NYC: Bagel-Making Class with Award-Winning Baker (UWS)

Step into the heart of New York City’s bagel culture with a hands-on baking class at Fairway Market’s 74th Street Café. Your experience begins with a warm welcome and casual icebreaker to get to know your fellow bagel enthusiasts. Then, an award-winning baker will guide you through the classic rope-and-loop bagel rolling technique—a skill you’ll quickly put to use as you roll at least six of your own bagels from scratch.

Next, you'll watch a dough-making demonstration that reveals the building blocks of every great bagel. While the dough rests, you’ll dive into Part I of the bagel’s rich history, from its Polish origins to the rise of the Bagel Bakers’ Union in mid-20th-century NYC.

Then, it’s time to bring the dough to life. You’ll learn how boiling and seeding define the New York bagel’s iconic texture and taste, and you'll do it yourself—boiling and seeding your bagels with guidance from your instructor. Between stages of dough development, we’ll continue our storytelling journey into the modern bagel era, covering everything from cream cheese culture to the invention of the bagel rolling machine.

Finally, you’ll enjoy your freshly baked creations with gourmet spreads, smoked fish, and classic accompaniments in a group tasting. The experience ends with a light-hearted bagel trivia quiz to see what you’ve learned—and to send you home with at least 6 bagels, the recipe, and skills to repeat the process at home.