Published August 21, 2020.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
No need to ever go to your local shop again because this homemade bagel recipe is not only incredibly easy to make, it’s also extremely delicious.
There’s just nothing quite like homemade bread, and if you love baking it then you absolutely have to try my Boule or Focaccia.
Bagels
Bagels are a simple round bread made with few ingredients that are boiled in a barley syrup solution and then baked until golden brown. They are traditionally a Polish recipe that has been dated back as far as the 15th century. They were introduced into America in the late 19th century from Eastern Europeans in Jewish markets but didn’t become popularized until several decades later.
These easy to make bread products are so much more amazing when made at home that you will never head to Einstein’s ever again.
What is a New York Bagel?
The New York bagel is pretty much every bagel we know in the United States. It has a shiny crust with a bit of hardness too it and has a chewy inside.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The wonderful part about this recipe is that it only has 6 total ingredients and is ridiculously easy to make. Here is what you’ll need to make it:
- Water – Using warm water to help activate the yeast.
- Sugar – I like to use light brown sugar, but you can absolutely use granulated sugar. This is in place so that the yeast can feed on it and become activated.
- Yeast – I almost always use active yeast or a starter, but you could also use instant if that’s all you have.
- Bread Flour – You need high protein high gluten bread to be able to make bagels.
- Salt – Always use sea salt.
How to Make Bagels from Scratch
Follow along with these simple procedures to make this amazing recipe:
In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together some warm water, malt syrup, and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes or until it forms a raft on top.
With the hook attachment on low speed slowly add in the flour and salt and mix for 5 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean countertop dusted with flour and knead for a further 5 minutes.
Place the dough into a bowl with a lid and proof in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until it has doubled in size. Be sure to see my proofing trick.
Punch the dough down and then form it into 12 balls and place them on 2 sheet trays lined with parchment paper.
Coat your thumb in flour and press down in the center of the dough ball to form a ring.
Stretch the bread ring to make it larger. Repeat with the other 11 dough balls. Cover with a towel and let rest.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water with malt barley syrup to a boil and cook 3-4 bagels at a time for 60 to 90 seconds per side.
Transfer the bagels to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, add on any desired toppings, and bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
Cool the bagels to room temperature or eat them immediately, that part is up to you!
Toppings and Variations
If you’ve ever been to a bagel shop you undoubtedly have seen all of the many different variations and toppings that bagels come in. Here are a few of the more popular ones out there:
- Everything Bagel
- Sesame
- Poppy Seed
- Cinnamon and Sugar
- Blueberry
- Chocolate Chip
- Whole Wheat
What to Serve Them With
Bagels are fantastic eaten by themselves, as a sandwich or a bit of cream cheese on top. They are also incredibly popular eaten with gravlax, which is a Jewish staple. Feel free to get creative and use them in any way you see fit.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 2 days ahead of time. Keep covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator before serving.
How to Store: These will last covered at room temperature for up to 4 days and in the refrigerator for up to 60 days. These will freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day or until softened before serving.
chef notes + tips
- If you do not have malt syrup when making the dough, please substitute with brown sugar.
- You can definitely use a starter in this recipe and remember that you should always use 10% to 15% of the flour weight. Follow my sourdough recipe for folding up until final shape, and then from there follow this recipe.
- If you only have instant yeast you can go right into mixing together the water, sugar, yeast, flour, and salt as there is no need to wait.
- You will need a high gluten flour so bread flour is preferred, however, you can get away with using all-purpose flour, just reduce the amount of water by 7%.
- No problem if you don’t have the malt syrup to boil the bagels in, simply substitute with light molasses or honey.
- For proofing add the dough in the covered bowl to an unused over with the door cracked and only the oven light on for a perfect proofing environment.
More Amazing Bread Recipes
- Brioche
- Sourdough
- Soft Pretzels
- Pita
- Homemade White Bread
Be sure to follow me onFacebook,YouTube,Instagram,andPinterest,and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Video
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Homemade Bagel Recipe
5 from 21 votes
No need to ever go to the store again because this homemade bagel recipe is not only incredibly easy to make, it’s also extremely delicious.
