What makes bread a bagel? Is it the shape? The texture? Where they come from? Yes, yes, and no. Let's start with the last question: I emphatically believe that you can make or get a damn good bagel anywhere in the world... provided you can source the correct ingredients that is.
Now a disclaimer - I'm not from NYC, nor have I spent a crazy amount of time there (but I have eaten NY style bagels). But, I'm excellent at research, both book research and hands on experimenting. And a lack of good locally available bagels has led me to do a lot of bagel baking over the years. And these bagels have been tested on people from NY.
Plus, the recipe is adapted from Peter Reinhart, and would he steer us wrong? No. As for the first two questions: the shape and texture of a bagel are related, you wouldn't be able to get that quintessential bagel texture without the hole in the center. The hole allows for the entire bagel to have a chewy crust, without would lead to a soft and tender center.
What a bagel comes down to is (1) flour: bagels should be made with a super high protein white flour. For most of us at home, that means bread flour (I believe it's called strong flour in the UK), which has a protein content ranging from 11.5 - 13.5%.
In bagel shops they use a high-gluten flour that has an even higher protein content than bread flour. High protein flours do a couple of things: they make a denser, chewier bread than all purpose flour can (which has a protein content ranging from 10-12%) and they absorb more water.
As a note, my preferred brand of flour is King Arthur Flour and their bread flour is 12.7% protein, while their all purpose is 11.7% protein. If you've been following me you know I'm into my bread baking, and I find it makes a huge difference that you use high quality and consistent flour.
I also really like Bob's Red Mill flour (which has a bread flour with 13.8% protein and an all purpose flour with 11.4% protein), it's just not as readily found at my local grocery stores. Now as you can imagine, using flour with a different protein content can affect how much water is needed to get the correct hydration of the dough. This is why it's important to work with the dough at least a little by hand (and practice helps you develop a feel for the dough!).
This comes to the second item (2) water content: the hydration of dough can vasty affect the final product. If you don't use enough water, the dough will harder to develop and more difficult to shape (specifically it will not want to smooth out or have the ends connect and you'll end up with some lumps in your final product) and might not get the same rise/inner crumb texture.
If you use too much water, the dough can be difficult to shape as it's too sticky and slack, it can more easily over proof, and you'll most likely end up with a flatter bagel. Bagels are a low-hydration dough, this means that they use a lot less water than a lot of traditional breads.
This include my overnight artisan walnut bread which has 80% hydration (hydration = mass of water / mass of flour x 100). This recipe clocks in at 55% hydration. As you can see, that alone would result in extremely different dough and final product.
The third thing I want to focus on in bagel making is (3) barley malt. Barley malt syrup is the unrefined sugar from sprouted barley and gives bagels a lot of their flavor. I use it in two places in the recipe, some in the dough, for which you can use either the syrup (which I've had good luck finding at natural foods grocery stores) or diastatic malt powder (which you can order online or possibly find at a specialty baking store).
I also use the barley malt syrup in the poaching solution, which gives some extra color and a lot of flavor to the dough. If you really can't find barley malt syrup you can substitute agave nectar in a pinch, but you won't end up with that bagel-flavor. In this situation, my preference would be to order some diastatic malt powder online to use in the dough and substitute agave in poaching liquid.
Which brings us to possibly the most important part of bagel making, (4) boiling the dough before baking. This step is essential to a proper bagel, and the skipping of this step is what is wrong with most mass produced bagels out there (they're typically steamed as it's easier to automize and therefore faster/cheaper).
Boiling the fully proofed dough creates that thick and chewy crust all around the outside of the bagel (that includes the inner ring of course). It seals in the moisture inside the center of the bagel and expands the dough, making it nice and puffy, while it gelatinizes the starches on the surface of the dough for that shiny and chewy exterior. I like a good 60 second boil on each side, but if you want a denser bagel go for as short as a 30 second boil per side.
Last but not least we should consider (5) the slow fermentation of the dough. The shaped dough is proofed in the fridge overnight (at minimum) for maximal flavor. Refrigerating the dough retards the fermentation, meaning the yeast slows down it's proliferation. This process increases the flavorful compounds produced by the yeast for a better tasting end product.
