Bruegger's Bakes World's Largest Bagel; 868-Pound Bagel is Guinness World Record

Business Wire, August 27, 2004

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. today broke the Guinness Book of World records by baking an 868-pound bagel that measures six feet in diameter and 20 inches thick. The giant bagel was unveiled in Syracuse, New York at the Great New York State Fair. The previous record was set back in 1998 and weighed in at only 714 pounds. To bake the world's largest bagel, it required the following ingredients:

--1,075 pounds of dough

--660 pounds of flour

--900 gallons of water

--Half a pound of dry yeast

--53 pounds of malt

--12 1/2 pounds of salt

"Bruegger's is a company that's passionate about its bagels," said Scott Hughes, Vice President of Marketing, Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. "Baking an 850-pound bagel is a demonstration of that passion. We're known for our authentic boiled and baked bagel, and that's exactly how we prepared the world's largest bagel."

Preparations for the bagel began the night before with a nine-person baking crew and an on-site construction crane used to move the bagel. The world's biggest bagel was kettle boiled for thirty minutes and then baked nearly ten hours. This same process gives Bruegger's bagels an authentic crunchy crust on the outside and a dense, chewy texture on the inside.

According to the production crew overseeing the baking efforts, the bagel is 4,000 times the size of a standard Bruegger's bagel and would require 500 pounds of cream cheese to cover it.

Company officials noted that the bagel would not go to waste. The bagel was sliced and served to fair visitors who were able to make donations to help benefit food banks in Syracuse, Rochester and Albany, New York.

About Bruegger's:

Founded in 1983, Burlington, Vt.-based Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. is a leader in the quick casual restaurant segment with 250 neighborhood bakeries in 18 states. The company's menu hosts a wide variety of authentic freshly boiled and baked bagels, specialty sandwiches, deli-style sandwiches, bagel and egg sandwiches, soups, deserts, unique coffee blends and original cream cheese in an assortment of flavors. Please visit www.brueggers.com for more information.