Homemade Bagels

Annie's Eats

My hope is to inspire you to be fearless in the kitchen, to try new things, to take the time to make things the homemade way and most importantly, to have fun doing it!

70 comments

posted in: Annie's Picks, Breads, Rolls & Buns, Breakfast

12.27

2011

We’re in limbo between Christmas and New Year’s, and to me this is the perfect time to talk about homemade bagels. Many of us have a blessed extra day or two off of work, and may find ourselves with an extra moment to spend in the kitchen. New Year’s resolutions and diets are looming so if there was ever a time to enjoy an amazing homemade carb bomb, it would be now. Of course if one of your resolutions is to make yeast breads and doughs at home, then bagels might help with that. Basically I can always find a way to justify the making of bagels.

This base bagel recipe is not new to the blog but I felt the topic could use some updating and that it might benefit from step-by-step pics. I am also quite giddy about finally finding the perfect ratio for the “everything” seed topping. In the past I would just mix together the necessary ingredients until it looked right, except it never tasted quite right. Now it does. I really should have Googled that sooner. You can make these with a stand mixer or simply by hand. Once you’ve got the basic bagel concept down, the sky is the limit. You can customize your bagels however you see fit with mix-ins, toppings, and spreads. If I’m going to put in the effort to make bagels, I always make a full batch. I find that they freeze very well and it’s always nice to be able to pull a few out of the freezer if you have unexpected company over for breakfast or brunch. I freeze after boiling and baking completely, then thaw briefly on low power in the microwave and toast as usual. I must say though, once you start making your own bagels store-bought just won’t cut it anymore. You’ve been warned.

Bagels

Yield: 12 large or 16 medium bagels

Ingredients

For the sponge:
1 tsp. (0.11 oz.) instant yeast
4 cups (18 oz.) unbleached bread flour
2 ½ cups (20 oz.) water, at room temperature

For the dough:
½ teaspoon (0.055 oz.) instant yeast
3 ¾ cups (17 oz.) unbleached bread flour
2 ¾ teaspoons (0.7 oz.) salt
2 teaspoons (0.33 oz.) malt powder OR 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz.) dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar

To finish:
1 tablespoon baking soda
Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting
Desired toppings (such as cinnamon-sugar, shredded cheese, seeds, etc.)
*”Everything” topping: combine 4 tsp. each of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion and 2 tsp. kosher salt)

Directions

To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (similar to pancake batter).
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.
To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough.
Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes with the mixer). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 81˚ F. If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.
Immediately divide the dough into 4 ½ ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired. Form the pieces into rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.
Line two sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Proceed with shaping the bagels by pushing a hole through the center and stretching out the hole to 2 ½ inches in diameter. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. (At this point, the bagels can be refrigerated for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.
The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500° F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby. Have your toppings ready. (Please excuse the fingerpaint situation in the background. It’s sort of a constant part of our weekend mornings.)
Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds).

After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side.

While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-line sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you decided to replace the paper, be sure to spray the new paper lightly with spray oil to prevent the bagels from sticking to the surface.) If you want to top the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water.
When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180˚ rotation. (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180˚.) After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450° F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer.

Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

Source

bagels from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, everything topping from Food.com

Anonymous

I had to laugh when you said “if one of your resolutions is to make yeast breads and doughs at home, then bagels might help with that” because it actually is one of my goals this year! :-) So you can bet I’m going to bookmark this and when the intimidation of yeast anything dies down, I’m diving in!
Kelsey

Great post, Annie. I’ve wanted to make homemade bagels for quite some time now and this has given me just the push I needed to go for it!
http://www.bakedbyrachel.com/ Rachel

I haven’t made homemade bagels in ages! I should try to whip some up again in the near future, especially since I’m on the search for THE perfect onion bagel. Maybe homemade is the only way. :)
Cpower79

Wow. These look amazing and I cannot wait to try them!
http://www.pleasemommynomoredaddies.blogspot.com/ angela king

these look amazing! :)
Christina Coursey

I love everything you do but I just started making bagels and will never change my recipe now. They are amazing! http://selfishlyhappy.blogspot.com/2011/12/recipe-bagels-make-this-today.html

A little less time involved.
Kristen

Mmm… I’m salivating over here in New Jersey! These look awesome :) Can’t wait to try it out!
Haley

These look so, so good Annie! I’ve heard homemade bagels are the dig and have been wanting to try it. I bet raisin nut would be awesome too. So many different combinations! :)
http://atoastandtea.wordpress.com/ atoastandtea

These look gorgeous, and the pictures are so helpful! I am in fact resolving to try out more yeast breads at home this year, so I am bookmarking these!
Anonymous

I just use brown sugar.
http://www.indynikongal.com Esther

I have always wanted to try homemade bagels! Thank you so much for posting the step by step photos, they will definitely come in handy!
http://twitter.com/HomeCookMemory Brandie

Thank you so much for this! Making bagels in on my cooking/baking bucket list and now I know where to turn when I do make them.
http://twitter.com/lastay latoya lawrence

your bagels looks wonderful
Heather W.

