Humble Beginnings at Humble Wood Fire

The coronavirus pandemic resulted in cancelled summer plans and an overabundance of free time on our hands. Many people decided to fill this time by revisiting old or developing new hobbies such as knitting, reading, or binge-watching Netflix shows. My hobby? Making and eating a different type of bagel every single day. If you don't believe me, feel free to peruse my Instagram account (@bagelsbagelsbagelsbagels) where you will find every single bagel that I have eaten while in quarantine.

Due to my large intake of any and all kinds of bagels over the summer, I had no choice but to give myself the title: bagel connoisseur. 

As a self-proclaimed bagel connoisseur, it is my mission to uncover the art of bagels. This entails: visiting local bagel shops, experimenting with different bagel toppings, finding bagel recipes, and much more. With this mission in mind, I thought that there was no better way to document my bagel journey than by starting a blog. Hence, The Bagel Blog was born. 

I wanted to make my first post about a local Gainesville bagel shop that has grown near and dear to my heart. Humble Wood Fire, located at 307 SW 4th Ave, has proven to be my bagel home away from home. Not to be confused with their Depot Park location which specializes in pizza, the Humble Wood Fire location at 4th Ave Food Park offers hand-rolled organic bagels Tuesday through Sunday and is just a two-minute walk from my apartment. Convenient… but dangerous at the same time.

What sets Humble Wood Fire apart from any other bagel shop in town is that they don't need a toaster to operate their business. All they need is some humble wood fire. Literally. Each and every single bagel gets put in a wood fired oven, resulting in a unique texture that is difficult for an electric toaster to replicate. 

The first menu item I ordered from Humble Wood Fire was their Bacon, Egg, & Cheddar Sandwich on a buttered plain bagel. Now, I’ve had a fair share of bacon, egg, and cheese bagel sandwiches in my life, but this one… this one was special. The sharp cheddar cheese melted on the flavorful applewood smoked bacon was a perfect way to start my morning. The fact that the egg was locally sourced was also a nice touch. The texture of the bagel itself, however, was what really stood out to me. It’s crisp exterior matched with its pillowy, soft interior was unlike any other bagel I have tasted before.

Upon my second visit to Humble Wood Fire, I decided to try one of their sweeter menu items: their House Nut Butter & Jelly bagel sandwich. The house-made jelly that was offered the day I ordered this bagel was made from Concord grapes, and it did not disappoint. The jelly was fresh and sweet (but not too sweet), and I was tempted to jar it up for a midnight snack. What did disappoint, however, was the nut butter blend which I found to be a bit too runny for my liking. Because of its liquid-y consistency, the nut butter blend spilled off the bagel, resulting in a soupy mess. Despite this downfall, the bagel itself stayed crisp and firm much to my surprise.

The following month, I came back to Humble Wood Fire with a much larger appetite and ordered their Pepperoni Pizza Bagel. Just like any other pizza bagel, this was topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella, and good ol’ fashioned pepperoni. Once again, the bagel itself held a beautiful, crisp exterior which emulated the crust of a Neapolitan pizza. Even though I thought the bagel could have benefitted from a lesser amount of pizza sauce, I was (and am still) impressed by Humble Wood Fire’s ability to consistently make bagels with the perfect texture.

Whether you are a family of five looking for a place to eat brunch or a college student still hungover from last night, Humble Wood Fire is there for you. Not only do they offer  tasty options for meat-eaters, but they also serve vegetarian friendly menu items and gluten free and vegan options. Although the 4^th Ave Food Park location has only been open for a year, the bagel shop has already established itself as one of the best in the Gainesville area. This is not the last time that you will be hearing about Humble Wood Fire from me, and that’s not just because they follow my bagel Instagram account back.