Warm, chewy bagels. Is there anything better than a New York Style bagel, smothered with cream cheese? I can only think of one way that they could be better. Making them at home. These homemade bagels are so easy to do, and will taste so good!
Do you love bagels? The warm, chewy, slightly crispy rounds of bread are so versatile. You can toast them, smear them with cream cheese, jelly, butter and more.
When I was first married, I could barely boil water, let alone make bread. However, after wanting to save up to buy a house, we had to cut our budget. The first area I could control was food.
I learned to make my own breads. As a matter of fact, this French bread was one of the first recipes I learned to master.
Once I was able to make that with ease, moving to artisan bread was the next step. Then, tackling a homemade bagels recipe. Actually, making New York bagels is fairly easy. A few tweaks here and there, and you can make them into nearly any flavor!
(and for those of you whole are very fervent about NYC bagels, and feel this recipe wouldn’t stack up, I apologize in advance. They are just as good as New York bagels in my opinon.)
Some tips for making homemade bagels:
- Makes sure your work surface area is as clear as possible. For myself, I tend to take up a lot of counter space when making bagels. Plan on using an extra 1/2 cup flour for dusting the area when working as well.
- Although the recipe directions call for using a stand mixer with a dough hook, which is my preferred method, you CAN knead by hand. If you have some extra tension or need some exercise, that’s a great way to get it. Also, when making homemade bagels with your kids, kneading by hand is a great way to connect with them. Some of the best talks I have ever had with my kids were over kneading dough together.
- While many bagels “experts” recommend using barely malt in the dough, it’s not very common. Using molasses will give you the same results and it’s far more easily found.
- True bagels are always boiled, then baked. Boiling them first is what gives them their crunchy, exterior while allowing for a chewy interior. Adding a bit of honey to the boiling water will give it a deeper golden color when baking as well.
- Bread flour is a must! Bread flour contains more protein that all-purpose flour. This gives the bagels the all-important chewiness inside. I wouldn’t recommend using all-purpose flour for bagel making.
- This recipe makes 8 large bagels. It could be divided into more bagels to make smaller sized bagels, but that would change the cooking time. I’ve not experimented with different cooking times, so I wouldn’t recommend deviating from the recipe to make smaller bagels unless someone is willing to take the risk and experiment with adjusting the baking time.
Ingredients you need for homemade bagels:
- Water
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Bread Flour
- Salt
- Molasses
- Oil for greasing bowl
- Honey
- Egg
- Bagel toppings
Making homemade bagels:
- Whisk together water, sugar and yeast. Allow to proof.
- Mix together the flour and salt.
- Stir in the molasses and yeast mixture, and knead.
- Allow to rise in oiled bowl, then punch dough down, then divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape pieces into balls, then poke hole in center.
- Boil water then boil each bagel on each side. Brush on egg wash, top with choice of seasonings and bake.
Are you ready for a delicious, homemade bagel recipe? Let’s grab some bread flour, yeast, and toppings and get baking!
What are some good toppings for homemade bagels?
Here are some of our favorite toppings to add to the bagels before baking.
What are some delicious ways to use homemade bagels?
Bagels are very versatile for a bread. Some of my favorite combinations to top bagels are cream cheese with either smoked salmon, jelly, or eggs. Feeling more adventurous? Try this lox and cream cheese. This homemade scallion cream cheese recipe also sounds delicious. Like charcuterie boards? Try this yummy bagel bar board! Extra bagels would be great as these yummy bagel chips, too!
Other Recipes To Try
What is your favorite bagel topping? Will you make these homemade bagels?
Homemade Bagels (New York Style)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon water, divided (plus water for boiling the bagels)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 package (.25 ounce) or 2 ¼ teaspoons dry instant yeast
- 4 cups bread flour, plus additional for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or other mild flavored oil) for greasing the bowl
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg
- Bagel toppings of choice: everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, black sesame seeds, coarse salt
Instructions
- Heat 1 ½ cups of water to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the water into a small bowl. Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water; mix together then set aside for 5 minutes until frothy.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 4 cups of bread flour and the 1 teaspoon salt. Add the yeast mixture and molasses. Beat with an electric mixer (a stand mixer is preferable) until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Grease a large bowl generously with 1 tablespoon oil. Place the dough into the bowl, turning once to coat the top with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel then set aside in a warm place to rise for 60-90 minutes until doubled.
- Punch the dough down, then divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Use one finger to poke a hole into the center of a dough ball, then stretch and shape it into a large hole, about 2 inches in diameter. Repeat this process with each dough ball until you have 8 bagels. Place the bagels on a baking sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside to rest while you move on to the next step.
Fill a large pot with water to about 2 inches of depth. Add 3 tablespoons of honey and whisk to combine. - Bring the water to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium high. Boil the bagels in small batches for 1 minute on each side.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a large baking sheet (or two smaller baking sheets) with parchment paper. Place the bagels on the parchment paper with at least 1 inch of space between each bagel.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash on the top and sides of each bagel. Top the bagels with the toppings of your choice, or leave plain.
- Bake the bagels at 425 degrees for 25 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Cool the bagels slightly then slice and serve, or toast and serve.
- Store bagels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or slice and freeze for up to 2 months.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1 bagelAmount Per Serving Calories 405Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 23mgSodium 509mgCarbohydrates 75gFiber 3gSugar 11gProtein 14g
While I do my best to make sure these numbers are accurate, please be your own best advocate and double check.
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