Homemade Bagels {Step by Step}

Looking for homemade, freshly made bagels that taste just like store-bought? Check out this post for step-by-step instructions!

I have two goals in life:

1) to raise odor-free, kinder, more loving children, and 2) to help everyone win by making homemade sourdough breads.

I love making bread (in any form) and I also love to eat.

There’s just something about fresh bread that makes me happy. And when I discovered I could make specialty breads at home that were just as delicious for a fraction of the price… well, I was in a slump.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some bread recipes that don’t follow the typical muffin/bread dough parameters. I’ll include detailed step-by-step instructions so you can get it right with me. I’m not a baking expert by any means, so let me tell you, if I can do this, you can too!

Today is bagel day. I wanted every day to be bagel day because I love bagels.

I’m not going to defend you. Fiction. The recipe too. What we use depends on the dignity of the State: the recipe is almost a recipe for disaster.

The recipe I’m going to share with you today makes equally delicious bagels, but without the long distance. (Plus, you can use the step-by-step guide with some recipes, especially for the shaping/baking part.)

These bagels are dense, fluffy, and so pretty with the cream cheese it’s hard to describe. I always double it so we can have a frozen breakfast. Asiago bagels are my dream bagel option and the kind featured in this post, but the options are endless.

Who knew bagels could be so easy and fun to make at home (let my kids help with the process, especially with the placeholders)?

I’m not sure I consider goal #1 a success just yet, but if one of you makes this and loves it as much as I do… well, I’ll consider my life practically perfect.

Homemade Bagels

Makes: 8 bagels

Prep time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: 3 hours

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 4 cups (568 g) bread flour (see note for variations)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups hot water

Blend:

• 2 quarts water
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

1. Hand/Mixing Method: To make this dough by hand or in a mixer, combine all the dough ingredients and knead vigorously, either by hand for 10 to 15 minutes or by machine on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes. While high protein bread flour (or a combination of all-purpose flour and gluten) is used here, it does take a little longer to develop the gluten. The dough will be firmer than other types of flour, but will still be soft and pliable after baking. It should be firm and sugary enough that it doesn’t leave too much on your fingers after you’ve applied the piece, but not so firm that you can’t easily remove the dough by tearing it off. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let it rest for about 1-1 1/2 hours, until it comes out clean.
2. Bread Machine Method: Place all dough ingredients in the machine basket, set the machine to dough or manual, and press start. Check the dough after 15 minutes; it should be very stiff and won’t form a smooth ball. The dough will be very firm when you insert your finger. Let the machine complete the cycle, then finish the bagels according to the instructions below.
3. Transfer the puffed/risen dough to a work surface and divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Working at a time, form a smooth, round ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet or lightly greased baking sheet, then cover them lightly. Let them rest for 10 minutes. They will plump up a bit.
4. Once they have rested, one by one, use your thumb to make a hole in the center of each ball, then roll the dough around and use your other fingers until the hole is about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Each bagel will be about 4 inches wide. Place the shaped bagels on a lined baking sheet (where you will bake them).
5. Prepare the marinade by bringing the water and sugar to a gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter saucepan. You can use a large skillet or a deep, straight-sided skillet. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
6. Transfer the bagels, three to four at a time, to the boiling pot. If necessary, increase the heat on the bottom of the pot to gently simmer the water. Toast the bagels for 2 minutes, turning them with a wide spatula and cooking for one more minute. Using a wide spatula, carefully lift the bagels out of the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Serve with the remaining bagels.
7. Top the bagels with the toppings of your choice. If you are using dry yeast, such as egg yolk or lime, combine 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon water, spread all over the bagel mixture with vigorous kneading, whipping cream, etc. other sugar, no need to spread the bagels with egg whites, just place grated cheese on the bagels.
   Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown to your liking. Remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
8. I only bake one sheet at a time, though I usually double it and have four sheets of bagels ready to bake. The baked bagels, placed on the baking sheets, dusted with flour, then sat and rested for 20-30 minutes while the rest of the bagels baked, well… otherwise. So there is nothing wrong with baking all the bagels at once and placing them on the baking sheets while you bake the rest of the bagels.

Notes

Flour: I never have bread flour on hand, so I always use all-purpose flour, adding 1 tablespoon of wheat gluten for every tablespoon of flour (or 1 tablespoon of gluten for every 5 ounces if you want to weigh in on ingredients).
For this doubled recipe: I use 16 ounces of whole wheat flour, about 3 ounces of gluten, and all-purpose flour (about 15 ounces – the exact amount depends on altitude, moisture, how you measure flour, etc.).