Homemade Bagels
I am kicking myself for not making these sooner. Homemade bagels are delicious, simple and very cost efficient.
Prep 5 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Total 20-25 minutes
4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 ½ cup warm water
2 packets instant yeast or roughly 2 ½ teaspoons
4 cups bread flour (bread flour is important, regular flour will result in an odd texture)
1 tablespoon honey, plus ¼ cup for the water wash
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, beaten (egg wash)
Preparation
Gather ingredients and a large mixing bowl. If you have a mixer with a dough hook attachment, that will work best.
Add yeast and warm water to the bowl. Whisk to combine, cover with a kitchen towel and allow for the yeast to activate for 5 minutes.
Add flour, honey and salt. With dough hook attachment, beat for 1-2 minutes. Lightly flour a surface with additional bread flour and manually knead for 5 minutes. Video on kneading dough. Once dough is kneaded, divide the into 8 sections. With each ball of dough, roll out into a rope shape that is about 8 inches in length. Seal the two ends together and place into an oiled bowl. It is better to have individual bowls for each bagel but one large bowl will suffice if that is all you have!
Cover bowl(s) with a kitchen towel and allow for bagels to rise for 60-90 minutes. If you want to make them the night before, let them rise covered in the refrigerator overnight.
Bagels should double in size. Then, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add ¼ cup honey and a dash of salt to the water. One by one, drop the bagels in the boiling water and cook them for a minute on each side. Remove from water and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining bagels.
Create your egg wash by combining one egg with a teaspoon of water and whisk well. Lightly brush the egg wash on each bagel to give it a golden brown and chewy exterior. This is when you can add any fun toppings. We loved adding sea salt, sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning and cinnamon sugar.
Throw your bagels into the oven for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Allow for them to cool for 10 minutes before diving in. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days or throw them in the freezer!
Enjoy!
