Make excellent do-it-yourself bagels at residence with this straightforward step-by-step recipe. The bagels are simply customizable along with your favourite toppings!
I initially printed this recipe in 2011 and have since added new pictures and extra recipes notes, in addition to a number of recipe enhancements, to make this recipe higher than ever!

One reader, Nancy, commented: Thanks a lot for this positively scrumptious recipe! Adopted your recipe precisely, (used sesame seeds because the topping), and they’re each bit pretty much as good as any bagel store we’ve ever been to, and oh-so-much higher than any grocery retailer model. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why You’ll Love This Bagel Recipe
- The bagels are easy and straightforward to make at residence – the recipe doesn’t require any in a single day starters or prolonged directions.
- The bagels are extremely scrumptious with an ideal fluffy-chewy texture.
- It is extremely straightforward to customise the bagel toppings to your tastes.
- The baked bagels freeze extraordinarily effectively, so you may make giant batches and freeze for later breakfasts, snacks, or bagel cravings.
- That is the right recipe for newbie bread makers. SO MANY folks have commented that they wrestle making yeast doughs or they’re model new to breads or they’re scared to make do-it-yourself bagels…however they tried this recipe and the bagels turned out wonderful!

Methods to Form Selfmade Bagels
- Flip the dough out onto a calmly greased work floor and divide the dough into eight equal items, about 115 g/4 ounces every.
- Roll each bit of dough right into a easy, taut ball. Let the balls of dough relaxation for half-hour. This helps calm down the gluten in order that when they’re formed, the dough holds its form with out stubbornly springing again.
- Use your thumb to poke a gap by means of the very middle of every ball then use each thumbs collectively to twirl and stretch the dough till the outlet is 1 to 2 inches in diameter (the bagel can be round 4 inches throughout).
Crucial factor you may bear in mind when shaping do-it-yourself bagels is to let go of perfection! Not all of them will look the identical, and a few of them might have skinny/thick spots. It’s okay! It provides the bagels character…and so they all style scrumptious no matter how they give the impression of being.




Why are Bagels Boiled Earlier than Baking?
There are a number of explanation why bagels want the required boiling step.
- Boiling the bagels helps develop the signature chewy texture. The steaming scorching water cooks the very outdoors layer of the bagel permitting it to rise within the oven however not as a lot as it will with out the water tub. That is what helps create the basic dense, chewy texture.
- The sweetener within the water (both sugar or honey) additionally helps the bagels develop a fantastically golden crust whereas baking.
Bagels that aren’t boiled previous to baking find yourself simply merely posing as a unusual dinner roll with a gap within the middle as an alternative of the gloriously chewy, scrumptious bagel they have been meant to be.


Greatest Bagel Toppings
To get bagel toppings to stay, brush the tops and the edges of every bagel with a easy egg wash (1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water). For optimum protection, place the toppings in a shallow bowl and dip the bagels, turning to coat the highest and sides. Or just sprinkle them on prime.
Our favourite bagel toppings are:
- Sesame seeds
- Finely grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
- Sesame seeds
- Coarse salt
- Cinnamon and sugar
After all, it’s also possible to depart the bagels plain. If doing so, the egg wash is optionally available (however including it would additional assist the golden brown crust to develop).


A Few Extra Suggestions
Making bagels at residence isn’t onerous, however it may be useful to hold the next ideas in thoughts:
- The dough for do-it-yourself bagels is stiffer than a dinner roll or sandwich bread dough. That is by intention. As a result of the bagels are boiled earlier than baking, a decrease hydration dough, like bagel dough, holds as much as the boiling water tub with out disintegrating and the result’s a superbly chewy bagel.
- I extremely advocate investing in a kitchen scale {aff. hyperlink} and weighing elements, significantly dry elements like flour. When you measure your flour in cups, calmly fluff the flour, scoop within the cup after which stage off.
- When you reside in an excessively dry local weather, you could wish to begin with 1/4 cup much less flour and add remaining flour provided that the dough is sticking to the edges and backside of the bowl.
- Maintain a timer going in the course of the boiling step – it might appear counter intuitive, however boiling the bagels longer gained’t lead to a greater bagel. They only want a minute or so per aspect, max.
Most of all, have enjoyable with this recipe! This has been a favourite recipe of ours for over ten years. My youngsters love to assist with shaping the bagels, selecting the toppings, and naturally, devouring the bagels after they’ve baked and (barely) cooled.