The basic method is to mix your ingredients together and knead (either in a food processor, stand mixer, or by hand) until you have a supple and stiff dough that is barely tacky to the touch. Spend one minute at the end working the dough on the counter by hand to adjust with water or flour as necessary to achieve this texture. Let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour to double in size, then divide and shape the dough into bagels. Refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours. Boil the bagels, then bake them at a high temperature.
As far as shaping your bagels go, you have two options: the first is the traditional method of rolling the dough into a rope, then twisting the ends around your hand to overlap, then roll them under your palm to seal them together. The second option is easier, form a ball from the dough, poke your finger through the center, then stick a couple fingers or a thumb from each hand and rotate it in a circle, gently stretching the dough out as you do so.
I hope that my long bagel-making essay is helpful to all the bagel baker-wannabes out there. I find understanding the process helps a lot with how successful my baking is!
I hope you guys enjoy your bagels as much as we do! If you try the recipe, or have any questions about it, let me know! Leave a comment and/or rate the recipe below, tag me on Instagram (or #thecuriouschickpea), or share with me on Facebook! Good luck in your baking endeavors! <3
Notes:
- If you're serious about the science and the why behind making bagels, read the whole post, I get into a lot of helpful details and probably answer most of your questions!
- You can top your bagels with whatever you'd like, I'm providing the method for everything bagels, but it's easy to do all poppy seed or sesame seed or onion or garlic, or whatever. They're also really good with my roasted jalapeño cheese *hint hint*
- I've provided instructions for making the dough with a food processor, a stand mixer, or completely by hand. It's up to you! I've done it all, though I find the stand mixer easiest for effort & clean up.
- You can double the recipe if you want more bagels (I often do this), but if you're using a food processor or a smaller stand mixer you'll want to do it in two back-to-back batches.
Homemade New York Style Bagels
Chewy bagels are made with barley malt and boiled for a traditional New York style bagel.
Ingredients
Bagel dough
- 600 g / 5 cups bread flour
- 4.5 g / 1 ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 14.5 g / 3 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 350 g / 1 ½ cup water (90-95 ºF)
- 28 g / 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon barely malt syrup -OR- 10 g / 1 ½ teaspoon diastatic malt powder
Poaching liquid
- 8 cups water
- 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Toppings for everything bagels
- 2 teaspoon minced dehydrated garlic
- 2 teaspoon minced dehydrated onion
- poppy seeds
- sesame seeds
- flaked salt (optional)
Instructions
Make the bagel dough
- In the food processor: Add dry ingredients into the food processor and pulse to combine. In a separate bowl combine the warm water and barley malt syrup and stir to dissolve the syrup. Then add the water mixture to the flour. Process until the dough comes together into a ball. Let rest for 10 minutes.
In a stand mixer or by hand: Add dry ingredients and wet together in a large mixing bowl or the stand mixer bowl, and mix with a wooden spoon or with a damp hand until it forms a rough, shaggy dough. Then knead for 3 minutes, either in the stand mixer on lowest speed using the dough hook or by hand on a clean and floured counter. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then mix or knead again for an additional 3 minutes. - At the end of either kneading method, turn the dough onto a clean, floured counter and knead for 1 minute, adjusting the dough by adding more water or flour if necessary. {If kneading by hand, do these adjustments in an additional minute at the very end of kneading}. You should end up with a barely tacky dough. Form it into a smooth dough ball.
- Place seam side down in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise for 45-75 minutes until around doubled in size.
- After the rise it's time to shape the dough. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper or a silicon mat and spray with oil. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (~120 g each) and roll each into a ball. To shape the bagels you can either (a) poke a hole in the middle of the dough ball and gently stretch the hole until it's an inch or two wide or (b) roll until 8-10" long then wrap around your hand and roll the two ends under your palm to seal [see photos in post for visuals]. Place shaped bagels on the greased baking sheet. When all are shaped spray with more oil and then cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge and leave overnight, or up to 48 hours.
