THE ORIGINAL IS BACK

We're Back!

The kettle-boiled, hearth-baked tradition has officially returned to Salt Lake Valley. Reconnect with authentic artisan warmth, fresh morning batches, and genuine neighborhood baking heritage.

30+ Years of Baking Heritage · Made Fresh Daily in Salt Lake

ORIGIN & HEARTH LEGACY · EST. 1989

The 1989 Pioneers

Before dawn in 1989, a team of bakers fired up Utah's first authentic malt-kettle hearth in Salt Lake City. Step through the timeline of the recipe that ignited the Utahn bagel culture.

🥖 HERITAGE TIMELINE SCROLL
Dan Colangelo 1989 First Hearth Bake 1989

The First Kettle

Brackman Brothers Bakers unleashe authentic malt-boiled baking on 2100 South, turning SLC onto that genuine East Coast crust.

Brackman Brothers Morning Counter Atmosphere 1992

Utah's Living Room

Brackman Brothers becomes the valley morning ritual: steamy hearth boards, hand-whipped schmear, and community debate.

The Einstein Bros Bagel Evolution Era 1995

The Evolution

Brackman Brothers begins to slip into the annals of Utahn history, taking Utah's golden bagel recipe across America.

Reclaiming the Wooden Hearth Boards 2026 2026

The Hearth Return

Reclaiming Dan's original sourdough ferment, untreated wood hearth boards, and unhurried artisanal morning intimacy.

“Real bagels can never be steamed or rushed. You honor the kettle, or you don't bake at all.” — Dan Colangelo

KETTLE-BOILED · HEARTH-BAKED

UNCOMPROMISING METHODOLOGY

The Artisan Difference

Modern industrial bakeries rely on automated steam tunnels to pump out round sandwich bread. We adhere strictly to the demanding 1989 standard: three days of patient patience, rolling malt cauldrons, and live hearth stones.

STAGE 01: COLD FERMENTATION

48-Hour Cold Cure vs. Chemical Rising

Commercial bakeries inject artificial dough conditioners to force flour to inflate within 35 minutes. At Brackman Brothers, shaped dough boards sit in cool fermentation rooms for two full days. Natural enzymes gradually unlock deep wheaten complexity while building the micro-blistered exterior impossible to replicate by rush order.

  • 48 hours of slow enzymatic sugar breakdown for natural tang
  • Dense, toothsome pull without artificial conditioners
  • Produces tiny micro-blisters that turn crackly when toasted
Artisan bagel dough curing slowly on flour-dusted wooden boards in cool storage
Bubbling copper kettle filled with barley malt water as raw bagels are boiled

STAGE 02: KETTLE IMMERSION

Malt Kettle Boiling vs. Steam Injection

A genuine bagel must be boiled. Supermarket and fast-casual brands use humid steam convection chambers that inflate spongy dough with soft crusts. Our bagels take a vigorous plunge into boiling non-diastatic barley malt water. This gelatinizes exterior starches, setting the iconic glossy sheen and snap before the dough ever touches heat.

  • Direct water bath gelatinizes surface starch into a protective shell
  • Pure barley malt syrup imparts caramel notes and natural amber luster
  • Locks internal moisture inside so crumb stays chewy, never airy

STAGE 03: STONE HEARTH BAKE

Burlap Hearth Boards vs. Metal Wire Racks

Metal conveyor ovens bake dry, pale bagels. In our kitchen, freshly boiled dough is transferred seed-side-down onto water-soaked cedar planks wrapped in untreated burlap. As moisture steams up through the wood inside our revolving deck oven, the baker performs the historic flip: dropping each bagel directly onto screaming-hot stone hearth tiles.

  • Wet cedar wood steam-cures seed coatings without scorching
  • Direct stone contact imparts deep blistered blister base
  • Hand-turned with wooden peels at the exact apex of golden rise
Baker sliding wet burlap cedar boards into stone deck oven for traditional hearth bake

AERATED FRESH EVERY MORNING

Signature Schmear Bar

Sensuous, cloud-like cream cheese whipped with cultured mountain dairy and unpasteurized honey. Hover or tap each scoop to reveal the recipe and artisan pairings.

Stuie's Signature

Stuie's Salt Lake

Raw Honey & Toasted Walnuts

Flip Scoop ↺

Stuie's Salt Lake Special

Double-aerated sweet cream folded with wild clover honey, toasted Utah walnuts, and delicate Maldon salt flakes.

