There are those who say if you want to know the secret to making a great bagel, you have to learn at the foot of a master — you know, one of the three or four remaining old-timers, who practice their dark arts deep in the recesses of Montreal and Brooklyn. Others cite that old urban legend about New York City tap water, without which Bay Area bagel makers might as well be attempting alchemy.
But according to Dan Graf, there’s nothing magical about the process — just hard work and some good old-fashioned science. The 27-year-old self-taught baker’s new one-man operation, Baron Baking, is the latest bagel purveyor to make waves in the East Bay — Baron Baking is now the sole bagel supplier for both Saul’s Restaurant & Delicatessen and Chop Bar, and his bagels will also be available at the new Uptown sandwich shop, Stag’s Lunchette, when it opens next week.
Oh, and Graf’s bagels are pretty delicious.
Dan Graf rolling out a fresh batch of bagels. Credits: Baron Baking A plain Baron Baking bagel. Credits: Luke Tsai
