BEL AIR, Md. — It's gone in bites, but takes days to make.
Towson Hot Bagels, better known as THB, is opening its eighth location today in Bel Air. The business is expanding across Maryland while sticking by a process rooted in patience, tradition, and family.
At THB, bagels are made the New York way with just five simple ingredients and a nearly 48-hour process from start to finish.
“One of the best compliments every year is that our bagels are the closest to New York,” said THB President and CEO Tony Scotto.
After the dough is mixed and shaped, it rests and ferments before heading into a proofer. Then, it goes back into the refrigerator for another 24 hours, a necessary step that helps create the signature taste and texture.
There's a unique process that helps create a hallmark NY-style bagel, which typically has a shiny crisp crust on the outside with a chewy center on the inside.
Before hitting the oven, the fluffy rounds of dough are quickly boiled, anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute then placed on burlap-covered boards to prevent sticking.
Toppings come next, before the bagels bake in ovens that can cook about 50 dozen at a time.
While the bagels steal the show, the shop’s top-selling sandwich might come as no surprise: the bacon, egg and cheese.
Last year alone, THB sold more than 700,000 bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, with each store cooking roughly 200 pounds of bacon every week.
But beyond the bagels and bacon, there’s a family story.
Scotto was born in Italy and moved to Maryland as a teenager, later studying at Towson University. In 2008, he and several family members purchased THB from its original owners. They were inspired by memories of their grandfather’s deli in Italy.
“He used to go out and pick his own deli meats and fresh mozzarella,” Scotto recalled.
Today, THB produces about 10,000 bagels a day, with plans to increase that number as the company continues to grow. Scotto says they're on track to making 12,000 bagels on hour.
"we're lucky that we have bakers that worked for us for than 15 years now," Scotto said.
Still, he wants people to know that beyond the franchise they are very much a family business.
“It’s definitely building the legacy,” he said. “And that also makes it very emotional telling people where we started.”
But even with the growth, Scotto says some things will remain the same.
“We’ve touched so many lives,” he said. “And we just want to keep being the best part of people’s day.”
