There’s no doubt that the water-dip method is effective at re-moistening a dried-out bagel. As the bagel toasts, that water evaporates, and the steam works its way up through the bagels’ interiors. The water-dipped bagels were noticeably moister and steamier as I cut them in half. Heating the water seemed to make a difference, too—the bagel dipped in hot water came out just a bit crisper on the exterior, most likely due to the fact that the water got a head start on evaporating.
The Disadvantages: The one downside? The exterior just isn’t quite as crisp as what you get when you toast a bagel un-dunked. That’s why I recommend reserving this method only for bagels that have been stored in such a way that their moisture is not retained, such as in a paper bag on your counter. The Disadvantages: It won’t work for bagels that have dried out due to improper storage.
