Making bagels from scratch is so rewarding – they’re super fluffy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and the best part is breakfast is sorted out for the whole week! Whether it’s jalapeño cheese, everything, sesame, or asiago, however you bagel, it’s going to be delicious. Stuff it with some cream cheese or turn the bagel into a sandwich for lunch!
This recipe has been a long time coming on the blog because if there is one thing anyone knows about me, it’s that I’m absolutely in love and obsessed with bagels. I think I have eaten one every singe day for 300 of 365 days of the year. They’re so delicious, filling, and you can never get sick of it because you just change the filling! And when you learn how to make something you love from scratch, you fall in love with it just a little bit more which I didn’t think could be possible with bagels, yet here we are.
How to Make the Dough
Here are the ingredients you will need:
warm water
warm milk
active dry yeast
granulated white sugar
bread flour
salt
To make the dough, start by proofing the yeast. Sprinkle the yeast on top of 1/4 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix and cover for 10 minutes until frothy and bubbly.
Now add the bread flour, salt, and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour in the warm water, warm milk, and proofed yeast. Knead the dough for a few minutes until elastic and soft. It shouldn’t be sticky or too dry. Add a tablespoon of water or of flour as needed depending on what your dough needs.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and allow it to rise in a warm place until double in size, about an hour. The longer the dough rests, the better!
After doubled in size, punch the dough down and divide into equal portions. Pinch and roll each one into a ball. This recipe makes about 10 bagels depending on how small or big you shape them. Cover again for 15 minutes so they puff up again.
Then poke a hole in the center of each one to get that signature bagel shape and roll it around the center to enlarge the hole. Repeat with the rest, cover, and allow to rise again for 15 minutes.
Now unlike most bread, bagels are unique because they are boiled before baked in the oven!
Add honey and baking soda to the boiling water in a large pot. This will help give the bagels a nice sheen and golden brown color when out of the oven. Just boil each bagel for 2 minutes on each side and transfer to a baking sheet.
The Toppings
This is the best part because you get to create any bagel flavor you like or mix and match them! To help the toppings adhere better, whisk together one egg and a splash of milk. Brush that on the boiled bagels and then you can customize the toppings.
everything bagel: just buy everything bagel seasoning from the store and sprinkle it generously on top
sesame bagel: add sesame seeds on top. They can be regular sesame seeds or toasted.
poppy seed: sprinkle with poppy seeds all over
jalapeño cheddar: add shredded cheddar cheese and jalapeños on top
cinnamon sugar: add a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon on top
And of course, nothing beats a plain bagel too!
Baking
After adding the toppings, into the oven they go to bake until beautifully golden brown, crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside! Bake at 425°F for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Storing and Reheating
Any leftovers bagels can be stored in an airtight container on the counter and then reheated and toasted using a toaster or oven. For maximum freshness, enjoy within 3 days. Anytime beyond that, store in the freezer. Do not store in the fridge as it will dry them out!
Make the Bagels Vegan
The best part about this recipe is it can easily be made vegan, in fact most bagels are vegans. They’re usually only made with water but I like to replace some of that water for milk. I think it adds a more rich flavor to the bagels but to make it vegan, just replace the milk with the same amount of water!
If you tried this recipe and loved it, drop by down below and let me know how you liked it with a rating and comment! Feel free to also leave a question there about this recipe and I’ll get right back to it.
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Making Homemade Bagels is cheaper than buying them. Although going to a bagel shop makes for a delicious meal, it gets expensive quick. That's why we love making them at home. This recipe gives you all the things you want in a bagel.
Making Homemade Bagels is cheaper than buying them. Although going to a bagel shop makes for a delicious meal, it gets expensive quick. That's why we love making them at home. This recipe gives you all the things you want in a bagel.
In order for the bagels to develop that well-browned exterior and slightly dense chewy texture, they must be boiled briefly before baking. This works because the boiling water sets the exterior crust before it hits the oven, preventing the bagels from rising very much, while further developing that browned exterior.
There's no egg in the dough, and malt is used in place of sugar. A bagel is made by first cooking it in water — very hot boiling water — for one or two minutes to lock in its flavor. Then it's browned in the oven to create that hard, delectable crust.
Bread flour – Because of its high protein content, bread flour makes these homemade bagels delightfully chewy. This recipe also works with all-purpose flour, they're just a bit less chewy than bagels made with bread flour.
If your dough is too wet, it'll create large holes in the crumb of the dough and your bagels will be more like French bread, with a fluffy interior (see top photo). When too much flour is kneaded in, bagels become dense, hard and tough, instead of crisp and chewy.
Much like a specific vineyard terroir is used to make a wine, certain minerals in New York City tap water are attributed to creating the best bagels. These include low concentrations of calcium and magnesium and a high level of sediment.
HOW LONG DO FRESH BAGELS LAST? Fresh bagels are best eaten on the same day they're baked. When stored at room temperature in a paper bag, fresh bagels can last for about two to three days. Fresh bagels can last for about three to four months when stored in the freezer, and thawed in a toaster.
Fiber can help keep blood sugar levels in check and is good for the digestive system. However, not all bagels contain all-grain flour; Some are made with refined flour, which reduces the amount of fiber and nutrients in them and makes them more nutritious than white bread.
Baking soda makes the water more alkaline, giving the bagels a pretzel-like quality that contributes to their chewiness. Just one teaspoon helps the bagels develop a shiny, dark-brown exterior as they bake. One thing to keep in mind: Keep the water bath at a constant simmer.
What you're trying to do, by boiling or steaming bagels before baking, is to kill the yeast, so the bagels won't rise in the oven and become puffy, rather than staying rather dense and chewy. You're also adding a very thin coating of sugar—malt, in this case—which gives bagels their distinctive shiny crust. Eureka!
A good bagel should have a thin, shiny, crackly crust spotted with the kind of microblisters that you can only get from proper boiling followed by a high-temperature bake. It's these little bubbles that add both surface area and crunch.
According to Molly, “If the bagels proof too much, they'll deflate in the water bath.” If you're keeping an eye on your dough, she advises pulling it a little too early rather than a little too late (and definitely before they double in size), as it's better to be underproofed.
Bread Flour: You'll want to use bread flour to get the chewy, dense texture of a classic bagel. All-purpose flour has a lower percentage of protein which means that it will produce a much softer texture. You need the higher protein content from the bread flour which creates more gluten and a more elastic dough.
Opinions on what make for an “ideal” bagel vary of course, but to my mind the best ones have a plump, rounded exterior and a fine crumb structure, with a balanced chewy-yet-tender texture.
New York bagels get boiled prior to baking, defining their special texture in a solution of water and barley malt. A long boil and thicker crust inhibit rising, resulting in a dense interior while a short boil yields a crusty yet chewy bagel bite.
If you want a thinner crust and airier texture in your bagels, shorten the boiling time slightly (around 45 seconds, instead of the 60 seconds called for in the recipe). The shorter boil means the crust has less opportunity to preset, which allows more rising, and thus a “fluffier” bagel.
Add honey and baking soda to boiling water in a large pot. This will help give the bagels a nice sheen and golden brown color when out of the oven. Add a few bagels at a time to the pot, making sure they're not crowded. They should float immediately when added to the water.
Introduction: My name is Kimberely Baumbach CPA, I am a gorgeous, bright, charming, encouraging, zealous, lively, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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