Homemade Bagels

Introducing my easy recipe for Homemade Bagels, a recipe I’ve been making for years and a total favorite at my house. Top these bagels with your favorite toppings such as everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon sugar or whatever you prefer.

Homemade Bagels

If there’s one recipe that I can never make too much of at home, it is this recipe for these epic bagels! My husband can probably eat at least half a dozen in one sitting, I kid you not. But let’s face it, there’s nothing better than a freshly baked warm bagel straight out of the oven. Plus, these bagels are a lot easier to make than you might think. So next time you have a craving, try this recipe because it sure delivers big on the wow factor.

I love making bagels, because you already have all these simple ingredients in your pantry, so no special trip to the grocery store. Whether you’re a novice baker or an experienced one, you can’t go wrong here.

Your family will be thrilled when they take that first delicious bite. These homemade bagels are simply perfect; the fluffy interior, the salty sprinkles and the crunchy golden crust make the best treat you could think of. Serve it as is or as my favorite way to serve it with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Well, let’s see how we can make it happen!

Homemade Bagel Recipe Highlights

PANTRY STAPLES. When the ingredients are in your pantry already, you can easily make these bagels anytime you want.

EASY TO MAKE. The instructions are straight forward and this recipe really is easy. Make them once and you’ll be making them again and again. You might even want to double the recipe!

DELICIOUS. Anything that’s homemade is delicious, but this one is just so much better than store bought.

CROWD PLEASER. Serve these for breakfast, brunch or lunch and everyone is happy. They can be toasted, plain, or you can put something in between, and always great for lunch sandwiches.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Flour – You’ll need all purpose flour or bread flour. The difference is that bread flour has a higher protein content which is required when making bread to produce gluten.
• Water – Warm, around 110°F. We will use this both for making the dough and for dipping the bagels.
• Sugar – A little bit of granulated sugar to feed the yeast and some brown sugar for the dough. The brown sugar will give the bagels a bit more color and shine.
• Yeast – You can use instant or active dry yeast. In this recipe I used active dry yeast. The difference is that active dry yeast needs to be activated first, whereas with instant yeast it’s not necessary.
• Salt – You need some salt to bring out all the flavors, otherwise your bagels will taste bland.
• Baking soda – Don’t substitute it with baking powder. This is for dipping the bagels into boiling water with baking soda to give them that nice shiny brown crust and their distinctive flavor.
• Seasoning – Poppy seeds, cheese, sesame seeds, coarse salt or Everything Bagel Seasoning are a few things to sprinkle over your bagels before baking.

How to Make Bagels

Prep the yeast. In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of warm water (110°F) with the yeast and sugar. Let it sit and rest for about 10 minutes until the yeast dissolves and it becomes foamy.

Make the dough. In the bowl of your mixer, mix the flour, brown sugar and salt together. Add the yeast mixture to it and using the hook attachment, mix until the dough is soft but no longer sticky and comes clean from the sides of the bowl. Add additional flour if needed.

Rest the dough. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

Preheat oven. Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Make baking soda water. Fill a large pot with 2 quarts of water and mix with baking soda. Bring the water to a boil.

Shape the bagels. Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a long foot (30cm) rope then loop it around your hand to form a circle. Roll the part where the dough meets itself on the counter until sealed. Alternatively you can roll each piece into a long 2 foot (60cm) rope. Fold the rope in two and twist it, then bring the ends together and pinch them to connect the rope.

Drop bagels in water. Reheat baking soda water if necessary, and drop bagels 2 at a time in soda water mixture for 1 minute, turning them over half way through. Remove and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pieces.

Season bagels. Brush the bagels with egg wash and sprinkle with your favorite toppings. Let the bagels rest for 10 minutes.

Bake and serve. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the bagels for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

What Can I Top My Bagels With?

You can keep to the traditional recipe and leave them plain. To add more flavor here are a few other ideas:

• Fresh herbs
• Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Italian Seasoning
• Parmesan cheese
• Poppy seeds
• Sesame seeds

Are Bagels Bad For You?

The good news is that the calories from bagels are nutritious and good for you (when you forgo the chocolate chips or sugary toppings), so you can make room for them in your diet. As is often the case, portion size is most important. Opt for smaller bagels and stick to just a half.

How To Serve

These can be served in so many ways. Eat plain bagels or serve them with lox, cream cheese, swiss cheese, bacon, ham, cheddar, strawberry jam or just regular old butter. There are an infinite number of options to choose. Use these bagels to make Salmon Cream Cheese Bagels, Tuna Salad bagels, breakfast sandwiches or simply spread some Homemade Garlic Butter on them.

Expert Tips

1. To make bagels properly you need to give them a bath. Make sure you use only baking soda and not baking powder. The baking soda helps the bagels form that beautiful golden crust and give them the distinct bagels taste.
2. Use bread flour instead if you want, or any high-gluten flour, this will help create more glen in the dough.
3. When dipping the bagels in the baking soda water bath, make sure they have enough time to float around. The bigger the pot, the more bagels will fit.
4. If you are looking into making them into a sweet treat you can glaze them with a drizzle of honey and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar, coconut flakes or even colorful sprinkles.
5. Fresh baked bagels taste best enjoyed immediately or a few hours after they’re baked.

Leftovers

You can store your leftover bagels at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Make sure you store them in a large freezer bag to they won’t dry out.

Freezing Bagels

Unbaked

If you wish to freeze the unbaked dough, make sure you follow the steps until you roll them out, including. Then place the rolls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze them as they are for a couple of hours. Then move the frozen rolls in an airtight container and store them in your freezer for up to 1 month.

Baked

You can also freeze bagels baked. Just let them cool down to room temperature before you place them in a large freezer bag and store them in your freezer. They will last also up to 1 month.

Looking For More Great Recipes?

• Salmon Cream Cheese Bagel
• Creamy Parmesan Chicken
• Pretzel Bites
• Homemade Garlic Butter
• Homemade Pretzels
• World’s Greatest Soft Pretzels

Recipe originally published June 2013.