The long roll.
After immersing ourselves in the history of the bagel right from the source, we decided that the streets of Sydney were in dire need of their very own bagelry, and from there, Smoking Gun was born.
Smoking Gun 1.0 (October 2015)
We started out with a New York style recipe. They were great. But everyone was doing NYC bagels, so what made us different?
Recipe: Water, flour, malt, salt, yeast, sugar.
Process: 12 hour cold proof time. Hand rolled, rack baked
Supply: Testing only.
Smoking Gun 1.1 (November 2015)
Montreal bagels. Smaller, sweeter, and chewier. Interesting, but we needed a wood fired oven to do it properly.
Recipe: Malt, yeast, flour, sugar, oil, egg, water,
Process: Zero proof time. Honey boiled, hand rolled, rack baked.
Supply: Testing only.
Smoking Gun 1.2 (February 2016)
The Frankenstein. A culmination of the NYC and Montreal recipes. Good, but the Montreal bagel traits were the clear winner.
Recipe: Malt, yeast, flour, salt, Sugar, oil, water, egg.
Process: 12 hour cold proof time. Honey boiled, hand rolled, rack baked.
Supply: Testing only.
Smoking Gun 1.3 (April 2016)
The first round of available to the public, wood fired goodness.
Recipe: Original Montreal recipe
Process: Zero proof time. Honey boiled, hand rolled, wood fired.
Supply: In store only. The Smoking Gun Bagelry was born.
Smoking Gun 1.4 (October 2016)
The modified Montreal - our bagels were rolling and Sydney was happy. But not all of Sydney - so we took out the egg, and swapped the honey with maple to make our Montreal bagels vegan friendly.
Recipe: Malt, yeast, flour, sugar, oil, water
Process: Zero proof time. Maple boiled, hand rolled, wood fired.
Supply: Smoking Gun Bagelry, select wholesale accounts and Carriageworks Farmers Market
Smoking Gun 1.5 (July 2018)
At this point, we love our bagels, you love our bagels, everyone’s happy. But we’re still always trying to improve - so we tweak our recipe to improve shelf stability, and make our seed application more sustainable and efficient.
Recipe: Malt, yeast, flour, sugar, saftem oil, water.
Process: Zero proof time. Maple boiled, hand rolled, wood fired.
Supply: Smoking Gun Bagelry, select wholesale accounts and Carriageworks Farmers Market
Smoking Gun 1.6 (October 2018)
Our wood fired oven is rolling out bagel perfection 99% of the time, but we still think we need a few tweaks (throw some machines in the mix) to scale and form our dough to perfection, increase consistency and most importantly, allow us to make you guys more bagels. We also add in some proof time prior to the boil, and introduce our bagels to selected supermarkets.
Recipe: Malt, yeast, flour, sugar, saftem oil, water.
Process: Machine scaled and formed, bench proofed, maple boiled, wood fired.
Supply: Smoking Gun Bagelry, select wholesale accounts and Carriageworks Farmers Market, Harris Farms Supermarkets, Emirates Leisure and Retail, International Convention Centre Sydney.
Smoking Gun 1.7 (October 2019)
We bid a quiet farewell to the bagelry - wood firing our bagels was becoming increasingly unsustainable for both the environment, and the business. Australia is in a serious drought. If we want to build the best damn bagel company in the world, we need to lead, not follow, so some tough calls needed to be made. The race for the best bagel is one and it’s not poppy, sesame or dressed like every other bagel in the market.
Recipe: Malt, yeast, flour, sugar, saftem oil, water.
Process: Machine scaled and formed, bench proofed, maple boiled, wood fired.
Supply: No supply.
Smoking Gun 1.8 (January 2020)
We’re tweaking the recipe. You guys have questions. We don’t have answers. We’re focused on shifting the good stuff from the outside, to the inside and making the best possible bagel in the world. Sourdough, organic sea salt, internal seed and grain mixes, upped protein, low GI and low carb…we’re getting somewhere.
Recipe: Malt, flour, levian (sourdough starter), sugar, oil, water, salt. Seeds and grains depending on the flavour.
Process: Machine scaled and formed, proofed, steamed, stone baked.
Supply: No supply.
Smoking Gun 1.9 (September 2020)
What do we look like on a supermarket shelf? What flavours are going to make the cut? It’s crunch time and decisions need to be made.
Recipe: Malt, flour, levian (sourdough starter), sugar, oil, water, salt.
Flavours: Honey Oat, Wholemeal, Rye & Caraway
Process: Machine scaled and formed, proofed, steamed, stone baked.
Supply: Selected Coles Supermarkets
Smoking Gun 2.0 (November 2020)
We’re here, and waiting to hear from you how we can do better. If you have any gems of bagel brilliance, drop us a line - we’d love to hear them!
Recipe: Malt, flour, levian (sourdough starter), sugar, oil, water, salt.
Flavours: Honey Oat, Wholemeal, Rye & Caraway
Process: Machine scaled and formed, proofed, steamed, stone baked.
Supply: Selected Coles Supermarkets