Bagels are unique, with a great texture, completely different from other breads. Baking bagels in your oven can be very satisfying! And you only need a few ingredients to make real homemade bagels!
We don't have bagels in Brazil so when we travel to the US we always eat them - we love an American bagel! My daughter eats plain bagels for breakfast almost every day of our trips, toasted and with cream cheese. And when we come back home we miss them so much! The solution? Making bagels at home!
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🥯 How to make homemade bagels?
I can say we have made a lot of bagels at home, many without much, or any, success. But my husband (he's the bread maker here at home) did not give up until he could make great ones!
Making bagels from scratch is not difficult. You just need a little patience and to follow instructions on how to make a bagel as we show here with what we think is the best bagel recipe!
And this easy bagel recipe is perfect for making bagels at home. You will basically prepare the dough, shape it, let the bagels rest, boil them, bake them, and enjoy!
A good schedule to use this homemade bagel recipe is to start in the afternoon or evening of day 1, let the shaped bagels rest during the night and boil and bake them in the morning of day 2.
📋 What are the ingredients for bagels?
The ingredients of bagels are pretty common. This homemade bagel recipe calls for barley malt syrup (not so common) but worth the effort of looking for (thanks for online shopping!) 😃
So, the bagel ingredients are:
- instant or rapid-rise active dry yeast
- lukewarm water
- flour
- salt
- barley malt syrup (if you don't have it you could substitute for molasses)
- cornmeal (for dusting)
We use all purpose flour to make bagels. Here in Brazil there are only two types of regular wheat flour: all-purpose and self raising. There is no distinction between bread/cake/all-purpose.
We make our own malt syrup by mixing malt extract to water (two parts malt extract to one part water).
🥯 How to make bagels from scratch (with step-by-step photos)
- The first thing to learn how to make bagels at home is to mix the yeast into the warm water in a small bowl and let foam while you prepare the rest of the dough.
- Now it's time to put your stand mixer to work! In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough-hook attachment combine flour, salt and barley malt syrup (or molasses). Add the yeast mixture and mix on the lowest speed until the dough starts to come together around the dough hook, about 4 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-low; beat for 7 minutes. The dough should be smooth and stiff.
- Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside.
- How to shape bagels? To make that classic bagel shape turn bagel dough out onto a work surface, then divide it into 10 equal portions (about 3.5 ounces/100 grams each). Roll the pieces into smooth balls and cover with plastic wrap to rest for 5 minutes.
- Form each dough ball into a rope 10 inches long (25 cms) by rolling it under your palms.
- Shape each rope into a circle, overlapping the ends by about 1 1/2 inches (4cms). Pinch the overlapped areas firmly together. Working with one at a time, place your fingers through each ring of dough; with the pinched-together seam facing down, roll the rope several times, applying firm pressure to seal the seam to form a bagel.
- Place dough rings on the cornmeal-covered baking sheet, spaced 1 inch (2.5cm) apart. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or least 6 hours - you can refrigerate dough for up to 18 hours). You can even say this is an overnight bagel recipe 😉
- When you're ready to boil and bake the bagels, preheat the oven to 450F (250C) and fill a large wide pot with 3.5 inches (9cms) of water; bring it to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- How to cook bagels? Drop 3 or 4 dough rings into the boiling water, stirring and submerging them for about 30 seconds. Turn them and leave for 30 more seconds. Transfer the dough rings to a wire rack to drain. Repeat with the remaining rings.
What happens if you don't boil bagels? If you don't boil the bagels you will have a regular bread, you won't have that bagel texture.
- Then place boiled bagels on prepared baking sheets, 1 inch (2.5cms) apart from each other.
- Put bagels in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bagels are golden brown and crisp, rotating baking sheets halfway through.
- Remove from oven and transfer fresh bagels to a wire rack to cool.
