Bagel Bake-off

In a recent post, I raved about the bagels at Scratch. But how well do they stand up against the competition? My husband and I decided to find out. On a recent Sunday we made a visit to Scratch to pick up Poppy, Sesame and Plain bagels. We then hit Mr. Bagel (in Falmouth) for the same, adding a 1/2 pound of veggie tofu to our order (Scratch only has full fat cream cheese).

Destination home, to stage our bagel bake-off.

Thankfully, last fall I invested hours upon hours testing toasters that would crisp bagels to perfection, ultimately settling on the Kitchen Aid Pro Line toaster (featured on Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Carpoolers). I had the toaster, I had the bagels. And I had nothing better to do. Perfect. The verdict?

Sesame Bagels

Scratch's version was larger in diameter and flatter than Mr. Bagel's. Crispy, it was covered with plenty of cornmeal and sesame seeds. The bagel had delicious flavor; I'm guessing from the yellow tone of the bagel, that it is the result of eggs in the dough.

Mr. Bagel's version had a significantly stronger sesame flavor that typically comes from pre-toasting the seeds. Denser than Scratch's version, it was crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside.

This was a tough one. I'd call it a tie, each bagel having different, but equally enjoyable qualities.

Poppy Seed Bagel

The clear winner here was Scratch. Though Mr. Bagel covers their bagels in Poppy Seeds, the bagel was almost tasteless. Thick, doughy and tasteless.

Scratch's had fewer poppy seeds, but they were exploding with flavor. The bagel itself tastes more like the high quality bread you find at their bakery, as opposed to a traditional bagel. Think round, flat baguette. Yum.

Plain Bagel

Ditto the poppy experience, without the seeds.

Bottom Line

To accompany smoked salmon, capers, tomatoes and red onion, I would opt for Mr. Bagel's bagels, as they would not compete with the flavors of the other ingredients. They are also a bit less chewy than Scratch's bagels, making it easier to bite off a piece piled with fixings. For all other occasions, I'd stick with Scratch for a crisper, more flavorful bagel.

Bagel nirvana would be for Scratch to add low-fat or fat-free cream cheese options...and for ultimate bliss, creamy tofu vegetable spread.