Servings: 10
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Proofing Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 375 grams warm water, 115° to 118° F or 1 3/4 cups
- 16 grams barley malt syrup or brown sugar or 1 tablespoon, + 1/3 cup
- 10 grams active yeast or 1 tablespoon
- 660 grams bread flour or 4 ¼ cup
- 6 grams sea salt or 1 teaspoon
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the water, syrup, and yeast until combined and let sit for 5-7 minutes or until a raft forms on the top.
Attach the hook attachment and mix on low speed while adding in the flour until it is completely combined, then add in the salt and mix for 5 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface and knead by hand for 5-7 minutes.
Place the dough in a bowl with a lid and place in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
Punch the dough down and divide it into 12 small dough balls and place them on 2 sheet trays lined with parchment paper.
Dip your thumb in flour and press down into the center of the ball to make a ring. Stretch the ring out to form into the shape of a bagel. Repeat with the other 11 dough balls and cover and rest.
In the meantime, add about 2 gallons of water and about a 1/3 cup or about 80 ML barley maly syrup to a large pot and bring to a boil.
Cook 3-4 bagels at a time for 60-90 seconds a side flipping them using a slotted spoon.
Once they are done in the water solution transfer back to the parchment-lined sheet trays. Sprinkle on any desired toppings at this time and then repeat the process with the other bagels.
Now bake the bagels at 425° or 220° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on a rack until room temperature and serve.
Notes
Chef Notes:
- Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 2 days ahead of time. Keep covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator before serving.
- How to Store: These will last covered at room temperature for up to 4 days and in the refrigerator for up to 60 days. These will freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day or until softened before serving.
- If you do not have malt syrup when making the dough, please substitute with brown sugar.
- You can definitely use a starter in this recipe and remember that you should always use 10% to 15% of the flour weight. Follow my sourdough recipe for folding up until final shape, and then from there follow this recipe.
- If you only have instant yeast you can go right into mixing together the water, sugar, yeast, flour, and salt as there is no need to wait.
- You will need a high gluten flour so bread flour is preferred, however, you can get away with using all-purpose flour, just reduce the amount of water by 7%.
- No problem if you don’t have the malt syrup to boil the bagels in, simply substitute with light molasses or honey.
- For proofing add the dough in the covered bowl to an unused over with the door cracked and only the oven light on for a perfect proofing environment.
Nutrition
Calories: 246kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 8gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 237mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg
Course: bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: American, german
Author: Chef Billy Parisi
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39 comments
- Theresa G.
Oh my gosh! I bake a lot of bread. Including Chef Billy’s white bread, hamburger buns and French bread. I no longer buy bread in the store with the exception of Bagels. Until last night that is. I have always been intimidated by Bagels and achieving that perfect flavor and chew. I finally took the plunge and made these. They were bakery worthy! We were blown away and moaned with every bite. My husband said why did you wait so long to make Bagels? Thank you Chef Billy for making it easy. ❤️
my pleasure!
- Reply
- GP
Awesome recipe! Thank you for sharing your recipes & techniques! Much appreciated!
- Reply
- Penny
Delicious and easy to follow recipe. Had so much fun making bagels for the first time!I even had lox…and loved it!
- Reply
- sue
Thank you ChefBilly
- Reply
- Lisa
I once tried to make bagels several years ago and it was a disaster, so I just made a small batch to try this recipe. I did order the barley malt syrup. More than anything, being able to watch a video with instructions was extremely helpful. Also being told how long to boil the bagels made a big difference. I followed the recipe and was very happy with the results. My husband (a New York City boy) could barely wait to eat and immediately made an egg sandwich with the onion topped one. I was shocked at how good it was. We had company for dinner that evening and the bagels were annihilated. We live in the South, so getting fresh bagels that taste “right” is problematic. Making a full batch tomorrow and promised my husband that I would keep him in fresh bagels from now on. I also make your artisan bread recipe with great results. Thank you for all the tips and tricks and the videos. They make a big difference to amateur cooks like me!
