Homemade Bagels {New and Improved}

Make excellent selfmade bagels at house with this straightforward step-by-step recipe. The bagels are simply customizable together with your favourite toppings!

I initially revealed this recipe in 2011 and have since added new images and further recipes notes, in addition to just a few recipe enhancements, to make this recipe higher than ever!

One reader, Nancy, commented: Thanks a lot for this totally scrumptious recipe! Followed your recipe precisely, (used sesame seeds because the topping), and they’re each bit pretty much as good as any bagel store we’ve ever been to, and oh-so-much higher than any grocery retailer model. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Why You’ll Love This Bagel Recipe

• The bagels are easy and straightforward to make at house – the recipe doesn’t require any in a single day starters or prolonged directions.
• The bagels are extremely scrumptious with an ideal fluffy-chewy texture.
• It may be very straightforward to customise the bagel toppings to your tastes.
• The baked bagels freeze extraordinarily effectively, so you may make massive batches and freeze for later breakfasts, snacks, or bagel cravings.
• This is the right recipe for newbie bread makers. SO MANY folks have commented that they wrestle making yeast doughs or they’re model new to breads or they’re scared to make selfmade bagels…however they tried this recipe and the bagels turned out wonderful!

How to Shape Homemade Bagels

1. Turn the dough out onto a flippantly greased work floor and divide the dough into eight equal items, about 115 g/4 ounces every.
2. Roll each bit of dough right into a easy, taut ball. Let the balls of dough relaxation for half-hour. This helps calm down the gluten in order that when they’re formed, the dough holds its form with out stubbornly springing again.
3. Use your thumb to poke a gap by means of the very middle of every ball then use each thumbs collectively to twirl and stretch the dough till the opening is 1 to 2 inches in diameter (the bagel will likely be round 4 inches throughout).

The most necessary factor you possibly can bear in mind when shaping selfmade bagels is to let go of perfection! Not all of them will look the identical, and a few of them could have skinny/thick spots. It’s okay! It provides the bagels character…and all of them style scrumptious no matter how they appear.

Why are Bagels Boiled Before Baking?

There are a number of the explanation why bagels want the required boiling step.

1. Boiling the bagels helps develop the signature chewy texture. The steaming scorching water cooks the very outdoors layer of the bagel permitting it to rise within the oven however not as a lot as it will with out the water bathtub. This is what helps create the traditional dense, chewy texture.
2. The sweetener within the water (both sugar or honey) additionally helps the bagels develop a superbly golden crust whereas baking.

Bagels that aren’t boiled previous to baking find yourself simply merely posing as a unusual dinner roll with a gap within the middle as a substitute of the gloriously chewy, scrumptious bagel they had been meant to be.

Best Bagel Toppings

To get bagel toppings to stay, brush the tops and the perimeters of every bagel with a easy egg wash (1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water). For most protection, place the toppings in a shallow bowl and dip the bagels, turning to coat the highest and sides. Or merely sprinkle them on prime.

Of course, you can too go away the bagels plain. If doing so, the egg wash is non-compulsory (however including it would additional assist the golden brown crust to develop).

A Few Additional Tips

Making bagels at house just isn’t exhausting, however it may be useful to hold the next tips in thoughts:

• The dough for selfmade bagels is stiffer than a dinner roll or sandwich bread dough. This is by intention. Because the bagels are boiled earlier than baking, a decrease hydration dough, like bagel dough, holds as much as the boiling water bathtub with out disintegrating and the result’s a superbly chewy bagel.
• I extremely suggest investing in a kitchen scale {aff. hyperlink} and weighing components, notably dry components like flour. If you measure your flour in cups, flippantly fluff the flour, scoop within the cup and then stage off.
• If you reside in an excessively dry local weather, chances are you’ll need to start with 1/4 cup much less flour and add remaining flour provided that the dough is sticking to the perimeters and backside of the bowl. 
• Keep a timer going in the course of the boiling step – it could appear counter intuitive, however boiling the bagels longer gained’t lead to a greater bagel. They simply want a minute or so per facet, max.

Most of all, have enjoyable with this recipe! This has been a favourite recipe of ours for over ten years. My children love to assist with shaping the bagels, selecting the toppings, and after all, devouring the bagels after they’ve baked and (barely) cooled.

