Easy Bagel Recipe

This super easy homemade bagel recipe makes the most delicious chewy bagels in less than 60 minutes. No fancy tools or techniques are required; they taste much better than what you get at the bagel shops.

This dough is some of the easiest to make and uses basic ingredients you can find at the grocery store. All you have to do is mix everything together, put it in a warm place to rise, shape your dough into the bagels, dunk in some boiling water, and then bake them with your favorite toppings or toast and smear them with a bunch of cream cheese (my favorite)!

If you love making your own bread recipes like my focaccia bread, fast bread recipe, homemade soft pretzels, or sourdough bread, you will LOVE making these bagels!

Ingredients

There isn't a lot to making bagels. So there's no reason to be nervous! Check the notes at the bottom of the recipe card for substitutions.

Bread flour - Higher in gluten and produces a great chewy bagel. You can also use all-purpose flour if that is all you have. They will still be great! I love Caputo brand flour personally.
Warm Water - Activates the yeast and activates the gluten in the flour. Your water should be 110ºF- 115ºF. We're using water instead of milk so that our bread has less fat in it which makes the bread chewier. 
Brown Sugar - Just a little bit of sugar helps the yeast to grow and the molasses gives a delicious flavor to the bagels similar to the barley malt syrup that traditional bakeries use.
Olive oil - Gives the bagels a wonderful flavor and helps them stay soft. 
Instant Yeast - Gives our bagels flavor and makes them rise! You can also use active dry yeast but it will take longer. See notes at the bottom of the recipe for more information. I like Saf Instant Yeast.
Salt - Gives our bagels flavor. Very important in bread making. Make sure you don't add your salt to your flour until the flour has mixed with the warm water and sugar or it can stop your yeast from activating. 
Toppings - The best thing about making your own bagels is choosing your toppings! Cheese, herbs, poppy seeds... the options are endless! Just brush your bagels with egg wash first and then finish with your favorite bagel toppings!

What kind of yeast is best for making bagels?

I love this bagel recipe, it's very similar to my easy bread recipe except there's a little less oil and sugar, making the dough is chewier. 

I'm using saf-instant yeast to make these bagels so that they rise really fast. Instant yeast is similar to active dry yeast but it works much faster. 

If you don't have instant yeast, don't worry! You can still use this recipe. Follow all the directions for mixing exactly the same way but you will need to let your bagel dough proof for 90 minutes instead of 30 minutes. 

You will also have to let them proof for a bit longer after you shape the bagels if you're using active dry yeast. About 20 minutes instead of 10. 

How to make the dough

Making the bagel dough could not be easier. No need to bloom the yeast because we are making a lean dough which means there isn't much fat in the recipe and the instant yeast works very quickly without blooming. Fat (eggs, butter, oil) can inhibit yeast from working which is why we bloom yeast in recipes like sweet dough. 

1. Place the oil in the warm water with the brown sugar and set it aside. 
2. Place your flour and yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and mix for a few seconds to combine everything together.
3. While mixing on low, add the warm water mixture into the flour mixture and mix until combined (about 30 seconds).
4. Now sprinkle in your salt while mixing on low. We add the salt after the yeast has been activated because salt can also get in the way of yeast growing. 
5. If your dough looks too wet, you can add in a couple of tablespoons of flour. If the dough looks too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water. The dough should look rough and sticky and sticking to the bowl at first. 
6. Now all you have to do is let the dough ingredients mix on medium-high speed for 6 minutes. (speed 4 on the KitchenAid, speed 2 on the bosch). Once it has mixed enough, the dough will "clean" the sides of the bowl and the surface of the dough will look smooth.
7. Cover the dough with a tea towel or plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out.
8. Set the dough aside in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size. About 30-60 minutes. The warmer the spot, the faster the dough will rise. I like to put mine by the fireplace or turn on the oven to the lowest setting for about 15 minutes to warm it up, turn the oven off, open the door, and place the dough on the door to rise.

*note* You will know the dough is ready when it passes these two tests. 

1. Poke the dough, does it bounce back? That is a good sign the gluten has developed enough and the dough is ready. 
2. Perform the windowpane test. Take a golf ball-sized piece of the dough and stretch it between your fingers carefully. Can you make a thin sheet of dough that you can almost see through (a window)? Then the dough is ready. 

How to shape bagels the easy way

Shaping bagels can seem tricky but let me show you the best way to shape bagels quickly and easily.

1. First, divide your dough into 18 equal pieces. Don't worry, they don't have to be perfect!
2. Fold all the rough edges to the underside to form a rough dough ball.
3. Cup the dough ball under your hand and roll it in a circle against the table to form a smooth tight ball. Let the dough rest while you form the rest of the balls. 
4. Poke a hole in the center of the dough and stretch the hole so it's about 2" wide.
5. Set the bagels aside to rest and rise for 10 minutes while you prepare your water. 

Don't worry if your bagels don't look perfect. These are homemade! They will taste delicious. 

Making the hole in the center of the bagel was my daughter's favorite part. It's a great job for little kids so they can feel like they are helping. 

How to make homemade bagels chewy

The secret to chewy bagels is actually boiling them in water before baking them. 

Weird huh? 

But it's true. Bagels are typically boiled in sweet, salted water for 30 seconds on each side and then baked. They can even be boiled for up to a minute on each side. The longer they boil, the thicker, chewier, and shinier the crust will be.

1. Bring two quarts of water and ¼ cup of honey or maple syrup to a boil.
2. Preheat your oven to 425ºF and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. Place your shaped bagels into the water and let them cook for about 30 seconds and then flip them and repeat cooking on the other side.
4. After boiling your bagels, scoop them out of the hot water with a slotted spoon or fancy gravy whisk like I have here.
5. Let the bagels drain for a few seconds then place them onto a parchment-covered sheet pan with some cornflour sprinkled on top. The cornflour just keeps the bagels from sticking to the parchment. 
6. Brush the bagels with some egg wash and then add your favorite toppings.
7. Bake the bagels in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until they are nice and golden brown.

What are some easy bagel toppings?

Before you pop those bagels into the oven, make sure you brush them with egg wash (one egg whisked with one tablespoon water). 

Then you can top your bagels with whatever toppings you like! 

I decided to put some shredded cheese on three of my bagels

Italian herbs and shredded parmesan Reggiano on three more

Then I, of course, had to make everything bagels because they are my favorite. I had some on hand but you can also make your own everything bagel seasoning! 

The last three I left plain so I could toast them for my breakfast sandwich in the morning!

These bagels where absolutely amazing fresh out of the oven but will last for about 3 days at room temperature in a ziplock bag. That is if you can stop yourself from eating them all.

 

Recipe