Easy Homemade Bagels
These easy homemade bagels are chewy on the outside, soft on the inside, and made with just a few simple ingredients. Better than store-bought and perfect for breakfast, brunch, or sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (between 100-110°F)
- 2 and 3/4 tsp instant or active dry yeast
- 4 cups bread flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- nonstick spray or 2 tsp olive oil (to coat the bowl)
- 1 egg white beaten with 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
For Boiling
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
Prepare your dough:
- Whisk the warm water and yeast together the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.
- Add the flour, sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. The dough is very stiff and will look somewhat dry.
Knead the dough:
- Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 6-7 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 6-7 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Shape the bagels:
- When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it—doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a ball. Press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter. Loosely cover the shaped bagels with kitchen towel and rest for a few minutes as you prepare the water bath.
- Preheat oven to 425°F
Water bath:
- Fill a large, wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in the honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Drop bagels in, 2-4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Place 4 bagels onto each lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice, toast, top, whatever you want! Cover leftover bagels tightly and store at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