Yummmm! I’ve been wanting to try making bagels forever. I’ve been a little chicken because of all the steps but you make it look less intimidating. I may try them this weekend!
Maria Powers

Yes, I think New Years Weekend will be a great time for a baking project like this. Do you have any tips for doubling the recipe? That seems like a lot of work for 12-16 bagels.
http://www.facebook.com/abattocletti Ashlee Battocletti

so, if I want to do blueberry bagels do I add the blueberries after I add the 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough? thanks for the advice!
Melissa

I want to come live at your house!!!
Anonymous

It’s not much work at all. I’ve never doubled it myself but would probably just make two separate batches.
Anonymous

I plan to post about those specifically later. You can’t just mix in fresh berries because they will be crushed. I’m going to try a few options and see what works best.
Anonymous

I have only frozen them as outlined above. Feel free to experiment!
http://atthepatisserie.wordpress.com/ Ann P.

These look fantastic! So skilled :)
Christalh

Brilliant.
http://twitter.com/Jinxyisms Christy Wiggins

Those look great. I’m so going to make those soon.
Angela

I am a bit scared of baking bread at home….fear of it not turning out and wasting that much time….anyway, I would like to start trying. So, what is the “window pane test?” Thanks.
Adthomas218

I’ve been wanting to make my own bagels for quite sometime now! I know my husband will appreciate them. : )

And may I ask: WHERE DID YOU GET THAT BEAUTIFUL TURQUOISE POT??? It looks nice & heavy duty!
Anne Lee

Wow these look great! I would love to make homemade bagels!
Anne Lee

Wow these look great! I would love to make homemade bagels!
Anonymous

It’s a Le Creuset pot. I love it!
Anonymous

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/bakers-techniques-how-to-do-the-windowpane-test-when-kneading-bread-070784
Anonymous

I generally weigh whenever weights are provided.
Joshgitchel

I have made these too, they are great. If you want I could send you some pictures of what I have ended up with. They aren’t easy by by stretch of the imagination though. You really need to know about the basic steps of baking.
http://twitter.com/mynewlywedlife Ana Monteiro

YUMMY! Love bagels!
http://www.facebook.com/abattocletti Ashlee Battocletti

thanks so much, and that’s what my fear was that i would have blue blueberry bagels instead of bagels with blueberries in them. appreciate the response, and looking forward to your discovery.
Emma

Oh my goodness, Annie, I started making these pretty much immediately after I read your post yesterday, and we just ate some for breakfast. They were … incredible! I agree with you in that I’m going to have a very hard time buying storebought (or even bakery-made) bagels from now on! It will be so much better to just make these in advance and store in the freezer. And a big thumb’s-up on the “everything” topping as well — it tasted spot-on. Thanks for the step-by-step post! I’d seen this recipe floating around before, but seeing those photos of the process made it seem much more achievable, and it actually ended up being a fairly easy process, like you said. Thank you so much.
Mayalaurent

I have a recipe pulled from Cooking Light to make these today or tomorrow. Might have to try your recipe instead. Yum!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-Lindahl/615305758 Jennifer Lindahl

I had the very same question~ Thanks for the link:)
http://amyscookingadventures.blogspot.com/ Amy’s Cooking Adventures

Yum! Definitely going to give these a try – so excited that you perfected the everything bagel, too–those are the best!
http://www.sistersrunningthekitchen.com/ Christina

wowwww that is awesome! they look so delicious!
rebecca

Just pulled these out of the oven! They are delicious both un-toasted and toasted. I don’t think I will buy bagels at the store ever again!
Thia

These look soooo good. I can’t wait to try them.
SARA

Annie,
question: Would you change much if you used a homemade sourdough starter? I hate using instant yeast when I already have starter but I don’t know if its wise to mess with the recipe if I haven’t even tried it yet! Also can you do it all on one day or is the refrigeration necessary?
Anonymous

Honestly I wouldn’t even know where to begin with making that sort of alteration. I have starter in my fridge but still use instant yeast all the time. When a recipe is already well tested and reliable, I have no desire to mess with it. Good luck!
Dina

Question: Do they have to be refrigerated? I’m super impatient!
Anonymous

To have the proper end texture and taste, yes.
http://indigoscones.blogspot.com/ Ellen

Do you reuse your parchment? I’m wondering what gives it the pretty rustic brown color :)
Anonymous

I buy the unbleached kind, so it’s naturally brown :)
mfoisy

When you substituted brown sugar for the malt powder in the dough, did you use 2 tsp or 1 tbsp of the brown sugar in the dough? Thanks!!
Anonymous