- On baking day: test dough to determine if it's fully proofed by placing it in a bowl of water. If it floats it's ready to go, if not, leave it out on the counter to finish rising at room temperature, retesting regularly until ready.
- Preheat the oven to 500 ºF.
- If making everything bagels, place the dehydrated granulated onion and garlic in two small heat proof bowls and cover them with boiling hot water to rehydrate so they don't burn while the bagels bake.
- Bring a 8 cups of water in a large pot to a boil. Turn heat to medium high to maintain a steady boil and add the salt, baking soda, and barley malt syrup. Boil the bagels 2-3 at a time, taking care not to over crowd the pot, for 60 seconds then flip and boil an additional 45-60 seconds. Strain and place bagels back on the baking sheet. Top with your desired toppings while they're still hot and wet for optimal sticking. If using seeds, gently press them into the dough after topping. Repeat with remaining bagels.
- When the oven is pre-heated and bagels are all boiled and toppings added, place the baking sheet into the oven on the center rack and turn the heat down to 450 ºF. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until the bagels are a dark golden brown. If you didn't use barley malt syrup in the poaching liquid, they will not brown as darkly or richly.
- Let the bagels cool at least 15-20 minutes before cutting into them. For long-term storage cut the bagels first, then place in a freezer safe ziplock bag and freeze until ready to eat. Just take them to partially defrost, ~15-20 minutes, before toasting them.
Notes
*recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 352Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1867mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 12g
This recipe looks great but there is way too much water in the dough. As is the dough becomes very soupy! Perhaps a typo?
Oh my! The amount is correct for the weight but not for the volume. It should be 1 1/3 cups not 3 1/3! I'm so sorry that happened to you, and I'm fixing it right away. I hope you have some extra flour to salvage it! (they freeze realllllllly well.... breakfast for weeks?)
Now I’m having the opposite problem—going strictly by the recipe, 1 1/3 c water is not nearly enough. I came across your recipe searching for a bagel recipe like the bagels I used to get when I lived on Long Island. Once I added about 1/2 c or more of water the dough was better but still seemed too dry. I thinks ‘savs’ comment from Dec. 29 hits it about right, though even with dough that wasn’t nearly hydrated enough these turned out as close to the bagels I was looking for as I’ve found since moving to FL. It was so hard to resist not eating a hot onion bagel when they were done at 9pm, simply not fair.
I'm glad that you enjoyed your homemade bagels! If you don't weigh your ingredients then it's very possible your cups of flour contain a significant amount more than mine. I make this recipe by weight all the time and it works perfectly! For more accurate measurement by volume, first whisk the flour to undo any settling, scoop, then level. And if you find you need more water for a supple but not sticky dough, then it's always easy to add extra like you did. In my experience, too much water (as in, higher than a 55-58% hydration by weight) makes the bagels harder to shape and they don't get as tall when baked.
Hi Eva, thanks for the really quick reply—just wish I had read it before starting my next batch! I’ve tried weighing my ingredients when making pizza dough but even though I have a high quality scale it never seems to come out right either., at least when I use grams. I’m using King Arthur Bread Flour but did NOT do as you suggested & whisk it first. I wound up having to add more than 1 additional cup of water (added a little more barley syrup along with it). Even with having to change on the fly, the bagels still came out very close to the bagels I used to get on Long Island in terms of texture, size & flavor & definitely so much batter than any supposed ‘NY bagel’ I can get here near Tampa. Everyone wolfed them down & even passed over my raisin bread in favor of these bagels! Thanks again.
Hi again, well as you may have guessed my next batch came out exactly as you’ve experienced with a wetter dough—-FLAT! They did puff up nicely in the fridge but were impossible to handle & will be like bagel chips once cut. Thanks so much for your time on the recipe & your responses.
Oh boy, making bread is certainly an adventure! Bagel chips are pretty tasty at least haha. You might find that adding just a couple tablespoons extra of water does the trick, and possibly a slightly longer rest between kneading (this is assuming you’re kneading by hand) to let the dough relax and hydrate. The machines can often strong arm through things better than we can. Sounds like you’ve caught the bagel making bug! ?
