What makes a good bagel? The answer is, nobody knows. Nobody besides a select few that is. The art of baking a bagel is similar to that of alchemy, in that it can only be learned or taught by one who has spent countless hours dedicated to perfecting their craft.

Luckily, we have one such gent right here in Indianapolis in Josh Greeson. And while he is a bit too humble to call himself The Bagel Alchemist, we have no qualms in doing it for him.

Josh initially started to sell his delicious bagels at Amelia’s, a bread bakery in Fountain Square, on Wednesdays, and quickly realized his demand was outgrowing just that one day.

In comes delivery! While you can still get Side Door Bagels at Amelia’s on Wednesdays, Josh now does fresh bagel delivery to Indianapolis and surrounding areas for free! (some areas may include additional charge). So you can now support a local and amazing business, while getting the freshest and most tasty bagels in Indianapolis!

Delivery days are Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. You can also order fresh cream cheeses and schmears! More info on Side Door Bagel’s Facebook and Instagram. We sat down (virtually of course) with Josh to ask him some questions below, we love his story!

Q: Indy Home Pros - How did you get into baking, and then how did you get into bagels specifically?

A: Josh - I am a self taught home baker. I have worked full time at Amelia’s for 9 months now, and I have been doing my own bagel delivery for about 7 months. I’ve always enjoyed cooking but gravitated towards baking and sourdough bread about 5 years ago. I got pretty into it where I was planning my weekends around my baking schedule and giving loaves of bread away to friends and family I was making so much. 

Q: What inspired you to start Side Door Bagel, and when did you start it?

A: I’ve always made bagels for family gatherings because bagels were one of my favorite foods growing up. I’ve always noticed the lack of a good bagel shop in Indy, so whenever I started at Amelia’s I asked the owner if I could make bagels to sell there. He gave his full support and since then I went about perfecting my bagel recipe. 

It’s taken me probably close to half a year to almost feeling confident in it. (Still not completely happy with them lol). **The Indy Home Pros would like to note that this is the sign of any true craftsman/arist, never being satisfied even though everyone loves your work, or bagels!) 

Side Door Bagel was supposed to be a pop up bagel shop that I was going to do on Saturdays out of an actual side door at Amelia’s, and it never really happened, but the name still stuck! The owner decided we could do bagel Wednesdays and it’s kinda snowballed where every week we decide to make more and they always sell out. 

The owner has been generous enough to let me do my own thing with the bagels, and I decided to have a side bagel hustle where anyone could message me about bagels and I would deliver them straight to their door. I have found that the more I deliver, the more the word about my bagel delivery business has spread. Orders have picked up a lot within the last month to where I’ve had to limit my delivery days to 3 times a week. (Monday, Thursday, and Saturday).

My dream has been to hopefully have my own spot for bagels and coffee. But for now I’m really enjoying working with the crew at Amelia’s and doing a side gig of delivering bagels around the city. 

Q: What is unique about a sour dough bagel, and how, if at all, does it differ from what one may call a "traditional bagel"?

A: When bagels are considered “sourdough” bagels, it means that they’re leavened with wild yeast instead of commercial instant yeast that most bagels are made with. Using commercial instant yeast allows you to bake bread within a couple of hours. Wild yeast or “sourdough” is superior in flavor because it benefits from an overnight cold fermentation.

Want to order some fresh, delicious, sourdough bagels right to your door? See the Full Menu Below, and contact Side Door Bagel to order via sidedoorbagel@gmail.com or via their Instagram @sidedoorbagel!

EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR INDY HOME PROS TEAM FAMILY!

Mention this blog post to receive a FREE SCHMEAR with the order of Any Dozen Bagels!