above. 2 Laminated enlarged color pH scales, refer to figure 8 for photograph Handouts ' You are what you eat: pH in food!' Student's Materials. Now whenever people talk of pH we’re measuring acidity (it’s a measure of the “H+”, hence the p H and yeah, there’s something called a pOH also, which would measure the basicness). Well if you ever ask someone about bagels and where they originated, or where the best place to get one is, they would probably answer you the best bagels are from New York, and because the “water is different there.” Has anyone stopped for a second and thought about that? This explains why in other metropolitan locales with harder water, the bagels come out tougher -- the hardness of the water toughens up the gluten. Ok so now that we have a stronger base, we can go on to making our bagels…but it’ll have to wait. Water has a neutral pH of 7.0. Remember the pH acidity scale is logarithmic, so that pH 4 is ten-times (10x) as acidic as pH 5. Brooklyn Bagels is at Brooklyn Bagels . Ok if you look at water, which we all know is H20, it’s amazingly compromised of one H+ part and another OH- part (that’s the base part). They figured out that, yes, the water in New York City does make a difference, but tweaking the PH levels of San Francisco tap water helps approximate it. What it looks like is that more general degrees (i.e., PhD, Master’s, Bachelor’s) are getting liked the least, which I think might have to do with their lack of specificity — you could be studying anything from dance to chemical engineering, so your area of study is probably more important to bagels than your level … And can you find that type of bagel in supermarkets. They have a water filtration system inside specifically designed to replicate the pH levels of New York water. The scale ranges from 1 to 14, with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. Blood pH may range from 7.35 to 7.45, but the pH value is really quite tightly controlled by the body. They have a water filtration system designed to replicate the pH levels of New York water! When you are almost ready to bake preheat the oven to 200C(390F). This explains why in other metropolitan locales with harder water, the bagels come out tougher -- the hardness of the water toughens up the gluten. After extensive research, Rosen decided to alter the water he uses for boiling bagels to mimic the pH level of northeastern water. Baking bread? This behemoth of a book (which I’m already on round 2 by the way) is incredible, and un paralleled in food science. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Anything with a pH above 7.0 is considered alkaline, or basic, with the highest level of alkalinity being 14.0. The intermediate value of 7.0 indicates a neutral position on the scale. I meant that the NY bagels are different because of the unique rising agents. He credits his “signature crust and chew that defines a traditional bagel” to small details. Simple enough right? The most popular explanation for NY bagels' glory is the New York City water. There’s like a billion pages, and it’s full of really useful information, which you’d probably think is more boring than watching paint dry, and that’s where I come in. They have a great one to check out. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Water White bread (bagel, refer to figures 2 and 3 for photographs Turkey American cheese, refer to figure 4 for photograph Orange, refer to figure 5 for photograph Lemon, refer to figure 6 for photograph So what is it then that makes NYC bagels so glorious? Now as I said baking soda is not really a strong base, but the alternative to making good bagels at home is using lye, which as I said before is very caustic, and you’d have to order it online. Now here’s the part where we take a detour into chemistry land for a bit. I’m sure you’ve all heard of acids and bases, but for all of those who never took chemistry, here’s a quick run-down. wow, i feel like a Barrons Regent book just hit me in my head.. Oh man if only I could remember our chemistry teacher I would totally make some sort of joke with that, but alas, I can’t, harumph. Using a slotted spoon, lower a few bagels at a time into the water. After eating a specific type of bagel or brand of cream cheese, enter any symptoms of reflux you experience. ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. It also has to do with the fact that Jews lived there, and they were the bakers who brought over the bagel from the “old country”. That amount of steam contains less than a hundredth of … First of all, NYC water is around 7.2 ph, not that much different than most drinking water , which is never pure h2o Aaaaaaaaanyway – remember how we said that bases accept positive charges? Image by VectorStock. Well it turns out you can do that, and pretty easily. Shazimzam – Senor Chieftain Maillard once again. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic (such as lemon juice, which has a pH around 2) while solutions with a pH more than 7 are said to be basic or alkaline (such as ammonia, which has a pH … The only readily available base in your kitchen is baking soda. Our bodies have a pH level of around 7.4, and the food we eat can change our pH level in either direction. Natives -- like Larry King -- maintain that there is something in the water that makes their product impossible to replicate outside of the five boroughs. Ok where am I going with this? Baking Soda is Sodium BiCarbonate, which in chemistary-ese is – Na-HCO3. The best recipes, kitchen tips and genius food facts. Disclaimer – I’m a firm believer of the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle, so worry not. Considering the length of this post, I’m gonna stop here and continue with the actual making and baking of the bagels, hopefully tomorrow. Caption: Bagels being poached before baking. If you use steam on the other hand in that same 1 liter volume you’ll have less than 0.001kg of steam. you’re not sure what shape it is? Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes. First, the cooks at America's Test Kitchen whipped up a batch of bagels with water from Brooklyn and a batch with water from Brookline, Mass. If you are not aware of how the pH scale works: it is based on values from 0-14, with values from 0-6.9 indicating acidity, and those from 7.1-14 indicating alkalinity. I saw this in an article by Harold McGee, where he discusses how to make pretzels at home, and I figured I’d give it a try for bagels as well. Acids are those things that donate a positive charge (a proton, H+), and bases are those things that accept positive charges (-OH). I’m such an altruist. Place bagels on a lightly greased or lined baking tray. They put the theory to the test -- a few theories, actually -- and what they found was that it is indeed bogus. Which happens to not be such a strong base. So we’re trying to make bread, and specifically bagels, which are traditionally dark and hard on the outside, so it would make sense to somehow incorporate a basic substance in it so it browns better. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Bagels are harder to come by in these parts, ... Rosen’s founder has experience in fine dining and went as far as to alter the pH levels of Austin tap water to recreate a New York bagel. lower levels of calcium carbonate and magnesium, one of the reasons New York City bagels are so great. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Initially, I was too busy shoveling spoonfuls of caramelized shallot and bacon schmear into my mouth to notice the chew. The Cohens say this is the secret to creating a proper NY bagel. All that information led them to conclude that New York water can't take the credit for the finished product of the bagel. In this current world, where we can get whatever we want whenever we want it, why can't we get good bagels in every single city of these United States? pH level. They found that there was indeed a difference in pH levels. Graf explains that even a very small amount of lye — at a concentration that’s entirely safe to handle — dramatically increases the pH level of the water, resulting in a crispier, browner crust. Before you start your week tomorrow, end your weekend off right with Bagels Our specialty bagels today are Candy Cane (Rainbow) ️, Buckwheat, and Cranberry Orange Buy a delicious bag of our Three Bean blend from @norfolkcoffeeandtea for $11.99☕️ Gift cards available for purchase in store or online through our website! Photo credit: HaleySuzanne/Flickr. It may be useful to assign a number to your level of … Just take the baking soda and bake it. ( Log Out /  Some doctors and nutritionists believe that maintaining our body's pH level is essential to our health. According to Dianna Daoheung, executive baker at Black Seed Bagels, some bagel shops around the country often opt to ship New York water to their stores or install filtration systems to mirror the pH levels, attempting to replicate New York-style bagels as closely as possible. ( Log Out /  This may help you determine which types of bagels or cream cheese products are safe and which ones are triggers. The real secret to producing a NYC deli-quality bagel is boiling them in a baking soda solution prior to baking in the oven; doing so is what creates their signature texture and flavor, and aids in the browning process by increasing the surface PH … Controversially, they’re seeded only on the bottom. Anything below that is considered acidic, with 1.0 being the highest level of acidity. It’s not as strong as lye, but it is somewhat of an irritant, so I wouldn’t handle with bare hands, but you can just pour the baked baking soda directly into the simmering water. The real secret to producing a NYC deli-quality bagel is boiling them in a baking soda solution prior to baking in the oven; doing so is what creates their signature texture and flavor, and aids in the browning process by increasing the surface PH on of the dough. Well as we know, charges that are alike will repel each other, so the only place a positive charge can go to, is a negative spot. New York’s finest clocks in around 7.2 