I agree that the 1 1/3 cup water wasn’t enough so we added little bit more. No problem. It was great!
FYI - a cup of water weighs 236.588 grams. 1 1/3 or 1.33 cups of water weigh 315g, not 350g as the recipe calls for. 350g/236.588g=1.48 cups of water. This really points to the problem with volume measurements.
I was going to make these today until I read the recipe. Your time does not account for the 1 hour of rising...I'll make them tomorrow 🙂
Oh! Yes sorry it’s more hands on time, but you can shift that ride to the morning. That is, make the dough, cover, stick it straight in the fridge then it will bulk rise slowly overnight. Then shape in the morning and let it rise covered for 1 hour or until it passes the float test, then boil and bake!
Sorry, autocorrect, you can shift the rise* to the morning.
The right way to make it is use soggy bagel dough and let rest for two days in the frig. It's the two day bagel whe dough needs to mature to taste like a classic bagel. I never flour the table I want the dough wet unlike pizza dough which I throw into the AP flour to roll out. For bagels you roll the dough into balls and then cylinders to length then connect the ends into a loop. Then put three fingers into the hole roll once back and forth to meld the seam together. Place into a pot of boiling water boil on both sides 45 seconds to 1 min. They must float upto the surface or they won't be airy after baking. Then place on wooden plakes to dry off one side then place them on to it's other side on sheet pans till golden. These steps don't include the sprinkle toppings such seasame , garlic etc. Cut and smear on some cream cheese or butter. You should hear the crunch when you bite down and the inside should be airy and moist. I may have missed a few things but keep looking.
I’m an amateur baker and I’ve been making Peter Reinhart’s bagels from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” for about 2 years and have always had mixed results, mostly because of the bagels flattening out. They always tasted ok but we’re never the right shape. I was so excited to read your explanation on hydration in the recipe as it answered that question, I’ve done this recipe twice now and they’ve been more consistent. My one problem is getting the toppings to stick to the bagel. I use both malt and baking soda in the poaching liquid, but once they’re through baking, and light handling to slice them, knocks 85% of the toppings off. I put on poppy seeds, sesame seeds, salt, onion, and garlic.
I’m happy to hear the bagels are coming out better for you with this recipe! The toppings are tricky, I lightly press them into the bagel as soon as they’re out of the poaching liquid and this helps. An egg wash will also help them stick but I don’t use this as I’m vegan! You can also create an egg wash substitute by cooking a little corn starch in non dairy milk to get a thick and gloopy texture then brush with that before adding toppings. But a light press with your hands always helps set the seeds into the dough a little. Hope that helps!
Try an egg wash of egg yolk, cream and a dash of salt. My toppings stick like crazy.
These came out beautifully, in spite of some discrepancies on my part: I had no bread flour so had to use AP;, and my husband didn't hear me tell him to turn the oven down before popping them in, so they baked the whole time at 500. Still they were chewy and crunchy and tender and dark golden brown and couldn't be better.
I was a bit worried because the dough seemed so dry to work with, but your reassurance about the percentage of hydration helped, and I took a leap of faith. This will be on my regular go-to list of recipes forever! Thanks.
Awesome! So glad they worked out so well for you! I've definitely baked mine at 500 ºF before too... heh. It's always possible that you may need a tablespoon more of water and feel free to experiment a bit with future batches! Baking can vary a little between people/places/kitchens.
I followed your recipe. They didn’t rise as much as I would like. They did rise more than another recipe I used. Any suggestions I let the yeast foam to be sure it was good. Then I mixed it with the flour and salt
I had all but given up on having great bagels, after moving away from North Jersey 25 years ago. These are the best I have EVER had.
That's incredible! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
I have been looking at many bagel recipes and a few people have used brown sugar instead of the malt barley. What is your thought on this? Will it give a different flavor? Not taste like a real bagel should?
Hi Tiffany! Malt is definitely important for that authentic bagel taste. It’s not as sweet as brown sugar or other sweeteners either. If you’re unable to find it then substitute what you can, but I highly recommend tracking it down for the best bagel taste!
Wow! Nice Bagels. one of my favorite dish. Will try it soon.
