This homemade bagels recipe is so easy to make! Bagels are similar in shape to donuts but they are savory with a crisp crust and dense crumb, I make these traditional bagels with all-purpose flour, they are on the mini side but you can bake a smaller batch and make them larger. Is there anything better than a salmon and cream cheese bagel?
Bagel dough is so easy to make, it’s really not worth making it in a stand mixer, it’s basically a dump all ingredients into a bowl and knead a few minutes kind of dough.
Once ready, the dough needs to proof for an hour, then the bagels are formed and they are cooked one minute per side into a solution of water, salt and honey and then baked for about 20 minutes, easy peasy and delicious each time.
With the ingredient quantity I’m listing here, I made 8 bagels and they were rather small, about 4.7 inches (12 cm), if you prefer your bagels larger, you probably should make 6 buns instead.
For toppings, I chose poppy seeds for a few and a mix of black and white sesame seeds for the others. There’s a large selection of toppings to choose, nuts, bacon, onion, etc, but I like poppy or sesame seeds, they allow me to enjoy my bagels with sweet jam or with any kind of cold cuts and like here with salmon.
To shape the bagels, once you’ve formed your balls of dough, press your index finger down in the middle, insert your other index together on the other side and twirl until the hole in the center is about 1.5 inch large (3 cm).
Foor more bread recipes, please check my category "Bakery"
3 3/4 cups (480g) bread flour, can be replaced by all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) lukewarm water (104°F max) (40°C max)
1 1/2 tsp salt
To pre-cook the bagels:
2 quarts of water (2 litres)
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. honey
Topping:
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/4 cup black and roasted sesame seeds
Into a small bowl add the water, dry yeast and sugar, stir and set aside until bubbly, about 10 minutes
Into a large bowl, add the flour, salt and yeast mixture, mix with a spatula until all the flour is wet and the dough starts to form, if the dough is too dry add a tbsp. of water, conversely if it’s too wet add a tbsp. of flour, turn the dough over on your counter and knead for about 5 to 10 minutes until smooth
Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let proof for an hour in a warm place, typically I put my dough to prove into my microwave oven turned off
Divide the dough into 8 or 6 equal pieces and form them into balls, arrange the balls of dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches in between them, cover with a towel for about 10 minutes
Form the bagels, press your index finger down in the center of each ball of dough, press your other index fingers on the other side and twirl drawing lightly on the dough until the hole is about 1.5 inch large
Meanwhile bring to boil 2 quarts of salted water with the honey into a shallow pot, dip the bagels, 3 to 4 at a time, cook them 1 minute per side, gather them with a slotted spoon and lay them back in the baking sheet
Pre-heat your oven at 425F (220°C), add a few drops of water to the egg yolk, stir and brush the bagels, sprinkle them with your favorite toppings, into the oven for 20 minutes
Let cool on a wire rack
Hello! All photos and content are my property. Please do not use my photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to Homemade Bagels Recipe