Homemade Bagels

Jump to Recipe

Homemade bagels made from plain flour, active dry yeast, salt, sugar and warm water then sprinkled with your favourite toppings. Serve with either sweet or savoury toppings.

Bagels topped with sesame and poppy seeds on a wooden board. One bagel on a blue plate spread with cream cheese and red jam. Knife and bowl of cream cheese nearby. Rustic white table surface.

Homemade Bagels are far less intimidating to make than you might think. Yes, there are a few processes to follow and a little bit of time involved. But the result are well worth it!

If you're unfamiliar with the process to make bagels, you simply make the dough, allow it to prove, shape it into bagels, boil the bagels then bake them. The smugness you will feel eating and sharing these make the effort all the more worthwhile.

If you're looking for a nice bread to serve with dinner, why not give my Dinner Rolls or my Focaccia a go?

Jump to:

Ingredient notes:
Step by step instructions:
Recipe FAQs:
Storage:
Top tips:
Related Recipes:
Homemade Bagels

Ingredient notes:

Flour container, jars of yeast and baking soda, a bowl of mixed seeds, an egg, and a bowl of sugar on a kitchen counter with a tiled backsplash.

Flour: This recipe calls for plain flour. The rising agent is the active yeast.
Active yeast: Be sure to check the expiry date on your yeast before baking. There's nothing more disappointing than your bread not rising because the yeast was too old!
Baking soda: Adding baking soda to the boiling water when making bagels helps create a chewy texture and a slightly crispy crust.

Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.

Step by step instructions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the warm water and sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast, stir again, and leave to sit for 10 minutes until frothy. Add the flour and salt. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and mix on low for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. (Knead by hand if you don’t have a mixer.)

A ball of bread dough rests in a white mixing bowl with a dough hook.

Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour until doubled in size. Turn the dough out and shape it into a large log. Cut into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball.

A white bowl containing risen bread dough, resting on a gray surface.

Several unbaked bagels are on a countertop near a jar of seeds, a bowl of egg wash with a whisk, and a pink pastry brush.

Make a hole in the centre of each ball, then spin the dough around your fingers to enlarge the hole. In a pot, bring 2 litres of water to a boil, then stir in the baking soda. Carefully lower the bagels into the boiling water, two at a time, for 1 minute on each side. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and place them on lined baking trays.

Two bagels boiling in a metal pot on a stove.

Bagel dough being boiled with a slotted spoon lifting one from the pot.

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan bake. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water, then brush the mixture over the boiled bagels. Sprinkle each one with the topping of your choice or keep them plain.

A hand uses a pink brush to apply egg wash to unbaked bagels on parchment paper. In the background, there are small bowls with seeds.

Six uncooked bagels on parchment paper, topped with sesame and mixed seeds, on a baking tray.

Bake for 20 minutes until the bagels are golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Six baked bagels on parchment paper, three with sesame seeds and three with mixed seeds.

Six freshly baked bagels topped with sesame and poppy seeds are cooling on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

A stack of four bagels on a white plate. Two are topped with sesame seeds, one with mixed seeds, and one plain. A blue checkered cloth is in the background.

Serve fresh with your favourite toppings including cream cheese and jam, smoked salmon or just butter.

A bagel with cream cheese and red jam on a blue plate. A knife and a bowl of cream cheese are beside it. More bagels are visible on a wooden board in the background.

Recipe FAQs:

Why do bagels need to be boiled before baking?

Boiling sets the crust and helps give bagels their signature chewiness. The longer they boil, the thicker the crust will be.

Why are my bagels not browning?

Not enough alkalinity in the water (try more baking soda or barley malt syrup) or your oven isn’t hot enough.

Can I make bagels without a stand mixer?

Yes, but kneading by hand will take longer (about 10–15 minutes) to develop the necessary gluten structure.

Storage:

Fresh bagels are best eaten the same day. Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze them for longer storage.

Top tips:

This bagel recipe cannot be adapted to be made gluten free sorry. Bagels rely on the gluten from regular flour to give them their elasticity.

Made this recipe?
Please click on the stars below to rate it or, write a review!

Yield: Makes 12 bagels

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Homemade bagels made from plain flour, active dry yeast, salt, sugar and warm water then sprinkled with your favourite toppings.

Ingredients

Dough

450ml warm water
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
750g plain flour (5 cups)
2 tsp salt

Other Ingredients

2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp sesame seeds or bagel seasoning

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the warm water and sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast, stir again, and leave to sit for 10 minutes until frothy.
Add the flour and salt. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and mix on low for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. (Knead by hand if you don’t have a mixer.)
Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour until doubled in size.
Turn the dough out and shape it into a large log. Cut into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball.
Make a hole in the centre of each ball, then spin the dough around your fingers to enlarge the hole.
In a pot, bring 2 litres of water to a boil, then stir in the baking soda. Carefully lower the bagels into the boiling water, two at a time, for 1 minute on each side. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and place them on lined baking trays.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan bake.
Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water, then brush the mixture over the boiled bagels. Sprinkle each one with the topping of your choice or keep them plain.
Bake for 20 minutes until the bagels are golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

Freezing: If you don’t want to bake all the bagels at once, freeze the shaped dough in ziplock bags. You can boil and bake them straight from the freezer when ready cooking time may vary). You can also freeze the baked bagels for an easy snack.
Other Topping Ideas: Sprinkle over poppy seeds, grated cheese or cinnamon sugar before baking.
Recipe Adjustments: This recipe makes 12 bagels, but feel free to halve it if you need fewer.
Bagel seasoning: Is a pre-made blend of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, onion and salt. You can find it in the spice section of some supermarkets.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 675mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g

Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.

Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
If you don't already follow me, head over to my Instagram or Facebook pages to keep up to date with all my new recipes.
Vanya

Pin8

8 Shares