The Bagel Slicing Hack For A Hearty Layered Sandwich

According to the internet, the way one prepares and enjoys a bagel is serious business. Recently, a TikTok went viral featuring an LA native visiting New York and asking for a "scooped" bagel. Viewers quickly turned on the tourist who was looking to rip out the contents of a perfectly good bagel to make way for more cream cheese and toppings. While many were shocked that this method of removing the inside of a bagel even exists, the TikToker's dilemma does ring true to fans of a bagel sandwich. While a dense, delicious bagel can make for an incredibly enjoyable eating experience, oftentimes the slippery contents of your sandwich will fall out due to the thick dough. Fortunately for bagel sandwich fans, there are other techniques for optimizing the contents of your sandwich without resorting to the unpopular "scooping" method.

Consider slicing your bagel into thinner layers to allow a more even distribution of sandwich contents and bread. Instead of simply cutting your bagel in half, try slicing both halves again and stacking toppings in between each layer of the baked good. When you slice and layer your bagel sandwich, you optimize the toppings-to-bread ratio without discarding any of the dough. Classic bagel lovers may find the slicing and layering method a bit strange at first, but after one bite, the savvy hack is sure to win over even the born and raised New Yorkers who swear by their traditional bagel preparation.

Most people know pizza bagels as the bite-sized toaster oven treat you can find in the frozen aisles of the grocery store. Or, maybe you've eaten your fair share of makeshift personal pizzas made on a bagel cut in half when you were craving a taste of cheese and pepperoni and there was no other pizza crust readily available. But TikToker @foodforthought1 totally changed the game by using the bagel-slicing hack to make a layered pizza bagel that balances the ratio of sauce, cheese, and hearty bagel dough. They begin by slicing an everything bagel into four slices and adding sauce, cheese, and various veggies to three of the four layers (leaving the very top bagel for the end). The bagel layers are baked and then stacked on top of each other, reconstructing the form of a bagel. A stacked pizza bagel sandwich is a brilliant way to enjoy all of that delicious dough without any toppings spilling off the top or out the sides of your baked good.

Each layer gets a helping of sauce, cheese, and a topping of choice, making it a little pizza in its own right: some may say this slicing hack turns your ordinary bagel into a triple-decker pizza sandwich. If you try this hack for yourself, be sure to use a serrated bread knife and practice extra caution; cutting bagels into extra thin slices can be tricky if you aren't careful.

There are tons of different flavors of bagel, from classics like white and wheat to eccentric bagel flavors like cannoli french toast and Flamin' Hot Cheetos (yes, it exists). All of these flavors call for unique sandwich possibilities, both sweet, savory, and everything in between.

Take the classic bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich to the next level by adding a thin layer of bagel in between each topping. An egg prepared over easy and placed towards the top of your bagel will let the yolk drip into each layer of sandwich, making for a perfect bite of savory breakfast goodness. If you're looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, add layers of peanut butter, jam, marshmallow fluff, and even slices of berries or bananas to a sweet-flavored bagel. It might taste like dessert, but you can snack on this creation any time. Plus, traditional sandwich recipes like a club sandwich or even a four-cheese grilled cheese can easily get the sliced bagel sandwich makeover as well.

When deciding how to place each ingredient within your bagel stack, keep the traditional sandwich-building methods in mind: Denser toppings like meats and heavy veggies should still stay towards the bottom, while lighter toppings like cheese and spreads can be added towards the top. It also might be wise to add a subtle layer of spread to each inner layer of your bagel to ensure it doesn't end up too dry.