I did it as detailed in the ingredient list.
Anonymous

It sounds like your yeast was not activated enough. Either water was too warm initially and killed the yeast, too cold to activate it, or possibly just old and inactive altogether.
T.J. Thering

Yeah, it must be something with the yeast. It’s brand new yeast though, and I activated it with the right amount of warm (110-115 degree) water and sugar. (I didn’t have instant yeast on hand, so I used the correct equivalent amount of dry active yeast). I’ll be baking them tomorrow morning, so we’ll see what the verdict is :)
T.J. Thering

Success! I gave the recipe a second try, and I got got them to pass the “float test”! Not sure what happened the first time, but I’ll definitely be passing this recipe on to friends. Thanks again :)
Anonymous

Great! I’m glad they worked out for you.
Kat

I made the bagels with my daughter (who is in from Kauai), her boyfriend, his 2 girls (ages 12 and 8), my daughter’s friend, and my niece (who is in from Flagstaff) and, despite the very crowded and noisy kitchen, they were WONDERFUL! Very “ono” as my daughter says. (I actually made a batch the day before so they could experience the whole recipe from mixing to boiling and baking, then the next day I boiled and baked the batch they mixed up.) Every bagel was thoroughly enjoyed. The kids especially liked the cinnamon sugar ones. (I managed to squirrel away 4 in the freezer for my husband and me to eat later. ) Thank you SO much for this great recipe that created great memories for us.
http://theloveofcupcake.blogspot.com/ Steph Woods

OMG! I love bagels, but they’re such a carb bomd like you said and my resolution was to eat healthier… ahhh nooo!
Jenn

I finally made these yesterday/this morning and boy were they good! I have been baking homemade bagels for awhile now, but have yet to find the perfect recipe. This one is it! Tastes just like something you’d get at a bagel shop. Thanks for a great recipe Annie!
http://cookingbride.com/ Lisa @ The Cooking Bride

You bagels look exactly like my faves from this deli in Memphis! Since I live four hours from Memphis, I only get them when my Dad makes a trip and remembers to pick some up. I’m saving this recipe for a day when my husband and my child are out of the house.
Anonymous

Caribbean blue.
Kristine Robbins

if you dont have a kitchen scale yall should def get one (this is the one i own..hands down the best i have ever owned http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WJMTNA?ie=UTF8&ref_=sr_1_1&qid=1325960667&sr=8-1)

i just started measuring for the sponge and it calls for 4 cups of flour or 18 oz…which also equals 510 grams if you want to get really precise…i measured it out in my one cup measuring cup and by the time i reached 510 grams there was still almost a third of a cup of flour left in my measuring cup! using a scale makes better results! i dont know how long its been since i have used a recipe that used cups instead of oz or grams!
Rosie

Wow! I have just made bagels for the first time in my life – they won’t win any beauty contests but they taste AMAZING! Thanks Annie, for posing such clear step by step photos, I’m going to need a lot more practice before my bagels are as beautifully round as yours!
Anonymous

I think it’s important to put the toppings on immediately after the bagels come out of the boiling water and are still moist so they adhere (in other words, don’t wait to top until all the bagels are ready to go in the oven). I’m not sure why the onions were so burned – could be a quirk of your oven or something to do with the fact that you made your own? I hope that helps a little.
Christina

I’m really excited to try this recipe. By Instant Yeast do you mean Rapid Rise?
Anonymous

Yes. See the FAQ page for more info.
Claire

These are in the oven! :-) I am hoping the gravlax to accompany them turns out well, too. I had to smile – someone at work had your amazing cupcake calendar in their cube. She wasn’t familiar with your blog, so it was exciting to tell her about it. You are just awesome, Annie! (BTW, I love all the “happy” colors that appear in your pictures — whether it be your Le Creuset, backdrops, etc.)
Anonymous

Well, thank you!
Anonymous

I suppose maybe it comes with practice. I just shape mine as outlined in the instructions here. Enjoy!
Anonymous

They are already posted on the blog actually, you can find them via the search bar or recipe index. Glad you are enjoying them!
Angel

Finally got around to remembering to buy bread flour! Next time I need to remember to get the parchment paper! Thank you for making it so simple. They were wonderful!
m

This was great! I am so proud of myself this morning, looking at my fresh delicious bagels thanks to your recipe. I never would have thought I could do something like this at home. We made blueberry, using dried bluberries and they are perfect! Thank you so much! I really appreciate the pictures. I realized measuring by cups I was way off (seeing your sponge picture) and redid my sponge by weight measurements = perfect. We can’t eat most bagels sold anywhere due to food allegies and so it was SOO nice to have a delicious bagel this morning.
Becca

i have two questions! would i be able to sub bread flour or whole wheat flour? and how long do they have to retard in the fridge?

these are incredible!
annieseats

Please see the FAQ page regarding substitutions. The retardation instructions are included within the recipe.