This easy and delicious Homemade Bagels recipe is chewy and perfect and will have you baking them on repeat!
Do you ever wake up and think, "I really want to bake something today"? Those are my thoughts just about every weekend. From the moment I taught myself how to bake, I've been a little obsessed with this hobby. My husband has been reaping the benefits though! Let me tell ya. Every single time I bake something that is delicious, the next day he asks, "can you make that again???" And I have to kindly remind him that I don't have a magic wand. 😉
So, on a sunny Saturday in February, I woke up and remembered that we were out of bread, and thought about what I could make as a substitute. I went through the list of things in my head and then came the idea of Homemade Bagels. I got out all the ingredients and went to work! And magic was born. Maybe I do have a magic wand, after all. 😀
How to Make Homemade Bagels
Yeast Mixture
- Warm water - it's best to use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water so that it's not too hot or too cold. I like mine around 110°. Anywhere between 105-115 should be good.
- If the water is too hot, it could kill the yeast.
- If too cold, the yeast could take a lot longer to activate
- Sugar or honey - You can use whichever you prefer, but we need something to feed the yeast.
- Active dry yeast
Add all the ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10-15 minutes for it to bloom. It will activate and become foamy.
Homemade Bagels Dough
- Bread Flour - We use bread flour in this recipe because it contains more protein, which produces more gluten, and helps the Bagels achieve that chewiness. I use King Arthur Bread Flour but you can use whatever you find at your local grocery store.
- Honey
- Salt
- Warm water
Mix all the ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment and knead, adding in the yeast mixture. Let the dough knead for at least 15 minutes. Then let rise for at least an hour.
How to Shape Homemade Bagels
Once the dough has risen, divide into 8 equal sized pieces. I like to use a kitchen scale to make sure I have even sized balls.
Roll each piece into a ball using your hand. Create a sort of C shape with your hand and roll (see GIF).
Once they've all been shaped into balls, using your finger, dip it in flour and then poke a hole in the center of the ball and stretch it between your fingers. See GIF below.
Place the Bagels on an oiled baking sheet and prepare the honey bath.
How to Make Honey Bath for Bagels
- 10 cups of water
- Honey
In a large pot, let honey and water come to a boil, then slowly drop the Bagels into the bath. Let sit for a minute and then flip them.
Can I Skip the Honey Bath?
No! It is so important for that outer crisp and chewiness that we know and love about Bagels! So it's so so so important to keep this step. I like to use honey, but other recipes use baking soda, brown sugar, or barley malt.
Baking
Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.
There's no need to add an egg wash unless you're adding a topping that would be a little hard to stick. Otherwise, an egg wash is not necessary. These Bagels come out with perfect texture, color and taste!
Bagel Toppings
Anything and everything! What do you like? What do you have on hand? The options are endless. But to give you some ideas:
- Plain
- Anything But The Bagel Seasoning
- Sesame Seeds
- Cheese
- Poppy seeds
- Cinnamon
Enjoy these smothered in cream cheese! If you try out the recipe, please let me know how you like them!
If you'd like a video on how I made them, check out my Instagram, and follow along. I'll be posting more dough recipes soon.
If you'd like another breakfast idea, check out my Banana Bread recipe.
📖 Recipe Card
Homemade Bagels
Ingredients
Yeast Mixture
- ½ cup water 110° degrees (luke warm)
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- 1 package active dry yeast
Dough
- 3½ cups (420g) bread flour may need more
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup warm water
Water Bath
- 10 cups water
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
Yeast Mixture
- Add sugar (or honey) to warm water and mix until combined. Sprinkle the entire packet of yeast on top and let sit for 10-15 minutes until it activates and becomes very foamy.
Dough
- In a bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, salt and honey and mix together, then add warm water and the yeast mixture and let the dough hook do the work. Knead the dough for 15 minutes. Transfer dough to greased bowl and let rise for at least an hour.
- Once dough has risen, divide into 8 pieces (I like to use a kitchen scale). Form dough into round balls. Poke your finger into each ball and create a hole in the center of the ball and stretch the dough between your fingers to create a doughnut like shape. Let rest on an oiled pan while you make the water bath
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
Honey Water Bath
- Boil 10 cups of water with honey.
- Drop the bagels in the water bath and let sit for 30 seconds, then flip and let sit for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Top with toppings (if desired). Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack.
- Enjoy the bagels with cream cheese, jams, or other toppings.
- Store leftovers in airtight container.
Comments
No Comments