on the pH scale, or just about neutral (a pH of 7.0 is considered pure water). So it’s possible that in harder waters, it’s more basic, and therefore bagels boiled in that water, would then take a faster ride on the Maillard roller coaster, and give us bagels that are browned really nice. A new water filtration system says it can raise out-of-state bagels to New York levels. Pure water has a pH of 7. Awesome…ok wait, what exactly is a basic material? true. This easy-to-follow recipe yields a dense bagel with a nice level of chew, and a fantastic outer crust. With out getting too much into it, it looks something like this: Side point – this is me keeping it simple…yeah I have a problem. In answer to the question we said above about water being different. Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). Well for reasons outside of the scope of this blog (read – I have no idea), the Maillard reaction happens faster in a basic environment. And why were you talking about acidity? (FYI – This isn’t the same as caramelizing, like we do with onions. That’s exclusively a sugar reaction, as if you were making caramel with sugar and water (hence the name). However, what if we can get rid of that stupid pesky H that’s clinging for dear life to that O? While Noah’s Bagels, for example, cooks their pudgy orbs in steam ovens, real bagel purveyors boil and bake them separately. Any bagel eaten too far outside of the city limits (with the exception of Montreal) is usually a dense, brick round of dough that has to be toasted in order to become edible. When the bagels are ready fill a large saucepan with water and add the barley malt syrup and bring to the boil. This easy-to-follow recipe yields a dense bagel with a nice level of chew, and a fantastic outer crust. Change ). According to America's Test Kitchen, it's all about the recipe. But America's Test Kitchen doesn't buy that excuse. There's no disputing the greatness of New York City bagels. So it is slightly alkiline (although at that levels, it really doesn’t mean anything) ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  New York water, reports Gizmodo, has lower levels of calcium carbonate and magnesium. but, i could be mistaken. According to the LA Times, that's a crucial ingredient to replicating the Big Apple's recipe at home. So just trust me on this one, that means, that only the other 2 Os can accept positive charges. Their bagels are proofed overnight on wooden boards dusted with cornmeal (which imparts a thick crust), hand-rolled, boiled and baked. Caption: Bagels left out to ferment. You see, my passion addiction for cooking really hit full throttle when I picked up Harold McGee’s book On food and Cooking. Now if you look at the above picture, forget the Na+, and you’ll see there are three Os (which have negative charges), but one has an H on it already. The Maillard reaction includes proteins, which break down into it’s building blocks (amino acids) and react with sugar, and voila you got some tasty morsels. A blind side-by-side tasting proved no difference -- at all. The human body, its blood and all its liquid media have a measurable pH. Go ahead and try it, and enjoy great NYC bagels no matter where you are. This is why pure water is neither acidic nor basic, it’s neutral (which on the pH scale is a 7). The lye increases the pH level of the water the bagels are boiled in, which results in an extra-crisp, almost pretzel-like crust. Ok so bagels, what can be so complicated about it right? Ok, so maybe the “water being different” makes a difference. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Part of HuffPost Food & Drink. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Photo credit: najjie/Flickr. This makes a difference on several levels. If you’re boiling the bagels in a 1 liter pan of boiling water that water contains about 415kJ of energy. First, what makes a bagel a bagel – Bagels are rounds of dough, that generally shaped in the shape of a …bagel (really? Many people claim that the water in New York is what changes the taste of bagels, something that has been a frequent source of debate. If there’s one thing I’ve been wanting to make for some time now, it’s bagels. A tiny amount of lye dramatically increases the pH level of the water, Mr. Graf said, which results in the crispy brown crust. Anyway, all you have to do is take the baking soda and spread it on an even layer on a baking sheet, and bake for an hour at about 250 degrees. secondly, i am pretty sure that it also has to do with the rising agents, and the yeast in the air. And in regards to the yeast or rising agents, that would affect the amount of lift the bagel has, and it would also affect the flavor subtly (like with sourdough), but I don’t think it would affect the overall texture of the bread, and make it brown more or not. For one, it’s easier to create lather and suds with soft water. Next, they sent samples of both waters they used in their bagels to the lab. I do the reading so you don’t have to, and you can go back to watching Toddlers and Tiaras!