Homemade bagels just can't be beat. This bagel recipe is absolutely delicious and produces wonderful chewy bagels with the toppings of your choice.
Don't be intimidated by making bagels at home! It's just like making bread, with a few added steps.
Making bagels at home
I have been wanting to make bagels for years. For some reason, they kept getting pushed to the bottom of my list. I finally dove into to the bagel making a few weekends ago, and I must say homemade bagels are delicious!
There are so many bagel recipes out there. I'm not kidding. I started looking up recipes and every single one was different. There were egg bagels and New York bagels and bagels with milk in the recipe and recipes without milk.
One thing all bagel recipes have in common is the bagels are boiled and then baked. I dove in with a combination of several recipes and made my own version of homemade bagels. The results were delicious.
My kids eat a lot of bagels. Their favorite way is to toast them and then spread cream cheese on each bagel. I also love to use bagels for sandwiches. I love the chewiness of the bagels and I also love that a bagel doesn't squish easily in a lunch box.
To make these bagels even more delicious, try a homemade blueberry cream cheese or a strawberry cream cheese spread and don't forget to check out these Blueberry Bagels!
Overview for making
- Bagels start with a basic yeast dough
- Cut into 12 equal pieces
- Roll each piece into a rough round shape
- Poke a hole in the center of the round
- Using two fingers, roll dough around your fingers creating a larger hole
- Place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow dough to rest for 30 minutes
- Gently drop 3-4 bagels in a pot full of boiling water for 1 minute per side.
- Remove from boiling water and place back on parchment paper.
- Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds if desired
- Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20-22 minutes
- Allow bagels to cool before eating
Egg Wash
I used an egg wash on all my bagels. If you are adding a topping, the egg wash provides the glue to help the topping stick.
For a plain bagel, the egg wash provides a beautiful sheen and helps provide a golden color.
Tips for making homemade bagels
- Use a mixture of all purpose flour and vital wheat gluten. Bagels need the extra protein to help form the chewiness bagels are known for. You may use bread flour in place of the all purpose and vital gluten.
- Allow first rise to double in size
- When forming bagels, make the hole larger than anticipate. The dough will rise and the hole becomes smaller
- Allow bagels to rest 25-30 minutes. Cover lightly with plastic wrap sprayed with a nonstick spray to help prevent sticking
- Make certain water is boiling before adding bagels
- Do not overcrowd pot.
- Carefully remove bagels from boiling water with a flat skimmer or a spoon. Do not use tongs or you will flatten the bagel
- Brush lightly with an egg wash before adding seeds or toppings
- Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20-22 minutes
Toppings
Choose your favorite toppings or leave them plain.
- Sesame Seeds
- Poppy Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Everything Bagel mixture
- Coarse Salt
- Asiago Cheese
Frequently asked questions
Boiling the bagels creates the texture bagels are known for. If you didn't boil them first, they would taste just like a dinner roll.
Boiling adds a slight skin to the bagels that adds to the chewiness that is desired in a bagel. Do not skip the boiling step.
Yes, bagels can be frozen. Homemade bagels only stay fresh for a few days so freezing helps extend the shelf life. To freeze bagels, allow bagels to fully cool and then place in a freezer safe container.
I like to slice my bagels before freezing. I find it easier when I want to pull just one bagel out of the freezer. If I pull one out frozen, I don't have to wait for a bagel to fully thaw before popping it in the toaster if I've split the bagels before freezing them.
Other homemade bread recipes
If you love making your own bread, you may also want to check out these recipes:
- Pretzel Buns
- Honey Oat Bread
- White Sandwich Bread
- Hot Dog Buns
- English Muffins
- Pita Bread
- Cracked Wheat Bread
- Collection of Bread Recipes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my bread recipes!
Homemade Bagels
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Cookie Sheet
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups water (Warm)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 4 ¼ - 4 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten
- 1 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tablespoon water
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
Instructions
Dough
- Place water, yeast and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix lightly and let rest for 5 minutes until mixture is bubbly.2 cups water, 2 Tablespoons honey, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Mix in 1 cup of flour, vital wheat gluten and salt.4 ¼ - 4 ¾ cups all purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten, 1 teaspoon salt
- Continue adding flour until dough comes together and forms a ball. You might not use all the flour.
