In Praise of the Sunday Bagel

There are fewer more hallowed New York City traditions than the Sunday morning bagel, usually accompanied by the Sunday crossword puzzle and either an extra-spicy Bloody Mary or fresh-squeezed orange juice.

But here's where I have something to confess. I kind of like tofu cream cheese. I hated it at first, but now I've come to enjoy the somewhat odd, just slightly sour taste of the cream-cheese substitute (though it can vary widely from brand to brand and store to store). So my Sunday bagel of choice? An everything bagel with scallion cream cheese or scallion tofu.

People, naturally, vary widely in their bagels of choice. I had a friend from L.A. who once offered to bring the bagels to an early-morning road trip and then left me agog when he pulled out cinnamon-raisin bagels with cream cheese and grape jelly. My father always makes sure he always buys at least one or two pumpernickel bagels for himself in a dozen, which no one else will touch. He'll toast them and eat them plain. (I can't stand bagels that are toasted when they're fresh.) My brother keeps to the blandest bagels he can (plain or sesame, never poppyseed) and has them with butter if anything, if I remember correctly. I remember myself going through a sundried-tomato phase at one point. (With plain cream cheese.)

I've also been experimenting with making my own bagels at home during the cold seasons the past couple of years. (I shuttle between the Mark Bittman How to Cook Everything and Cook's Illustrated Baking Cookbook recipes.) I've been adding more egg yolk each time, and at least half are everything bagels, so I suppose my favorite bagels to make myself are everything-egg bagels.

Anyway, what's your Sunday bagel of choice? If you make bagels at home, what are your tricks and tips?

By Michael Y. Park

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