American emigres to Australia have long decried the lack of decent bagels. But self-taught pandemic bakers in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide are filling the hole
‘If I had the money and space to build a wood-fired baking oven, I absolutely would.’ Sam Terry serves up bagels at Small Talk in Dulwich Hill, NSW. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian
In Australia, I’ve enjoyed incredible sourdough loaves, satisfying freshly made gözleme on Melbourne’s Smith Street and the insanely fluffy focaccia at Hope St Radio. But none of it quite made up for the paucity of decent bagels – or the plenty of disappointing ones.“There is a serious lack of good and affordable bagels here,” says Annie Friedman, who moved to Adelaide from the east coast of the US two years ago.
derived from wood ash leached into water, commonly used in pretzel making. It creates a chemical reaction, heating the water to a high temperature without boiling, and also contributes to the “golden-brown crisp skin” – a bagel must-have.Another unique aspect of Small Talk’s sourdough bagels is the significant percentage of rye flour used.
Caporn worked at a cafe where the bagels were popular with customers – but the baker who supplied them went out of business. In lockdown, with baking advice from fellow baker and former Sibling colleague Duncan Reid, Caporn tinkered with sourdough bagels, enjoying the slow process of feeding the starter, then spending a day mixing, proofing and shaping the bagels, then cold-proofing them overnight. On the third day, he’d boil and bake them.