- Knead in mixer for 10 minutes.
- Place dough in a separate bowl that has been lightly greased. Cover and let sit until doubled (1 ½ - 2 hours)
Shaping the Bagels
- Remove dough and lightly deflate. Cut dough in half. Working with one half at a time, cut each half into six equal pieces.
- Shape pieces into rounds.
- Poke your finger through the center of the round. Enlarge the hole by placing one finger from each hand in the hole and rotate your hands in a circular motion. The hole should be larger than you desire for your final product. The dough will rise and the hole will shrink.
- Place shaped dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover bagels with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray. Allow dough to rest for 25-30 minutes.
Cooking the Bagels
- Bring a large pot full of water to a full boil. Gently drop 3-4 bagels into the pot. Cook for one minute and flip bagels to other side. Cook for another full minute.
- Gently remove bagels from boiling water using a flat skimmer. Allow excess water to drain from bagels. Place back on baking sheet.
- Brush bagels with egg wash (egg white and water mixed together)1 egg white, 1 Tablespoon water
- Apply seeds or topping if desired¼ cup sesame seeds
- Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20-22 minutes until golden brown.
- Move bagels to a baking rack to cool.
- Repeat with 2nd half of dough.
Video
Notes
- Use a mixture of all purpose flour and vital wheat gluten. Bagels need the extra protein to help form the chewiness bagels are known for. You may use bread flour in place of the all purpose and vital gluten.
- Allow first rise to double in size
- When forming bagels, make the hole larger than anticipate. The dough will rise and the hole becomes smaller
- Allow bagels to rest 25-30 minutes. Cover lightly with plastic wrap sprayed with a nonstick spray to help prevent sticking
- Make certain water is boiling before adding bagels
- Do not overcrowd pot.
- Carefully remove bagels from boiling water with a flat skimmer or a spoon. Do not use tongs or you will flatten the bagel
- Brush lightly with an egg wash before adding seeds or toppings
- Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20-22 minutes
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Resources for this recipe include Fine Cooking and King Arthur Flour.
Charlene says
Can you add fruit such as blueberries to the bagels before boiling?
Kathy says
Hi Charlene,
I haven't tried that before, but I believe it should work. Let me know how it turns out!
Kathy 🙂
Marina M says
Seriously the best bagel recipe I’ve tried. They are perfectly airy, lots of “butter holes” as I call them, and they shape so nicely! I have zero problems with this recipe and what makes it different from others, is the original rise time is higher, and the boil time is more. What a great recipe, thank you for sharing
Kathy says
Hi Marina,
Thanks for leaving such a wonderful comment! I do love making bagels - or really almost every type of bread. Bagels are one of my favorites to eat!
Thank you!
Kathy
SOFIA CARDENAS RUEDA says
Don't know where I went wrong. The dough was too sticky even with the 4 cups of flour and no matter how long I mixed or kneaded, it was still just as sticky.
Kathy says
Go ahead and add an additional 1/4 cup of flour. In higher humidity areas it can take a bit more.
Carol says
My bagels stuck to the parchment paper before putting them into the boiling water! And they looked so pretty. I destroyed them trying to unstick from the paper.
The dough was so pretty. Hope they taste better better than they look. Don't know what I did wrong.
Kathy says
Gemma says
I've always put off trying to make bagels too. I think I've just assumed they were going to be too difficult, or I'd fail miserably but after reading your recipe, I have ton try them! xo
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I love making homemade bagels Kathy! And these looks so good. Sesame seeds are one of my favorites too. Pinned!
Valentina says
Wow, these are perfect bagels. And just how I would've ordered them -- with sesame seeds. It's such a great process -- I love it almost as much as the result. Okay, maybe the result a bit more -- especially with butter. 😉 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I LOVE homemade bagels! I don't have bagels very often, but when I do they're usually homemade....you can't beat 'em! And these look delicious, Kathy! Love all the seeds on there too!
David @ Spiced says
I made bagels a couple of times myself, and I absolutely loved the process! I haven't made 'em in years, though, and seeing your recipe is making me want to get in the kitchen and make a batch again. Fun little twist: in Montreal, there's a place that bakes their bagels on an open wood-fired oven. I can't even begin to describe how good those were! Now we just need to figure out how to have a wood-fired oven at home, right? 🙂