We've been daydreaming about bagels ever since our discussion of chewy versus soft last week. A good bagel is really a blank slate for so many delicious toppings. What's your favorite?
Culinary Blank Slate: The Bagel
Our litmus test for any new bagel we come across is always simple cream cheese, plain and with no add-ins. We like a relatively thin layer - enough so that you get a good creaminess in every bite, but not so much that the bagel gets lost. Because, for us, the bagel is really the whole point.
We'll also never turn down a bagel with lox. The cool, tender salmon on top of a still-warm bagel is just so heavenly.
Leftover bagels also provide their own host of possibilities. We love making them into sandwiches, especially of the breakfast variety. We also never outgrew the charm of little bagel pizzas cooked in the toaster oven. And we happen to believe that a toasted bagel with sweet butter and a little jam makes one of the best afternoon snacks around.
But this is really only just the beginning! What do you like to put on your bagel?
Related: Best Burger Toppings
(Image: Flickr member stevendepolo licensed under Creative Commons)
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This may be totally weird, but I really like cucumber on a bagel. No cream cheese, just cucumber.
view maggie (p/c)'s profile
When I was little my grandpa would go out for bagels on Sundays and my mom would make bacon...I'd put a schmear of cream cheese on a still warm bagel and top it with crispy bacon- yummy.
view BrooklynBaker's profile
Minimalist. I like them toasted with butter, or toasted with plain cream cheese. They get to be a little much for me in the chewy bread department when made into sandwiches, though, unless they're done open-faced.
I also like them with a layer of cheese on top, toasted until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
view ShellyIN's profile
Butter on a toasted bagel is my simple favorite.
view hobsy's profile
Veggie cream cheese and sliced tomato with a generous amount of salt n pepper.
view jess pith's profile
A little bit of cream cheese, crushed red pepper, some sliced green onions, maybe even some additional hot sauce and avocado if I have some. All on (preferably) one of my mom's homemade asiago cheese bagels. What? Overkill, you think? Oh, I almost forgot about the cilantro!
view Peggasus's profile
a little cream cheese, homemade pesto and thick slices of really good tomatoes.
view dawnie's profile
Butter AND cream cheese! Feels so decadent, but SO good, esp. on a toasted bagel. I also like them with Havarti cheese, in the toaster oven to melt the cheese. Mmmm...
view Brooklynnina's profile
everything bagel with cream cheese, avocado, and sea salt. delish.
view fardaesm's profile
I really like my bagels toasted with hummus. So tasty...
view 86themilk's profile
I like them with stone-ground mustard, a nutty cheese, and some spring mix or other fresh greens.
view heather77's profile
Hummus, peanut butter and honey and cinnamon, or cured/smoked salmon. Yes, please!
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view eprewitt's profile
I love them topped with cream cheese and sliced strawberries
view lsk's profile
I like just plain cream cheese and a slice of tomato. Or hummus with cucumbers is also delicious.
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view footballfoodie's profile
Toasted with peanut butter. The peanut butter kind of melts into the bagel...mmmm.
Also a coffee shop near me makes a great bagel with cream cheese, spinach, and yeast. Really, it's delicious!
view Shana Lee's profile
Philadelphia Strawberry Cream Cheese - lightly toasted, just a bit of warmth to melt the cheese slightly.
view zeven13's profile
Bagels with cream cheese (or better yet a spreadable goat cheese) with sliced tomato, onion, and capers. If I'm feeling for something extra, either olives or chunks of avocado.
view indivara 's profile