Description
A detailed recipe for crafting homemade bagels from scratch, ensuring a perfect balance of flavor and texture.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360g/ml) warm water (between 100–110°F/38–43°C)
- 2 and 3/4 teaspoons (8g) instant or active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon barley malt syrup, granulated sugar, or brown sugar
- 4 cups (520g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons salt
- nonstick spray, butter, or oil for coating the bowl
- 2 quarts (1.9L) water for boiling
- 1/4 cup (85g) barley malt syrup or honey for boiling
- egg wash: 1 egg white beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, whisk the warm water, barley malt syrup/sugar, and yeast together. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and salt, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Adjust consistency with more flour or water as needed.
- Knead the dough on low speed for 6–7 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic. Use a little flour if it becomes too sticky during kneading.
- Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside, coating it in oil. Cover and let it rise at room temperature for 1.5–2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Shape the bagels: Punch down risen dough, divide into 8 equal pieces, and shape each piece into a ball. Create a hole in the center and widen it slightly.
- Cover shaped bagels loosely and let rest for 5–10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Water bath: Boil the 2 quarts of water with barley malt syrup or honey. Boil each bagel for 1 minute on each side, then place back on baking sheets.
- Brush each bagel with egg wash and add toppings if desired.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until dark golden brown, cooling on a rack after baking.
Notes
- Ensure all ingredients are at the proper temperatures for best results.
- Freshly made bagels are best eaten the same day, but can be stored for a few days.
- You can freeze bagels for longer storage; just toast from frozen.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breads
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bagel
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 0mg