above: At Badass Bagels, customers can choose from a wide variety of unique toppings, including smokey black garlic (left) and green goddess cream cheese (right), made with buttermilk, preserved lemon, parsley and locally grown tarragon and dill.
Like so many others, Jennifer Balin—owner of Sugar and Olives, a culinary studio turned farm-to-table restaurant in Norwalk—found herself caught up in the sourdough frenzy during the pandemic. But rather than making bread, Balin decided to try her hand at bagels. “Unlike bread, bagels have a much lower hydration level and are more dense,” says Balin. “At first I really didn’t know what I was doing and my bagels all looked like pancakes.” Through a trial-and-error period that lasted months, Balin perfected her recipe. Initially debuting her creations to rave reviews at an outdoor Rosh Hashanah dinner, Balin left the socially distant celebration with numerous orders.
Before she knew it, “what was originally meant to be a relaxing hobby had turned into a full time-and-a-half job,” says Balin, who now produces 1,000 to 2,000 bagels per day. Balin’s “covid bagel operation,” run by a team of local acquaintances and friends, has become a booming business with multiple locations, the newest of which opened this March on Burtis Avenue in New Canaan.
NOT ALL STARTERS ARE CREATED EQUAL
The base of all Badass Bagels is Balin’s sourdough starter, a special combination of wild yeast and naturally occurring bacteria, which she says is very stiff and strong—it even floats because it’s very active and has a lot of gas bubbles. “Many other starters can be poured, but mine is too dense for that,” she explains. “It’s dense but light, almost like playdough, which gives the bagel needed structure while it’s baking on a rack with no sides.” The starter is used to leaven the bread, allowing it to rise without using commercial yeast. The fermentation process takes more than four days. Balin’s ingredients are a combination of local, regional and organic flours and include both high-gluten bread flour and rye flour that are sourced from mills that recognize the importance of quality ingredients. “Most flours are enriched and sprayed with commercially made vitamins that contain GMOs and all sorts of other allergens and immune system disruptors which can cause reactions similar to gluten and wheat allergies,” says Balin, who is committed to making her bagels not just delicious but also healthy. Badass Bagels are made with unenriched flours that translate into a much less processed bagel.
SPREADING THE JOY
In addition to bagels, Balin sells a variety of distinctive cream cheeses and spreads, with a wide variety of unique flavors, like Cowboy Candy (pickled jalapeño peppers), Preserved Lemon, Fried Caper and more. Her extensive menu includes pastries, sourdough pasta, pizza crusts and more. As important as the recipes and ingredients are to Balin, her customers and the culture at Badass Bagels are just as important. “I love it when people come in and we stand around talking about our love of food,” she says. “I don’t just make trendy bagels, I’m invested in the community, and I’m here to stay.”
NATURALLY DELICIOUS
Ironically, Balin once turned her nose up at the very thing that would make her such a successful local businesswoman. So much so that, years ago, when Balin was getting divorced, she had a line added to the divorce agreement about bagels. She requested that her ex-husband (now a valued board member of her company, in addition to being her lawyer and close friend) “not give our children bagels for dinner.” After having created such a healthy and delicious product, Balin now sings a different tune and calls her bagels a perfect complement to dinner at only 275 calories each, with a low glycemic index, high protein, low gluten and fiber.
Balin has four children and resides in Westport. Badass Bagels has locations in Armonk, Rye, Norwalk and now New Canaan. Balin and team also appear at a local Farmer’s Markets, including ones in New Canaan, Darien and Rowayton. Follow her on Instagram @badassbagels.