Why You Should Par-Bake Bagels Before Freezing

From the taste and texture to the amazing aroma, there's nothing quite like a fresh, hot bagel. But if you're storing your fully cooked bagels in the freezer for later, it may be a challenge to replicate that experience. However, Matt Pomerantz, the founder of Zucker's Bagels & Smoked Fish in New York, has the solution: par-baking, a method his shops use so that they can ship fresh bagels across the United States.

"What's beautiful about the par-baked bagel is that you can enjoy a hot and fresh NYC bagel experience in your home kitchen," Pomerantz said. "We hand-roll, kettle-boil and partially-bake our bagels, then freeze them immediately for freshness. You keep them in your freezer and bake them up as needed, one at a time or the entire package."

While Pomerantz uses this method at Zucker's, it's also a great and convenient way to ensure you have a fresh bagel every time at home. Par-baking is simply the process of baking the bagel only partially before storing it. The technique can also be used for other baked goods like pie crusts, pizza crusts, or other breads. Just make your preferred bagel recipe, and once they've baked long enough to form a solid base, remove them from the oven, allow them to cool, and then freeze them. They can then be baked to perfection any time, without any staleness or dryness in sight.

Being mindful of best practices for freezing is key for your bagels to turn out beautifully when you do the final bake. Be sure to let par-baked bagels cool completely before you store them, and if you're planning to store more than one in a container, you may want to consider flash-freezing them or separating them with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking. As for what to store them in, Matt Pomerantz suggests bagging them. "We freeze our bagels in a heavy duty resealable plastic bag — this is what we ship bagels in, so people can enjoy fresh bagels and freeze what they don't use," he said.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can also use bags that are vacuum-sealed to extend the life of the bagels and minimize the chance of freezer burn (or use this method to seal bags without a vacuum). If you choose this method, try laying them out flat in a single layer and freezing first to prevent them from becoming misshapen.

Once you're ready to enjoy your par-baked bagels, you can pop them right into a preheated oven straight from the freezer. Pomerantz recommends baking Zucker's bagels for 10 to 14 minutes, but the time for homemade bagels may vary, depending on how long the initial bake time was and the temperature at which you're baking them. Just keep an eye on them and your scratch-made bagels will be perfectly chewy, and all set for toppings or fillings.