by Lynn Cline on
THE LINE OUTSIDE Kaufman’s Coffee and Bagels, in Albuquerque, stretches around the corner as customers await New York–style versions with a New Mexico twist—a crackly crust, a chewy interior, and flavors such as green chile cheddar, red chile, and blue corn. Once inside the small shop, they eagerly peer through the view window into the tiny kitchen to watch the magic happen, as bagels are shaped, boiled, then baked to perfection in a process that takes three days. After ordering, the crowd grabs tables and relishes toasted bagels slathered with a creamy schmear.
“I sell between 450 to 500 bagels a day in this little 900-square-foot shop,” says David Kaufman, who learned the traditional art in New York City, where Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe first brought their bagel recipe to Lower Manhattan in the early 20th century. After a long career as a pastry chef, he opened Kaufman’s two years ago on Central Avenue, near Old Town. His timing was good. “Bagels and bagel shops are becoming more popular in New Mexico,” Kaufman says. “I can see it in my sales. People are moving here from the East Coast and missing a good bagel from New York.”
What makes a good bagel is a question mired in personal preference, culinary science, and cultural pride. Regional “bagel war” arguments, which take place online and in person, would have you believe superior spheres are only made in the Big Apple—whether due to altitude, water content, or tradition. But the continuing success of Kaufman’s and several other New Mexico bagel shops suggests otherwise. I asked a handful of local ringers—including fresh spots on historic Route 66, an exciting new eatery in Eldorado, and a Rio Rancho favorite—how they managed to crack the Land of Enchantment bagel code and make them their own.
According to some aficionados, the secret to excellent bagels starts with the water they’re boiled in. New Yorkers believe their city water’s low mineral content is ideal for creating a crispier crust and more tender insides. “There’s a little truth to it, like wine making,” Kaufman says. In this regard, New Mexico’s hard water, which contains high-alkaline calcium and magnesium, puts us at a disadvantage. This slows the fermentation process and tightens the gluten in the dough, resulting in a tougher bagel. However, water isn’t everything, according to Kaufman: “It’s mostly the method and the ingredients that make a good bagel.”
Frenchy Alicea, who opened Alicea’s New York Bagels & Subs in a Rio Rancho strip mall 13 years ago, dismisses the water theory outright. “The New York City water thing is a myth,” he says one recent morning between breakfast and lunch shifts. His old-school shop sports square tables, Formica tiles, and wire bins full of fresh-baked bagels. “Because you have a lot of hard water in New Mexico, the alkalinity needs to be adjusted with lye or baking soda,” he adds. “You really have to know how to calculate that.”
Alicea learned to make bagels from a Brooklyn baker as a teenager in Norwalk, Connecticut. From one bite of his green chile bagel—with a crispy crust, slight chew, and spicy-sweet flecks of roasted chile—it’s clear he’s got the science down.
AT SUNDAY BAGELS, WHICH STARTED AS a popular pop-up and now has a nearly completed 1,500-square-foot brick-and-mortar down the street from Kaufman’s, co-owners Nick Fitzgerald and Bobby Nolan have found another solution to New Mexico’s hard water. “An expensive water filter helps,” Fitzgerald says with a wry smile.
But water isn’t their only hurdle. The duo usually tests recipes multiple times due to changing conditions. “You can’t predict the weather,” he says. “The dough might come up a little wet if it’s humid, causing it to stick to the counter. You’re always battling the elements.”
The battle for a better bagel led Kandie Kingery to open Bite Me Bakery & Café, in Eldorado, near Santa Fe, in June. “I set out to take on the challenge that everyone says there are no good bagels in New Mexico,” she says. “I thought, It’s a bagel. How hard can it be to make? Turns out, it’s very hard.”
In search of an Old-World, artisanal recipe, Kingery dove deep into research and discovered the Bagel Bakers Local 338, a trade union established in New York City in the early 1900s. She developed her own recipe in the style of traditional New York bagels, which requires a two-day process of fermenting, boiling, and baking. Then she connected with a 92-year-old woman who was a member of the New York union to help adjust her bagel recipe for New Mexico.
The result is bagels (including all-vegan and gluten-free options) made with poolish dough, a preferment like a sponge dough, that originated in Poland. She boils them in baking soda instead of the traditional lye to offset the water’s alkalinity, thereby creating an ideal crackly crust and a slightly chewy yet soft interior. For her bagel toppings, Kingery found inspiration closer to home with rosemary and garlic, and Christmas, combining red and green chile.
The Sunday Bagels owners have also looked beyond the East Coast for technique and flavors. “Our bagels are a cross between Montreal and California bagels,” says Fitzgerald. Montreal bagels are boiled with honey, and Sunday Bagels uses agave for that sweet touch. They eschew the traditional hand-rolling method.
“For the New York–style bagel, they use a snake method,” says Fitzgerald, describing a hand-rolled dough formed into a snake, or string, that fits around the hand and is rolled back and forth until the ends are joined and sealed. “We don’t do that because we feel like it pushes out too much air.” Instead, Fitzgerald balls the dough after it’s proofed. “We hand-punch them,” he says. “It gives a more consistent looking bagel. We want to make the best-looking bagel.”
Sunday Bagels are indeed gorgeous—rustic but artfully crafted—but it’s the phenomenal flavors that set them apart. Seasonal flavors include lemon blueberry, black sesame harissa, and red chile honey; and specialty spreads range from maple date to dill and lemon, and a medley of veggie ingredients are sourced from Albuquerque’s Downtown Growers’ Market. “The reaction has been overwhelming,” says Nolan, who notes that the green chile cheddar is the most popular.
Blending innovation and adaptability with regional ingredients, these artisan bakers are fueling New Mexico’s bagel boom. “The beautiful thing about bagel making here is seeing locals try them out,” Alicea says. “They’ll start with the green chile flavor, and that will open the door to the world of bagels.”