Can active dry yeast be used instead of instant yeast?
Yes it can be substituted 1:1, but active dry yeast needs to be proofed before being incorporated. So mix together the yeast, warm water, and barley malt and let sit for 10m before adding to the dry ingredients.
Thank you for this superb recipe that encapsulates so many important points regarding bagel making. After repeated disappointment with store bought which are little more that donut shaped Wonder bread or overpriced and usually only OK bagel shop bagels, I have gone all in on home baking. .
I just tried it and agree that adding baking soda and salt in addition to malt syrup to the boil gets the perfect crunchy but thin crust. I had a few suggestions about which perhaps other readers can comment:
1) Since bagels have a bit in common with pizza dough in terms of preparation and ingredients, I have substituted 100g of ripe sourdough starter for 80g of the water, since sourdoughs develop well with long, cool retards. You can cut the instant yeast a bit if you add sourdough
2) I have had good luck with Korean rice syrup (ssalyeot) that also has a high maltose content. Maltose has a distinct taste unlike sucrose (sugar), melibiose (honey) and most other sweeteners or syrups, and does not contain any fructose. These are available inexpensively at Korean markets in LA or in general at Asian markets or on Amazon.
3) Most baking flours contain malt that includes enzymes that break down starch into sugars, improving yeast action and rise. You can overdo it with diastatic powder but 1/2 tsp seems to work well. Please understand that non-diastatic syrup or powder is for flavor whereas diastatic powder contains enzymes. You can purchase a decade's worth of diastatic malt powder (1.5 lb.) on Amazon for ~$10. Malt powder is also great for baiting mouse traps!
4) Flour is key to all baking. For bagels, I prefer General Mills All-Trumps that has 14.2% protein, which is higher than bread flours. The protein is important to get the right 'chew'. Some of the other strong flours such as KA Sir Lancelot are almost as good.
5) If you regularly make bagels, the stiff, low-hydration dough will overtax most home mixers. I have had good luck with the Swedish Ankarsrum which was able to
6) The flour:water ratio varies according to flour type and humidity. For bagels, you want a smooth and elastic dough that is barely sticky. Adjust with small amounts of flour or water accordingly.
7) Silicone mats work great and avoid any use of oil. For the overnight retard, simply cover the bagels with plastic wrap that will adhere to the mat around the bagels, forming a seal.
8) I bake at 475° with a stone on the bottom and a pan. I allow about 45 min to fully heat the stones and the oven. I pour boiling water into the pan just before closing the oven door.
Those are some great tips Jonathan! I'm glad the bagels worked out so well for you! I'm curious about the Korean rice syrup and will have to keep my eye out for some 🙂
I made these using the recipe as is but I used a scale to weigh out all the ingredients - worked perfectly. I used diastatic malt powder and a little honey in the poaching liquid because I could not find any malt syrup. I also used Everything but the Bagel seasoning blend from Trader Joe - made the topping process a bit easier.. Thanks!
Hi Anthony, I'm so glad you enjoyed the bagel recipe! I agree, weighing the ingredients is 1000% better! 🙂
The flavor is definitely there. It was so good, my daughter and I were eating raw dough. I had a huge amount of trouble getting the dough to come together, however. Ended up using over 1/3 cups more water than the recipe called for, and it was still an extremely dry dough that barely came together, which affected the rise. I ended up using longer rise as well to compensate for this. Next time, I think I will go with my feel instead of worrying overly much about what the recipe calls for. There will be a next time, because the end result is just so good.
OMG! I just made my first batch of homemade bagels and they are awesome! Followed the recipe to a T although I did use an egg wash which allowed the poppyseed and everything toppings to adhere very well. Used King Arthur bread flour. As a native New Yorker now living on the West Coast, I can say that these are the best bagels I’ve eaten in a long time.
I've been thinking about making bagels for a week now! My mixer is broken, so looked for a recipe where I could use my food processor instead. I made what I might call a PERFECT batch of bagels! Very excited to have found this. I did find the dough a little bit dry, so just wetted it a tiny bit when kneading, but I've found this is a common thing with bread-baking. The only thing I might do next time is make 10 bagels instead of 8. They are HUGE! I can't wait to try other toppings, only used sesame seeds this time. Thank you so much!