Perfect Homemade Bagels

Yield: 8 bagels

Prep Time: 2 hours hrs 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hrs

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon instantaneous or rapid-rise yeast
• 4 cups (568 g) bread flour (see be aware)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups heat water

Water Bath:

• 2 to three quarts water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (see be aware for honey choice)

Egg Wash:

• 1 massive egg white
• 1 tablespoon water

Optional Toppings:

• Sesame seeds, Everything Bagel seasoning, grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese, coarse salt, cinnamon and sugar, and so forth.

Cook ModePrevent your display from going darkish

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix all the dough components and combine on low pace till the dough comes collectively. The dough will likely be pretty stiff (however should not be dry).

• Increase the pace to medium and knead the dough for 10 minutes. This is a high-gluten dough and the lengthy kneading time is important to develop the gluten.

• Place the dough in a flippantly greased bowl and cowl with flippantly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours till noticeably puffy.

• Turn the dough out onto a flippantly greased work floor and divide the dough into eight equal items, about 115 g/4 ounces every. Roll each bit of dough right into a easy, taut ball. Let the balls of dough relaxation for half-hour.

• Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and flippantly grease with cooking spray.

• Use your thumb to poke a gap by means of the very middle of every ball then use each thumbs collectively to twirl and stretch the dough till the opening is 1 to 2 inches in diameter (the bagel will likely be round 4 inches throughout). Place the formed bagels on one of many ready baking sheets.

• For the water bathtub, add the water and sugars (or honey – see be aware) to a big, large pan or pot and deliver to a boil.

• Preheat oven to 425°F.

• Transfer the bagels, three or 4 at a time, to the simmering water. I like to softly re-stretch the middle of the bagel if it has closed up whereas the bagels have rested. This is non-compulsory; in the event you do the identical, ensure that to stretch gently in order to not deflate and compress the bagel.

• Cook the bagels for 1 minute. Flip and prepare dinner for one more minute. Use a large spatula to raise every bagel up, letting the surplus water drain again into the pot. Place the boiled bagels onto the ready baking sheet, spacing them a number of inches aside. I bake six bagels per half sheet pan.

• Repeat with the remaining bagels.

• For the egg wash, whisk collectively the egg and water. Brush the highest and sides of every bagel and then sprinkle with desired toppings: sesame seeds, every little thing bagel seasoning, cinnamon and sugar, coarse salt, grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, or different toppings of selection. If leaving the bagels plain, the egg wash is non-compulsory.

• Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes till golden brown. Remove the bagels from the oven, and switch to a cooling rack to chill fully (do not allow them to cool fully on the baking sheet as they generally tend to stay as a result of sugar/water bathtub).

Flour: I’ve examined this recipe in a number of places (at present I stay at 2,500 toes in a dry local weather, however I made this recipe after I lived at sea stage in a semi-humid local weather and additionally after I lived at 6,200 toes elevation). The quantity of flour listed within the recipe has been nearly spot on for each location. Using the weight measure is a safer guess than measuring in cups. If you do measure in cups, flippantly fluff the flour earlier than scooping within the cup and leveling off. If you reside in an excessively dry local weather, chances are you’ll need to start with 1/4 cup much less flour and add remaining flour provided that the dough is sticking to the perimeters and backside of the bowl. 
Bread Machine: to make use of a bread machine, place all the dough components within the pan of the machine, program the machine for Dough or Manual, and press Start. Check the dough after 10 minutes; it must be fairly stiff, and gained’t have shaped a easy ball. The dough will really feel fairly firm if you poke your finger into it. Allow the machine to finish its cycle, then proceed with the recipe.
Honey: as a rule, I change the three tablespoons sugar with 3 to 4 tablespoons honey.
Multiple Baking Sheets: if you’re baking the bagels on a number of baking sheets and solely have one oven, it’s okay for the 2nd baking sheet to relaxation and bake after the primary one. Avoid baking two baking sheets directly – the bagels on the underside baking sheet possible gained’t brown effectively (if in any respect).
Increasing the Recipe for One Dozen Bagels: I virtually all the time improve the recipe to make 1 dozen bagels (we love having them within the freezer). To achieve this, use the next measurements:
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
6 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon grown sugar
2 1/4 cups heat water

Author: Mel

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Bagel, Calories: 250kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 598mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g

Recipe Source: tailored barely and expounded upon from King Arthur Flour

Recipe initially revealed April 2011; up to date September 2025 with new images, recipe notes, and so forth