Chewy, tasty and versatile, these Homemade Bagels are a delicious morning hit with the whole family.
I absolutely love bagels, they are one of those things that I can eat all day long and not even be mad about it.
Breads are just a comfort food for me, and these Homemade Bagels can be so versatile with the flavoring depending on if and what toppings you want to use.
Now I will be honest, I’m a plain toasted bagel girl with butter and a sprinkle of salt. But I love branching out from time to time, especially since everyone in our house loves variety.
Pantry staple ingredients really help these come together and they are much easier than you imagine.
If you are scared to work with yeast, don’t be. It is trial and error but usually you will turn out with the outcome that you have desired.
If you’ve been looking for a perfect bagel recipe for breakfast or beyond, then you absolutely not pass up my Homemade Bagels, perfect for any time of the year.
Some of my other favorite bread recipes that we have on our site include: Soft Garlic Breadsticks, White Bread and Crescent Rolls.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Easy pantry ingredients help these come together.
- Various toppings can be used to create different flavors.
- You can do so much with bagels that aren’t just for breakfast.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):
Warm water
Maple syrup
Active dry yeast
Bread flour
Salt
Oil
Honey
Baking soda
Egg
Everything Bagel Seasoning, optional
Sesame seeds, optional
Coarse salt, optional
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BAGELS, STEP BY STEP:
- Place the warm water into a small bowl, whisk in the maple syrup. Then add in the yeast and gently stir.
- Allow yeast mixture to sit for 5 to 10 minutes to proof, it should get foamy.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together 4 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of salt. Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the middle of the bowl with the flour mixture.
- Mix on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated. Then mix on medium speed for another 5 minutes, or until the dough is moist and it pulls away from the side of the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and place it on a lightly floured surface (use the remaining ¼ cup set aside). Knead the dough until it is smooth roughly 3-5 minutes, incorporating in the remaining ¼ cup of flour while kneading.
- Form the dough into a ball and place it into a bowl greased with the 1 teaspoon of oil, roll the dough ball around until it is covered in oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in a warm, draft free spot. Allow the dough to rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Divide the dough evenly into 8 pieces shaping into balls.
- Press your finger into the middle of each dough all to make a hole about 2 inches in diameter.
- Place the formed bagels onto a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Allow dough to rest for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the water bath.
- In a large pot, add the water, honey, and baking soda and bring it to a boil.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Boil 2-3 bagels at a time (if you can do this without overcrowding the pot). Boil bagels on one side for 1 minute, then flip them and boil for another minute.
- Using a slotted spoon remove the bagels from the boiling water, place them on the parchment paper lined baking sheet (4 per sheet).
- Whisk together the egg and water for the egg wash, brush each bagel lightly with the egg wash. Then add desired toppings such as sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning and coarse salt, if desired.
- Place the bagels in the oven and for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
WHAT IS THE BEST FLOUR TO USE FOR HOMEMADE BAGELS?
We like to use bread flour for this recipe. Bread flour is higher in protein and will produce a nice chewy bagel.
You can use all-purpose flour for this recipe, but you will not get the same texture as you would if using bread flour.
DO I HAVE TO BOIL THESE?
This is an important step in making actual bagels, you will not get the texture of the outer shine if you do not boil these.
Nor will you get the flavor that you would of a traditional bagel. I suggest that you absolutely do not skip this important step.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO SHAPE THESE INTO BAGELS?
We found that making them into balls and then making a hole in the center of the ball and stretching works best.
This will ensure that the bagel stays together when boiling and they all have a nice uniform shape.
WHAT CAN I SERVE OR TOP THESE HOMEMADE BAGELS WITH?
TOPPINGS:
- Sesame seeds
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Cheese
- Coarse salt
- Oats
- Caraway seeds
SERVING:
- Butter
- Jam
- Cinnamon sugar
- As a sandwich
- Peanut butter
- Cream cheeses
- Cheese
- Eggs
There are so many things you can do with bagels and I really enjoy trying all of the options.
HOW TO STORE:
These can be stored in an airtight container on the countertop where they will last for up to 2-3 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
They can also be frozen, place in a freezer bag (we like to wrap in plastic wrap) and they will keep for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove to the countertop until thawed and serve as desired.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- If you don’t want to use maple syrup in the recipe substitute with brown sugar or granulated sugar.
- You can easily double this recipe to make more.
- Various toppings can be added to these, see above on some suggestions.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do this.
- DO NOT skip the boiling process, this is essential to get the texture and flavor of a traditional bagel.
- Bread flour is best to use in this recipe, you can use all-purpose but the texture will not be the same.
- Make sure that your water for the yeast is between 100-110. Anything lower will not activate the yeast and anything higher could kill the yeast.
Love a classic recipe that you can easily make at home in various flavors? You cannot miss out on these Homemade Bagels.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these HOMEMADE BAGELS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Homemade Bagels
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ ounce package active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
- 4 ¼ cups bread flour divided – save ¼ cup for kneading later
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon oil
For boiling:
- 8 cups water
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
Toppings:
- Everything Bagel Seasoning optional
- Sesame seeds optional
- Coarse salt optional
Instructions
- Place the warm water into a small bowl, whisk in the maple syrup. Then add in the yeast and gently stir.
- Allow yeast mixture to sit for 5 to 10 minutes to proof, it should get foamy.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together 4 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of salt. Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the middle of the bowl with the flour mixture.
- Mix on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated. Then mix on medium speed for another 5 minutes, or until the dough is moist and it pulls away from the side of the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and place it on a lightly floured surface (use the remaining ¼ cup set aside). Knead the dough until it is smooth roughly 3-5 minutes, incorporating in the remaining ¼ cup of flour while kneading.
- Form the dough into a ball and place it into a bowl greased with the 1 teaspoon of oil, roll the dough ball around until it is covered in oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in a warm, draft free spot. Allow the dough to rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Divide the dough evenly into 8 pieces shaping into balls.
- Press your finger into the middle of each dough all to make a hole about 2 inches in diameter.
- Place the formed bagels onto a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Allow dough to rest for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the water bath.
- In a large pot, add the water, honey, and baking soda and bring it to a boil.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Boil 2-3 bagels at a time (if you can do this without overcrowding the pot). Boil bagels on one side for 1 minute, then flip them and boil for another minute.
- Using a slotted spoon remove the bagels from the boiling water, place them on the parchment paper lined baking sheet (4 per sheet).
- Whisk together the egg and water for the egg wash, brush each bagel lightly with the egg wash. Then add desired toppings such as sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning and coarse salt, if desired.
- Place the bagels in the oven and for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- If you don’t want to use maple syrup in the recipe substitute with brown sugar or granulated sugar.
- You can easily double this recipe to make more.
- Various toppings can be added to these, see above on some suggestions.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do this.
- DO NOT skip the boiling process, this is essential to get the texture and flavor of a traditional bagel.
- Bread flour is best to use in this recipe, you can use all-purpose but the texture will not be the same.
- Make sure that your water for the yeast is between 100-110. Anything lower will not activate the yeast and anything higher could kill the yeast.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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