What do you expect to find on an Everything Bagel?

Cafe Society
#1

Of course an everything bagel doesn’t truly feature everything but what do you expect it to include?
Suppose you were to walk into a bagel shop where you’ve never been before. Without looking at the bagels on display, you order an Everything Bagel. What do you expect to get?

From a life’s experience, I would always expect both poppy seeds and sesame seeds. I would hope also for garlic and onion, maybe salt. I certainly would not expect to be served a bagel with poppy, sesame, garlic, onion, chocolate chips, blueberries, sundried tomatoes, jalapenos . . .

What’s the minimum, what are the standards that you would expect for a bagel shop to justify calling a bagel an Everything Bagel?

#2

Enlightenment

#3

My idea of the “everything” bagel is poppy and sesame seeds, and onion and/or garlic. I’ve seen caraway seeds, too, but I’m not a fan.

#4

Garlic, onion, salt, sesame and poppy seeds.

#5

I’ll go with my authority on all things baked: “poppy and sesame seeds, dried onion, garlic, and salt”

#6

Definitely poppy and sesame seeds and onion. It’ll probably have salt, too, though I don’t actually care about that. Garlic would be good too, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was absent.

Beyond those five I can’t think of anything.

#7

sesame seeds, poopy seeds, onion, maybe garlic, some of that coarse salt; flax seeds are also normally seen on whole wheat-everything.

#8

I’m not peeking at the other answers.

Poppy, sesame, onion and, if I’m lucky, garlic.
ETA: Salt! I forgot one.

#9

Agree with the others - onion, garlic, poppy, sesame, salt.

#11

Garlic, salt, onion and maybe poppy seeds.

#12

Definitely poppy, sesame, onion, and salt. Maybe garlic.

#13

Agreed - if it’s missing any of those it’s not an everything bagel.

#14

Agreed that it has to have those 5 things.

Do any of you call them mishmosh bagels, or is that just an around here thing?

I prefer mine without the poopy seeds, thanks.

#15

Say “everything” bagel to me and I automatically think:

dried onion
dried garlic
poppy seeds
sesame seeds
maybe a little salt (not a deal breaker if there’s none)

Anything else is a bonus. Those four/five ingredients is the classic everything as I know it.

I have one in the toaster right now :slight_smile:

#16

I like when they have sunflower seeds mixed into the batter. I think Pepperidge Farms are with the sunflower seeds.

#17

I understand that some people can take or leave the salt, but that’s my favorite thing about Everything bagels.

A salt bagel is TOO salty for me. The amount on an Everything bagel is just right. Ditto garlic, though I’m not as actively disappointed when garlic is missing than when salt is.

Damn. Now I really want a bagel, but the bagel shop on my block has turned into a Persian restaurant. Their food’s great and they’re good neighbors and I’m glad they’re here, but…no bagels.

#18

Yeah, the main five: salt, onion, garlic, and sesame and poppy seeds. I don’t see any of them being optional, though. Other spices that would go with those, like rosemary or thyme, I guess. Although I’m not a cook so maybe those would clash.

If they had bits of sun dried tomatoes and/or jalapenos, I don’t think you could complain.

Blueberries and chocolate chips are right out, though.

#19

I expect, at a bare minimum:
Poppy seed
Sesame seed
Onion
Garlic

I hope for but too rarely find:
Salt
Caraway

#20

The concept never occurred to me before this thread (as we just don’t have bagel shops around here), but I’d like a go. I guess it would have butter, cream cheese, jelly, and peanut butter. Those are all the things I ever see people put on bagels.

And it seems I am totally wrong. Are you guys actually talking about topping or things in the bagel dough? What you guys describe sounds like it would go great with a pizza bagel.

#21

In case I am not being whooshed:

An Everything bagel is a type of bagel with a topping of “everything”:

An everything bagel with olive cream cheese is heaven!