Good Selfmade Bagels
Dough:
- 1 tablespoon on the spot or rapid-rise yeast
- 4 cups (568 g) bread flour (see be aware)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups heat water
Water Tub:
- 2 to three quarts water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (see be aware for honey choice)
Egg Wash:
- 1 giant egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
Optionally available Toppings:
- Sesame seeds, All the pieces Bagel seasoning, grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese, coarse salt, cinnamon and sugar, and so forth.
Stop your display screen from going darkish
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Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix all the dough elements and blend on low pace till the dough comes collectively. The dough can be pretty stiff (however should not be dry).
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Enhance the pace to medium and knead the dough for 10 minutes. It is a high-gluten dough and the lengthy kneading time is important to develop the gluten.
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Place the dough in a calmly greased bowl and canopy with calmly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours till noticeably puffy.
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Flip the dough out onto a calmly greased work floor and divide the dough into eight equal items, about 115 g/4 ounces every. Roll each bit of dough right into a easy, taut ball. Let the balls of dough relaxation for half-hour.
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Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and calmly grease with cooking spray.
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Use your thumb to poke a gap by means of the very middle of every ball then use each thumbs collectively to twirl and stretch the dough till the outlet is 1 to 2 inches in diameter (the bagel can be round 4 inches throughout). Place the formed bagels on one of many ready baking sheets.
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For the water tub, add the water and sugars (or honey – see be aware) to a big, large pan or pot and produce to a boil.
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Preheat oven to 425°F.
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Switch the bagels, three or 4 at a time, to the simmering water. I like to softly re-stretch the middle of the bagel if it has closed up whereas the bagels have rested. That is optionally available; should you do the identical, be certain to stretch gently in order to not deflate and compress the bagel.
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Prepare dinner the bagels for 1 minute. Flip and prepare dinner for an additional minute. Use a large spatula to raise every bagel up, letting the surplus water drain again into the pot. Place the boiled bagels onto the ready baking sheet, spacing them a number of inches aside. I bake six bagels per half sheet pan.
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Repeat with the remaining bagels.
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For the egg wash, whisk collectively the egg and water. Brush the highest and sides of every bagel after which sprinkle with desired toppings: sesame seeds, the whole lot bagel seasoning, cinnamon and sugar, coarse salt, grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, or different toppings of alternative. If leaving the bagels plain, the egg wash is optionally available.
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Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes till golden brown. Take away the bagels from the oven, and switch to a cooling rack to chill utterly (do not allow them to cool utterly on the baking sheet as they generally tend to stay because of the sugar/water tub).
Bread Machine: to make use of a bread machine, place all the dough elements within the pan of the machine, program the machine for Dough or Handbook, and press Begin. Examine the dough after 10 minutes; it must be fairly stiff, and gained’t have shaped a easy ball. The dough will really feel fairly agency if you poke your finger into it. Enable the machine to finish its cycle, then proceed with the recipe.
Honey: as a rule, I change the three tablespoons sugar with 3 to 4 tablespoons honey.
A number of Baking Sheets: if you’re baking the bagels on a number of baking sheets and solely have one oven, it’s okay for the 2nd baking sheet to relaxation and bake after the primary one. Keep away from baking two baking sheets directly – the bagels on the underside baking sheet doubtless gained’t brown effectively (if in any respect).
Rising the Recipe for One Dozen Bagels: I virtually at all times enhance the recipe to make 1 dozen bagels (we love having them within the freezer). To take action, use the next measurements:
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
6 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon grown sugar
2 1/4 cups heat water
Serving: 1 Bagel, Energy: 250kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 8g, Fats: 1g, Saturated Fats: 1g, Sodium: 598mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g
Recipe Supply: tailored barely and expounded upon from King Arthur Flour
Recipe initially printed April 2011; up to date September 2025 with new pictures, recipe notes, and so forth


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