Pairs Well With
Rosemary Sea Salt Bagel

Chive & Scallion

Garden Snipped & Cultured

Flip Scoop ↺

Cultured Chive & Scallion

Slow-ripened cultured cream folded with sharp baby scallions, garden chives, and Tellicherry cracked peppercorn.

Pairs Well With
Everything Hearth Bagel

Smoked Nova & Dill

Wild Salmon & Caper Berry

Flip Scoop ↺

Smoked Nova & Caper Berry

Cold-smoked Nova shreds whipped into double-cream cheese, infused with tender dill fronds and brined baby capers.

Pairs Well With
Toasted Sesame Hearth Bagel

Mountain Berry

Wild Huckleberry Whip

Flip Scoop ↺

Wild Mountain Berry

Alpine wild huckleberries and mountain blackberries simmered with a touch of lemon zest, whipped light and fluffy.

Pairs Well With
Cinnamon Raisin Hearth Bagel

Every schmear is whipped fresh each morning with no artificial gums or preservatives.

TIME-HONORED PROVISIONS

A Classic Menu

Every morning begins at dawn with malted kettles and cedar hearth planks. Hand-rolled crusts paired with heritage appetizing specialties and steaming kettles of family soup.

THE MORNING BAKE

Traditional Bagel Varieties

Boiled in salted malt water, flipped onto burlap hearth boards, and baked until the blistered crust yields a dense, chewy center.

Garlic & Sea Salt

Roasted whole California garlic chips folded into sourdough sponge, finished with coarse sea salt crystals.

Caramelized Toasted Onion

Dehydrated sweet yellow onion flakes blistered across the top, lending a deep, savory allium sweetness.

Dutch Blue Poppy

An ultra-dense mantle of nutty blue poppy seeds delivering crisp texture with every single bite.

Old-World Pumpernickel

Dark-roasted rye grain enriched with Dutch cocoa, caraway seed accents, and rich cane molasses.

APPETIZING & CURED

Premium Deli Proteins

Wild Nova Scotia Lox

Cold-smoked sustainably harvested Atlantic salmon, hand-sliced paper thin. Served with shaved red onion, brined capers, and lemon wheel.

Great Lakes Smoked Whitefish Salad

Whole-smoked chub gently flaked, blended with cultured cream, fresh dill, cracked celery seed, and Meyer lemon.

KETTLE SPECIALTY SPOTLIGHT

Hungarian Mushroom & Chilled Gazpacho

Our legendary warm Hungarian Mushroom features sweet Noble paprika, simmered cremini caps, and fresh dill in rich stock. For warmer afternoons, our Chilled Gazpacho delivers heirloom tomatoes, cucumber crunch, and sherry vinegar.

LIVE OPEN HEARTH & COPPER KETTLES

Theater of Authenticity

Step up to the polished counter and witness the 1989 ritual alive in real time: boiling sweet-malt steam, fire-licked wooden hearth boards, and cold-churned cream cheese whipped unhurriedly before your eyes.

Copper kettle rolling with malt-sweetened water boil
Station 01 • Active Kettle
Artisan Note • Kettle Stage

The 90-Second Malt Boil

Hand-dipped into boiling barley-malt water to gelatinize the surface starches—yielding that unmistakable shiny, micro-blistered snap and chewy core.

Artisan bagels baking on soaked cedar hearth boards in a 500 degree brick oven
Station 02 • 500° Hearth
Artisan Note • Firebrick Stage

Wet Pine Hearth Boards

Baked upside down on burlap-wrapped, water-soaked wood boards for steady steam rise, then deftly flipped stone-side down onto blazing firebrick.

Cold-whipping rich artisan cream cheese schmear with wildflower honey and fresh dill
Station 03 • Cold Whip Bar
Artisan Note • Creamery Stage

Fresh-Whipped Schmears

Heavy Utah dairy folded gently in small batches every sixty minutes—yielding cloud-light density that melts across warm seeded crusts.

GRAND REOPENING EXCLUSIVE

Join the Inner Circle

Be the first to taste the return of the classic schmear, kettle-boiled bagels, and morning traditions revived. We are firing up the stone hearths for our homecoming: and our Inner Circle members receive priority reservations, secret menu previews, and opening week perks.

  • VIP Soft-Opening Weekend pass before public doors open
  • Complimentary vintage schmear pairing with your first dozen
  • Direct morning oven alert notifications for fresh kettle batches

Claim Your Seat

Join neighbors celebrating the return of handcrafted kettle bagels.

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