Irresistible Bagel Toast (your new favorite snack!)

bagel toast is a satisfying snack

You know, there’s summer snacking, and then there’s winter snacking, and they’re very different animals. Summer snacking is light and airy…sometimes a summer snack is hardly any calories at all. Winter snacking’s not that. Winter snacks have to have some substance because, well, it’s cold out there, and cold makes you hungry. Not sure why, but it’s a fact. These hearty bagel toasts are definitely on team winter.

move over avocado toast!

Bagel toast starts with top quality, really fresh bagels, so don’t settle. Most large supermarkets have bakeries that make bagels, and most towns have a great bagel store.

to toast, or not to toast?

• Purists say a truly fresh bagel should be eaten untoasted so you can appreciate the chewy crust and soft interior. New Yorkers in particular will tell you that toasting is only for day-old bagels.
• The rest of us happily toast away, because a little heat brings out the flavor, crisps the cut surface, and creates the perfect contrast with cream cheese, butter, or melted toppings. In other words: fresh = try it plain, day-old = toast it, and always follow your own pleasure.

the schmears

The first layer on any bagel toast is the schmear: A schmear is a generous, unapologetic swipe of cream cheese (or anything spreadable) on a bagel ~ not a polite little layer, but a full, luxurious slather.

The word comes from Yiddish shmirn, meaning “to spread,” and made its way into New York deli culture in the early 20th century along with bagels, lox, and all the good things.

bagel toppings

• Crumbled feta cheese
• Goat cheese crumbles
• Roast beef
• Black forest ham
• Baby arugula
• hard cooked eggs
• Smoked salmon

I also used olives, cherry tomatoes, sprouts, thinly sliced red onions and hot peppers, chopped beets, fresh herbs, cucumber and Granny Smith apple slices ~ even fresh berries.