Bagels

Recipe by PJ Hamel
361 Reviews 4.5 out of 5 stars

With great bagels easy to find just about everywhere, you might wonder why it’s worth making your own. But homemade bagels offer something store-bought can’t: full control over flavor, ingredients, and texture. Skip the additives, tailor the mix-ins (pesto and sun-dried tomato, anyone?) and toppings (see "tips," below for details), and enjoy the process along the way. Bread flour gives these bagels their signature chew — that classic, satisfying bite you expect — while still keeping them tender inside. If can make bread dough, you can absolutely make bagels — and they’re a fun, hands-on project to share with a young baker, too. 

Prep
30 mins
Bake
20 to 25 mins
Total
2 hrs 50 mins
Yield
8 to 12 bagels
Bagels
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Instructions

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  1. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine all of the dough ingredients and knead vigorously for 10 minutes (if you're using an electric mixer) or up to 15 minutes (if you're kneading by hand). Since we're using a high-protein bread flour here, it takes a bit more effort and time to develop the gluten. The dough will be quite stiff; if you're using a mixer it will "thwap" the sides of the bowl, and hold its shape (without spreading at all) when you stop the mixer.

  2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise until it's noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

  3. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment and grease the parchment. Transfer the dough to a work surface, and divide it into eight pieces (for large bagels), or 12 pieces (for standard-size bagels).

  4. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Place the balls on one of the prepared baking sheets. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.

  5. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, non-diastatic malt powder (or brown sugar or barley malt syrup), and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Preheat your oven to 425°F.

  6. Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 1 1/2" to 2" in diameter. Place six bagels on each of the baking sheets. (See our blog post How to shape bagels, for more details.)

  7. Transfer the bagels, four at a time if possible, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or dough whisk, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

  8. Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like, turning them over about 15 minutes into the baking time (this will help them remain tall and round). Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a rack before cutting and splitting to serve.

  9. Store leftover bagels, well wrapped, at room temperature for a day or two; freeze them for longer storage. (Cutting the bagels in half before freezing makes it easy to take portions straight from the freezer to the toaster.)

Tips from our Bakers

  • Bake it better! Watch King Arthur's Recipe Editor, Kye Ameden, demonstrate one of the techniques from this recipe: How to Shape Bagels

  • Want to make cinnamon-raisin bagels? Knead about 2/3 cup of raisins into the dough toward the end of the kneading process. Just before you're done kneading, sprinkle your work surface heavily with cinnamon-sugar, and give the dough a few more turns; it'll pick up the cinnamon-sugar in irregular swirls. Divide the dough into pieces, form each piece into a ball, and roll each ball in additional cinnamon-sugar. Proceed to let rest and shape as directed above.

  • Wondering how to add toppings to your homemade bagels? To make sesame seed or poppy seed (or other seed) bagels, brush each bagel, just before baking, with a glaze made of 1 egg white beaten until frothy with 1 tablespoon of water. Glaze each bagel, and sprinkle heavily with seeds.

  • Want to add a bit of tang to your bagels? Mix a scant 1/2 cup (100g) fed (ripe) or unfed (discard) sourdough starter with the rest of the ingredients, reducing the water in the recipe to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255g).

  • Love making homemade bagels, but need a shortcut? Try our Classic Chewy Bagel Mix Kit to make bagels fresh from your oven in just about an hour.

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