💭 Tips on how to make your own bagels
Making a bagel might seem a lot of trouble, but it is very rewarding pulling that batch of fresh bagels from your own oven!
- To make bagels at home, barley malt syrup is really important for this plain bagel recipe, but if you don't have it you could substitute for molasses - we've done it, there is a difference, but it is better with molasses than without it.
- When shaping the bagels, do not apply too much pressure on the seam, or one side will be thinner than the other.
- The shaped bagels need to rest in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, but they will taste better if they rest overnight or for 12 to 18 hours.
- Use a wired spatula to remove bagels from boiling water, and place them on a wire rack to drain.
- To make homemade everything bagels, while the bagel is still wet, dip it in a bowl with the toppings, otherwise if the bagel is dry, the toppings will not stick to it.
- Want to use a break maker? You can easily turn this bagel recipe into a bread maker bagel recipe. Add ingredients to bread maker (according to manufacturer instructions) and turn it on in the "dough" cycle. After it has mixed the dough (do let it rise) proceed following the instructions on this easy homemade bagel recipe.
🔥 How are bagels cooked?
- Boiling bagels is very important. This is how they get that characteristic look and taste.This boiled bagel recipe does not require the bagels to be boiled for a long period. 30 seconds on each side is enough - bagels are, after all, baked, not boiled!
- And to bake them, have the oven preheated at 450F (250C) and they need high heat to bake - and look their best.
🧺 How to store bagels
Homemade bagels can be stored in a plastic bag or in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Or they can be frozen for up to a month (in a sealed bag).
Reheat them sliced, on a toaster - that is by far the best way to have them taste like fresh!
🥯 Ways to eat a bagel
We like the traditional way: with cream cheese. Toasted or not, but with cream cheese - lots of it!
We also like to make bagel sandwiches, or spread cream cheese on top of a sliced bagel, cheese (Swiss, Gruyere or Cheddar) and then place it under the broiler of our oven, so the cheese melts. It is really, really good!
📖 Recipe
Click here for more bread recipes. Or check out these Brazilian Milk Buns.
Homemade Bagels
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp instant or rapid-rise active dry yeast
- 12 oz cups lukewarm water about 1 1/2 cups
- 22 oz bread flour about 4 cups
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp barley malt syrup if you don't have it you could substitute for 2 tbsp molasses
- Cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix the yeast into the warm water and let foam while you prepare the rest of the dough.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough-hook attachment combine flour, salt and barley malt syrup (or molasses). Add the yeast mixture and mix on the lowest speed until the dough starts to come together around the dough hook, about 4 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-low; beat for 7 minutes. The dough should be smooth and stiff.
- Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface, then divide it into 10 equal portions (about 3.5 ounces/100 grams each). Roll the pieces into smooth balls and cover with plastic wrap to rest for 5 minutes.
- Form each dough ball into a rope 10 inches long (25 cms) by rolling it under your palms.
- Shape each rope into a circle, overlapping the ends by about 1 1/2 inches (4cms). Pinch the overlapped areas firmly together. Working with one at a time, place your fingers through each ring of dough; with the pinched-together seam facing down, roll the rope several times, applying firm pressure to seal the seam to form a bagel.
- Place the dough rings on the cornmeal-covered baking sheet, spaced 1 inch (2.5cm) apart. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or least 6 hours - you can refrigerate dough for up to 18 hours).
- When you're ready to boil and bake the bagels, preheat the oven to 450F (250C).
- Fill a large wide pot with 3.5 inches (9cms) of water; bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Drop 3 or 4 dough rings into the boiling water, stirring and submerging them for about 30 seconds. Turn them and leave for 30 more seconds. Transfer the dough rings to a wire rack to drain. Repeat with the remaining rings.
- Place dough rings on prepared baking sheets, 1 inch (2.5cms) apart from each other.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bagels are golden brown and crisp, rotating baking sheets halfway through.
- Remove from oven and transfer bagels to a wire rack to cool.
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