- Reply
- Kn
Excellent
- Reply
- Chef Billy Parisi
Thanks!
- Reply
- Joshua Morrison
This worked out very well!
- Reply
perfect!!
- Reply
- Heidi
I’ve wanted to make bagels for a while but all of the recipes required items I didn’t really want to buy such as malt syrup. I made them with your alternate ingredients (brown sugar & molasses) & I am so happy with the results!! Thank you
- Reply
thanks for giving it a shot!!
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- Sirpa
You make everything look super easy! Your teaching methods are awesome. Bagels are so much better than store bought. Thank you!
- Reply
- Remedios Santos
The best!!
- Reply
thank you so kindly!!
- Reply
- CK Cristini
This recipe turns out fabulous every single time! Chef Billy breaks it down in easy to follow steps. I get rave reviews every time I serve these!
- Reply
thanks for giving it a shot!!
- Reply
- Kathy Lux
Before the final kneading can you add things like raisins, cinnamon or other goodies? Kathy
- Reply
I think you could.
- Reply
- Mary Doherty
Can I use maple syrup or molasses in place of malt syrup? It seems that brown sugar would have a different consistency than syrup.
- Reply
yes
- Reply
- Robbi
I have made your bagels and two hour bread and they are both fantastic. My family is definitely benefiting. Thank you for your recipe sharing.
- Reply
Thank you!
- Reply
- Pamela
These bagels were so easy to make and they’re delicious! I live in a small southern town where bagels are not made fresh, so I was thrilled to make these. They freeze beautifully. I’m going to make the foccacia next. Thanks, Billy!
- Reply
Glad you liked them.
- Reply
- Cindy Cristini
Chef Billy – I did it!! I watched your video on this and decided to put big girl panties on and try it. They turned out SO good! Thank you!!
- Reply
- Wyoming girl
Could you please tell me whati need to do to make onion flavored. Thank you 😊 love your videos and thanks flavor sharing your talent.
- Reply
Just used dried minced onion in the jar as the topping
- Reply
- Jill
Oh dear these are soooo good and easy to make. Just made 12 and they were eaten immediately. It was such an nice dough to work with. Thanks Chef!
- Reply
- Chris
Hey! Glad I came across your post on Facebook! You’re a good guy!!! Made the bagels today for the first time, can’t wait till the next time so I can fine tune the process! My only issue is they stuck to the parchment paper when they were finished baking. Any suggestions? Thanks
- Reply
try a silpat or spray the parchment with non-stick spray.
- Reply
- Alicia DiPalma
Just made these. They’re great! Can’t wait to eat with homegrown tomatoes! I’m very much a baking rookie but the step by step instructions made them come out perfect. Thanks for such an amazing and easy to follow recipe.
- Reply
- Sarah Sorte
Amazing recipe! Thank you!
- Reply
- Just Like Butter
OK! Why do people post comments and reviews without making the recipe first?!?! Comments such as this:¨Oh my god! ¨, ¨This looks delish¨, ¨ Beautiful!¨, ¨I can wait to make these” do not cut it. Make the recipe!!!
Well, I made these bagels (1st time making bagels) and these are hands down the best bagels ever!!! Never going back to store bought!
Billy! You da´ man!- Reply
- Amy
Love these bagels. I’d like to make whole wheat/whole grain. Any suggestions?
- Reply
- Ines
What do I add to the boiling water? There is about 2 gallons of water and 1/3 c of another ingredient. I can hardly wait to prepare these bagel.
- Reply
- Rehab
Thank you so much chef Billy❤
It’s incredible, how beautiful.
I loved Bagel Recipe so much, I’ll try it soon. I’m excited to make Bagel. I love you chef and I love your cook❤- Reply
