If you were to ask me what my final meal would be, I might say it's a bagel sandwich with bacon, cheese, and hot sauce. There's just something about the satisfying chew, the subtle tang, and the versatile shape that makes bagels a top notch baked good. Luckily for us, they're also insanely easy to make at home!
Notes
- Toppings: You can sprinkle all kinds of things on the top of your unbaked bagels for decoration, texture, and taste. Just a few options include: sesame seeds, everything seasoning, dried onion flakes, flaky salt, poppy seeds, shredded cheese, black pepper, caraway seeds, or minced garlic.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also wrap in plastic wrap or seal in a Ziplock to freeze for later. Just leave them on the counter for a few hours to thaw when you need them.
Related
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Grace Says:
Ensure you're measuring your flour correctly, otherwise you may end up with dense or undercooked breads. Flour should never be packed, and some recipes recommend sifting to make sure it's lightly measured. A quicker method is to scoop it up and shake it back out of the measuring cup a few times to loosen it before filling your measuring cup a final time.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Bagels
Ingredients
Bagels
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
- 2 ¼ t yeast, instant or active (or one packet)
- 2 t salt
- 1 T honey
For Boiling and Finishing
- 2 quarts water
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 egg + a splash of water
- ¼ cup sesame seeds or other bagel seasoning for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Add all dry bagel ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix warm water and honey together, and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix to combine and then knead with a dough hook attachment or by hand until the dough is smooth and tacky, but not sticky. Give it some time for the flour to hydrate as you're kneading, but if it's still too sticky, add 2T of additional flour at a time until it is the correct consistency.
- Lightly oil the bowl and allow the dough to rise in it for about one hour in a warm, draft-free place, until doubled.
- Weigh the bagels, by taking the weight in grams of the entire dough ball and dividing that number by 12. Then cut 12 evenly weighted portions of the dough, according to your calculations. They will likely be around 65-75g each.
- Shape the bagels. First roll them into a ball as if you were making a dinner roll. Then poke a hole in the center of the ball, and widen it gently. Set the shaped bagels aside and cover with a towel while you create the honey bath and egg wash.
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Create the egg wash by cracking an egg into a bowl and adding a splash of water. Mix briefly until it is smooth. Then grease or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the water and honey to a medium sized pot, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to diffuse the honey. Once at a boil, drop 2-4 bagels into the pot at a time, allowing them to cook about 1 minute on each side. When they come out of the honey bath, place them on the pan and then brush them with the egg wash. Sprinkle sesame seeds or other seasoning on top of the egg wash.
- When all the bagels have been boiled and washed, put them in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden on the top. Remove from the oven and transfer the bagels to a cooling rack until completely cool.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!