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Making homemade bagels might sound like a big project, but the results are well worth the effort. With nothing more than a handful of staple pantry ingredients, you can make a dozen delightfully chewy bagels that rival the most viral of New York bagel shops. The alchemy of the perfect bagel all comes down to a two-pronged cooking process: once in boiling water and once in the oven. This dual approach gives the bagels their signature chew, tanned sheen, and pleasantly dense (but not tough) interior. This homemade bagel recipe uses baking soda in place of the typical lye, and forgoes the need for specialty sweeteners like barley malt syrup. These swaps truly make this recipe pantry-friendly, and the end result does not suffer in the least. In fact, when tasted side by side against bagels made with these ingredients, the bagel dough performed just as well, if not better. They still had a chewy texture, shiny exterior (without the need for an egg wash), and a crisp shell that gave way to a plush interior. We like to serve the bagels lightly toasted with a thin spread of cream cheese and keep our leftovers in zip-top bags on the counter.
And for a little bit of fun: You can top these bagels with just about anything you like. Right before they hit the oven, sprinkle them with whatever toppings you want. Some of our favorites are furikake, sesame seeds, raw sugar with a touch of gochugaru, and finely grated Parmesan. You could even use thinly sliced jalapeño, cheddar, or big flakes of sea salt if you’re feeling crazy. Just make sure to work quickly, as the residual water slicked on the boiled bagels is what glues the toppings onto them.
Recipe information
Total Time
14 hours (or more)
Yield
Makes 12
Ingredients
3¾
3
1
4
1
1
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Mix 3¾ cups (469 g) bread flour, 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. instant yeast, and 2¼ cups room-temperature water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook on medium-low speed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed with a rubber spatula, until a smooth and elastic dough forms, 13–18 minutes. (Pinch off a small piece of dough and stretch it between your thumbs and index fingers on both hands. The dough should be able to stretch thin enough to let light through without breaking. If it splits or tears, the gluten is not developed enough yet. The dough will be sticky. If your mixer gets too hot or sounds like it is working too hard, turn it off and let it cool down for a few minutes before starting again.) Turn dough out onto a surface and form into a large ball. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
Step 2
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and generously dust with bread flour. Transfer dough to a surface and arrange smooth side down. Using a bench scraper or large knife, cut into 12 pieces (about 120 g each). Working with 1 piece at a time and holding so smooth side is down in your hand (this will make exterior smoother), press down on dough to degas, then bring corners up and over to meet in the center to create a ball (the exterior facing your palm should still be smooth). Cup your hand over dough and drag across surface, moving your hand in a rapid circular motion, to create a tight ball. (If dough is gliding across surface easily and not forming a ball, sprinkle surface with a few drops of water.)
Step 3
Place some bread flour in a shallow bowl. Dip bottom of each ball into bread flour, then place onto prepared baking sheets (6 per sheet). Dust tops with bread flour and loosely cover each baking sheet with plastic wrap. Let balls sit in a warm spot until about 50% expanded in size and puffy, 60–80 minutes. Transfer to fridge and chill until slightly firmed, 1–1½ hours.
Step 4
About 30 minutes before dough is finished chilling, bring 1 Tbsp. baking soda, remaining 3 Tbsp. sugar, and 1 gal. (16 cups) water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 425°.
Step 5
If using toppings, place raw sesame seeds, finely grated Parmesan, furikake, everything bagel seasoning, and/or poppy seeds in smalls bowls and set them nearby your workstation. Remove dough from fridge and unwrap. Working one at a time, poke a hole in the center of dough balls then gently stretch and twirl dough to expand hole to a 3" diameter. (Holes will look large but will close up as the bagels bake.) Working in batches of 3–4, lower bagels into pot of boiling water and cook 30 seconds. Turn and cook until bagels are puffed out to a traditional bagel shape, 40–60 seconds. Using a spider or slotted spoon, immediately transfer bagels to a wire rack and sprinkle with toppings as desired if using.
Step 6
Line same baking sheets with fresh parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Arrange 6 bagels on each baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°, rotate baking sheets top to bottom and front to back, and continue to bake until deep golden brown, 10–15 minutes more. Let bagels cool on baking sheets.
Do Ahead: Bagels can be made 4 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature, or freeze in resealable plastic freezer bags up to 3 months.