The drama a had over making bagels from scratch was completely unnecessary. This is beginner-level baking. Five stars-highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp (one packet) instant or active dry yeast
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- Soft butter to coat the dough before rising
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Whisk 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 ¼ tsp yeast together in your stand mixer bowl.. Let it sit uncovered for 10 minutes.
With a dough hook attachment, add bread 4 cups bread flour and 1 tbsp brown sugar. When the dough pulls away from the bowl, slowly sprinkle in 2 tsp salt while mixing. Set a timer to knead on low-medium for five more minutes. (or knead by hand for 8 minutes)
Lightly grease the dough ball with soft butter. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. (You want your dough to retain its hydration)
Let rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size. If your house is cool, it will take longer to rise.
Shape Bagels
Line two small or one large baking sheet with parchment paper.
When the dough doubles, punch it down and turn it out onto a cutting board or the like. Avoid extra flour unless the dough is sticking to your hands, and in that case just flour your hands. You want a tacky dough that grips the cutting board, but you don’t want a sticky dough.
Press dough ball flat and divide into 8 pie pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a ball, then cup it while pressing firmly into the surface with a fast, circular motion which will pull the dough tight on top. You’ll end up with a smooth ball that is sealed on the bottom.
Press your thumb through the center of each ball to make a hole about 2 inches in diameter. Don’t crowd the bagels on the baking sheet-they will need room to double in size.
Loosely cover the bagels with a kitchen towel while you mix the honey water in a pot.
Preheat your oven to 425°F
Honey Water
Fill a wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in 1/4 cup honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Carefully drop bagels in, 2 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around-they will swell. Boil the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
Put the bagels back on the baking sheets while you finish boiling in batches. Brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel, and sprinkle with optional seasoning.
Bake for 18-25 minutes at 425°F, turning the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack before storing them in an airtight container.
Bagels
Soft, chewy bagels are super easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp (one packet) instant or active dry yeast
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- Soft butter to coat the dough before rising
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Whisk 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 ¼ tsp yeast together in your stand mixer bowl.. Let it sit uncovered for 10 minutes.
With a dough hook attachment, add bread 4 cups bread flour and 1 tbsp brown sugar. When the dough pulls away from the bowl, slowly sprinkle in 2 tsp salt while mixing. Set a timer to knead on low-medium for five more minutes. (or knead by hand for 8 minutes)
Lightly grease the dough ball with soft butter. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. (You want your dough to retain its hydration)
Let rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size. If your house is cool, it will take longer to rise.
Shape Bagels
Line two small or one large baking sheet with parchment paper.
When the dough doubles, punch it down and turn it out onto a cutting board or the like. Avoid extra flour unless the dough is sticking to your hands, and in that case just flour your hands. You want a tacky dough that grips the cutting board, but you don’t want a sticky dough.
Press dough ball flat and divide into 8 pie pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a ball, then cup it while pressing firmly into the surface with a fast, circular motion which will pull the dough tight on top. You’ll end up with a smooth ball that is sealed on the bottom.
Press your thumb through the center of each ball to make a hole about 2 inches in diameter. Don't crowd the bagels on the baking sheet-they will need room to double in size.
Loosely cover the bagels with a kitchen towel while you mix the honey water in a pot.
Preheat your oven to 425°F
Honey Water
Fill a wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in 1/4 cup honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Carefully drop bagels in, 2 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around-they will swell. Boil the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
Put the bagels back on the baking sheets while you finish boiling in batches. Brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel, and sprinkle with optional seasoning.
Bake for 18-25 minutes at 425°F, turning the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack before storing them in an airtight container.
