St. Louis Bagels Are Cut Like Loaves Of Bread — Here's Why You Should Do The Same

Everyone knows how to slice a bagel. You cut it in half the long way, then spread on the perfect amount of cream cheese, and then add lox or any variety of toppings. Apparently, St. Louis never got that memo. Instead, some St. Louis bakeries slice up their bagels like bread loaves. Yes, you read that correctly.

This practice appears to have begun at St. Louis Bread Co. (which you likely know as Panera Bread nationally, but several bakeries in St. Louis still operate under the original name). The owners wanted to start selling bagels, but needed a way to quickly give out samples, so they put bagels into their bread slicer. People soon started requesting their bagels that way, and the trend to request your bagel "bread sliced" has spread.

People outside the St. Louis area have been, understandably, shocked and dismayed by this discovery. Many online, never hesitant to mock St. Louis cuisine, had strong words about the slicing method. "I was in a bad mood, and now I'm in a worse mood and want to break stuff," a Redditor said. "They should be ashamed of themselves!" A Facebook commenter went as far as to say, "This seems to be a metaphor expressing the issues I have with Missouri ... backward & defiant of the design." The swell of outrage was colloquially known as "Bagelgate" by some, but is it really worth all the hate, or is there something to this unusual slicing technique?

As shocking as this may sound, bread-slicing a bagel has some benefits. For one thing, if you're bringing a box to your office, it allows people to take as little or as much as they want. It also offers more surface area for cream cheese or toppings per bagel. For diabetics or those eating low-carb, this method lets you get a delicious bagel taste while controlling portion sizes. And no matter how you slice a bagel, it admittedly still tastes good.

There are also those who vehemently defend the slicing method. One Facebook commenter explained that, "Sometimes you don't want to eat a whole (or half) bagel but you want all the schmear!" Another Redditor said, "I like slicing bagels this way. Especially when I have high-quality house-made chive cream cheese from a great bagel shop." Given that Bagelgate actually seemed to increase orders for bread-sliced bagels, it's safe to say St. Louis will continue the practice.

As for what you can do with a bread-sliced bagel topping-wise, the world is your oyster. Instead of the usual cream cheese, try a hummus spread. Layer it up with lettuce, tomatoes, and meat, then slap another slice on top for a bagel-bread sandwich. Use the slices to dunk into ranch or hot artichoke dip for a fun group appetizer. You may also consider popping a few slices into an air fryer for bagel chips, then enjoy them with fancy cheese at your next gathering. Although upsetting to some, St. Louis' bagel methods can be incredibly useful if utilized correctly.