Never thought about making your own bagels? Why not?! Bagels are fun & easy to make! Easily store bagels for up to 6 months in the freezer. Thaw the night before and you’re bagel is ready for you the next morning! Aside from “Daves Killer Bread” bagels, most bagels you find in the supermarket are nothing but a brick of carbs, little fiber, and close to zero protein. Additional ingredients such as seeds, nuts, and different types of bran are non-existent in most bagels, yet they lend earthy flavors and a ton of nutrition to your morning meal. You know what they say, “if you want something done right, do it yourself” – this is definitely one of those times.
Let’s get to bagel making!
Bake time from start to finish: ~3 hours
Makes 16 large bagels
Dough Recipe:
- 4 cups warm water, check yeast packet for activation temp
- 2 package instant yeast
- 3 tbs molasses
- 4 cups King Arthur whole wheat white flour
- 5-6 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
- 1 cup sorghum flour, optional and can be substituted for AP flour
- 2 tbs salt
Nutritious Additions:
You can add an array of additions to your dough, depending on what’s lying around in your pantry. All additions are optional but highly nutritious and an easy way to sneak added nutrition into your morning meal.
- 2 tb wheat, oat, or rye bran
- 1 tbs shelled hemp seeds
- 2 tbs sesame seeds
- 2 tsp flax seeds
- 1 tbs chia seeds
- 2 tbs almonds
- 2 tbs walnuts
- 2 tbs cranberries
- 2 tbs raisins
Boiling Water Recipe:
- 1 gallon boiling water
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbs salt
Baking Recipe
- 1 egg, beaten – to brush on bagels for toppings to stick
- 2 large cookies sheets, parchment paper & cooking spray
- 1/2 cup cornmeal, optional for the bottom of the bagels
- Toppings: 1/4 cup raw minced garlic, 2 tbs sesame seeds, 2 tbs hemp seeds, 2 tbs poppy seeds, 1 tbs savory fresh herb, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, etc.
Method of Prep
- You can make this dough by hand, however, it is easiest when made in a mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment.
- Place the warm water in the mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Carefully mix the yeast a bit with a spatula or your finger to moisten the granules.
- Look for the yeast to activate by moving granules and/or brown foamy clouds forming on the top of the water. This may take 1-4 minutes.
- Add your molasses (or sugar), flours, and salt. Mix on low for about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn the mixer off and scrape the additional flour that may be accumulating on the mixing bowl; so all ingredients are incorporated.
- Increase the mixing speed to medium for another few minutes, the dough should start to form a ball and pull away from the mixing bowl. If this does not happen you need to add more flour! Bagel dough must be stiff enough to hold up through the shaping & boiling process.
- An easy tip to test if you’re dough is too moist: if the dough sticks to your fingers when you touch it, the dough is too wet. I recommend adding additional all-purpose flour, as too much whole wheat flour can make your product dense –
however, you can certainly play with flour ratios so long as your final dough is not 
sticky. You want it to be somewhat stiff.
- An easy tip to test if you’re dough is too moist: if the dough sticks to your fingers when you touch it, the dough is too wet. I recommend adding additional all-purpose flour, as too much whole wheat flour can make your product dense –
- Once your dough is fully mixed (usually takes 5-6 minutes) you can turn off the mixer and add any additions you prefer. Mix additions on low speed so gluten development is not hindered.
- Oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and cover with a towel. Leave the dough undisturbed in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
- Prep two large sheet pans with parchment paper and oil the parchment. Do not skip the oiling step as your bagels will rise on the parchment and then must be taken off to go into the boiling water.
Also, fill a large stock pot or wide-topped wok with water, salt, and baking soda and turn on high once you have shaped your bagels.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough with your fist to distribute the yeast babies and place your dough on a floured surface where you can cut pieces of the dough.
Cut dough into palm-sized balls. This will be the dough you shape into a bagel!- Pull the sides of the dough out and tuck underneath about 2-3 times or until the dough is a tight ball. Now, begin to flatten the dough a bit and shape it into a larger circle. Carefully poke your fingers through the middle to form a bagel hole and continue shaping until your dough is smooth and bagel-shaped.
- Place these shaped bagels onto your oiled parchment
, and continue shaping all your dough. 
Remember to turn on your pot of boiling water, so it’s ready when the bagels have risen to full-grown babes!- Once all the bagels are shaped, cover them again with a towel and leave for 20-30 minutes or until they about double in size.
- Turn your oven on to 425 F!
- Once the bagels have doubled in size carefully pick up each bagel (making sure not to deflate the risen dough) and
carefully place them in the boiling water, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. You may have to do this step in a few intervals. Boil each side for about 30-45 seconds, carefully flipping each bagel once one side has finished boiling.
You do not want to overboil otherwise your bagels will get soggy!
- Scatter your oiled parchment with cornmeal if desired and place the boiled bagels on top of this.
- Once all the bagels are boiled, prepare your egg wash in a small bowl. Do this by adding one egg and 3 tbs water to a small bowl and mixing it with a brush.
Brush the egg wash onto all the bagels and top with any toppings you’d like.- Once the oven is pre-heated to 425 F bake your topped bagels for 20-25 minutes or until dark golden brown on the outside and have a slight give when you poke them.
- You can also take the temperature of your bagels/breads to check their doneness (temperature should read around 185 F – 200 F for baked products)
- Carefully remove the bagels from the oven and let them fully cool on the sheet pan.
- Enjoy toasted, grilled, and/or topped with any topping of your choosing. I love, and highly recommend finding Greek Cream Cheese (4x the amount of protein and only half the fat of regular cream cheese)!