Hi Patricia, that's great to hear! You can certainly start with a bit less flour next time, or a bit more water, that can vary with your location, the brand of flour, etc. 🙂
I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it looks like it will do right nice by a New York bagel. But my question is that I've since moved to northern New Mexico where the elevation is almost 7000 feet. Is there something I need to do differently to make the bagels work?
Thank you
Hi Ted, I don't have personal experience with high altitude baking, but based on my research I would add 2 tbsp of additional water (30g) in the dough and cut down the yeast to 1 tsp. The dough might rise quickly in its first rise so keep an eye on it and check after 30 minutes. Luckily the second rise (once shaped) happens in the fridge so you don't have to worry about the altitude as much there! Don't take the dough out of the fridge until you're ready to boil it and have your oven preheating so it can pop in there as soon as you've finishing boiling and topping them. This is just a starting point so if things don't come out quite as expected then you can adjust a bit to make the recipe work for you. E.g. if your dough ends up too dry still you can add even more water, or if its rising very quickly you can use less yeast. I hope that helps and happy baking!
Since the water boils at a lower temperature can you add something to get it to boil at 212 degrees without altering flavor?
Hi Esther, I wouldn't worry too much about the water being less than 212 ºF, if it's hot and boiling (even at less than 212º) you should still get the chewy outer crust on the bagels.
Thanks Eva, I'll try that and see what happens.
So, I added a bit of sour dough starter and am doing the overnight proof now. I think it is important to mention that this can be done first because I am tripling the recipe and would not have room for the formed bagels overnight. My Kitchenaid did fine with the dough. I am making mini bagels as I am helping out with a baby shower and no local place- we are looking at a 15 mile radius, makes minis.
I plan on freezing partially baked bagels an finishing them the day of the event for a fresh taste. Any suggestions as to how long I should bake them?
I do have a stone insert I can use in my oven. did the pan with water go in under the stone? I get that is for getting an extra crisp outer dough as one would do for a baguette.
any suggestion as to the weight of dough I should be using for a mini bagel?
Thanks!
Hi Esther, I actually regularly freeze freshly baked bagels and defrost slightly before toasting them to enjoy. If you wanted to only parbake them before freezing, I would bake them about 75%, so like 15 minutes for the full sized bagels, this would be less for minis. I'd then let them partially defrost before putting back in the oven to finish. I do not add water to the oven to steam while baking. The chewy crust of a bagel is from the boiling stage, and we aren't trying to get a thick crust like you would on an 'artisan style' loaf. I do like keeping a baking stone (I use a baking steel) in my oven as this helps keep the oven temperature even. I hope that helps!
Thanks!
So I tripled the dough because I'm making minis for a baby shower (51-52 gr each).
Goal was to boil and freeze to bake off the day of the shower but I did a test run on 3 for baking. Used a pizza stone at 450 with and without a pan of water. We decided that those baked with the water were less crisp so I will be ditching the water for the final baking. I noticed that https://food.briess.com/ recipe uses 2 types of syrup and AP rather than bread flour. I would not change the flour but have come to the conclusion that what is missing from most other bagels is the complexity of flavor from the malt syrup so I'd like to try some combinations, and also try and completely replace the yeast with sourdough starter as the long rise/sourdough/syrups all appear to impact the complexity of the flavor. Will be searching for starter/kg flour ratios.... great bagels and I think there will be the hit of the shower!
can i use barley malt flour in place of the barley malt powder?
I believe they are the same thing! So in that case, it’s a great substitute 🙂
My dry malt powder (Hoosier Hill Farm) weighs 5 g for 1 1/2 tsp, instead of 10g as stated in your recipe. Is there a typo there?
Hm, I’ll double check tomorrow in the kitchen, but I know with small amounts like that I usually will measure by volume and not weigh because my scale isn’t that sensitive to be as accurate as I’d like. So I’d hazard a guess that it’s the smaller amount, but that if you used 5 or 10g they’d still come out nicely either way.