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You are here: Home / FRUGAL FOOD / cooking from SCRATCH / Homemade Bagels Step-by-Step Tutorial

Homemade Bagels Step-by-Step Tutorial

September 8, 2014 by Stephanie 32 Comments

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

I have always been intimidated by the idea of making homemade bagels.  Fresh-made bagels from a specialty shop are so delicious, that I figured I couldn’t even come close at home.  I knew that their were several steps and some unique techniques, so I thought it was something that would be easier to see done than just learned from a recipe.

Well, this weekend fresh bagels sounded really good, so I got brave and gave them a try!  I found a great recipe from the Prudent Homemaker.  We made the first batch on Friday evening while we waited for Daddy to get home from work.

I was AMAZED!  They were so delicious and just like our favorite fresh-made, store-bought bagels!  For dinner that night, we ate cheese-topped bagels along with fresh homemade tomato basil soup, then the kids had a raisin bagel for dessert.

By Saturday evening, we only had one bagel left, so we made another batch.  The kids really want to have them in their school lunches on Monday.

For those of you who are visual learners, I took pictures along the way, so you don’t have to be intimidated by the process.  Here goes!

Homemade Bagels

Ingredients

  • 3 cups warm water (105-110 degrees)
  • 2 Tablespoons yeast*
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 5 teaspoons salt
  • 7 cups flour
  • 1 egg white (for glaze)
  • 1 Tablespoon water (for glaze)
  • toppings and/or mix-ins of choice

*used to be 4 Tbsp, but I halved it and it worked fine!

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast and sugar.  Let yeast bubble and foam for about 10 minutes.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Mix in salt.  Add in flour and stir until dough comes together.  When it becomes difficult to stir, use your hands to knead the dough.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Knead dough on your working surface for 5 minutes, adding additional flour if dough becomes sticky.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

If you want to add mix-ins to some of your bagels, you’ll want to do that at this point.  The recipe will make 16 large bagels.  I divided my dough into quarters so I can make several different kinds.  This time, I’m adding raisins to 1/4 of it, craisins to 1/4 of it and keeping the other 1/2 plain.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Once you’ve kneaded in your mix-ins, put each ball of dough in a floured bowl to rise.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Cover your dough with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for an hour.  I spent the afternoon canning tomatoes,  cooking beans, and making blackberry cobbler, so my kitchen was plenty warm!

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

After an hour, your dough should have about doubled in size.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Divide your dough into 16 equal pieces.  If you have all your dough together, divide it into fourths, then divide each fourth into four parts.

I use a dough scraper/cutter whenever I’m make bread or other pastries.  I prefer plastic ones because I don’t have to worry about it scraping of marring any surfaces.  The curved edge is perfect for scraping out bowls.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

To form bagels, roll each piece of dough into a ball, then press your thumbs into the center to make the hole.  (That tumor in the picture below is a cluster of raisins.)

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Lay on a lightly floured working surface (more flour than in the picture).  You can see bagels at the top of the picture were done first and were already starting to rise by the time we finished (my 6-year-old was my helper).

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Cover and allow to rise for about 10 minutes.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Meanwhile, prepare a pot of lightly boiling water.  You pot doesn’t need to be super deep, just deep enough to hold enough water so the bagels don’t touch the bottom of the pan. Adding a tablespoon of sugar helps give the bagels a nice sheen.

Also, spray two large cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

After bagels have had about 10 minutes to puff up, careful bring them to your boiling water 1 or 2 at a time.  You can have 2-4 in your water at a time, depending on the diameter of your pan.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Set a timer for 1 minute.  After a minute, flip the bagels over using a slotted spatula.  Allow bagels to boil on the other side for about 30 seconds.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Remove the bagels from the pot with a slotted spatula.  Allow them to drip off over the pot, then flip them onto your greased cookie sheet so the prettier side is up.  Repeat until all the bagels have taken their turn in the boiling water.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Whisk the egg white with a tablespoon of water for a glaze.  If you have a fancy utensil you can brush the glaze over the bagels, otherwise, you can just use your finger, like me!  This time I left the raisin and craisin bagels plain on top, but we’ve also sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on the tops which, of course, was a big hit with the munchkins.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

This time we tried some onion bagels.  I re-hydrated some dehydrated onion in a bowl when I started making the dough.  I drained off the water the spread some of the onions on the bagels tops after glazing them with egg white.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

My favorite kind of bagels are the cheesy ones!  Using a cheese slicer, I cut thin slices of regular cheddar cheese that I broke into pieces and spread around the tops of my bagels after glazing them.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Have your oven racks spread apart so that you can fit both pans in at once.  Total cooking time will be 25-30 minutes, but after half of the time has passed, switch your pans.  That way, they each have an equal opportunity to get their bottoms and tops turn a beautiful golden brown.

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

Use a spatula to take a peek at the bottoms near the end of their baking time to be sure they don’t burn.  When they look good on the bottom and top, they’re done!  Use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack.  Enjoy warm or let them cool and store in an airtight container.  If your house is like mine, they won’t last long, but if they do, bagels freeze like a dream!

Step-by-step photo tutorial for delicious homemade bagels. Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to toppings and mix-ins for homemade bagels.  Get creative and experiment to find your favorites!  If you’re a vanilla kind of person, just leave them plain!

5.0 from 3 reviews
Homemade Bagels
 
Print
Create a gourmet bakery treat with this simple recipe and your favorite bagel toppings or mix-ins! For more information see the step-by-step photo tutorial here: https://www.sixfiguresunder.com/homemade-bagels-tutorial/
Author: Stephanie @ SixFiguresUnder.com
Serves: 16 large bagels
Ingredients
  • 3 cups warm water (105-110 degrees)
  • 2 Tablespoons yeast
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 5 teaspoons salt
  • 7 cups flour
  • 1 egg white (for glaze)
  • 1 Tablespoon water (for glaze)
  • toppings and/or mix-ins of choice
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast and sugar. Let yeast bubble and foam for about 10 minutes.
  2. Mix in salt. Add in flour and stir until dough comes together. When it becomes difficult to stir, use your hands to knead the dough.
  3. Knead dough on your working surface for 5 minutes, adding additional flour if dough becomes sticky.
  4. If you want to add mix-ins to some of your bagels, you’ll want to do that at this point.
  5. Once you’ve kneaded in your mix-ins, put each ball of dough in a floured bowl to rise.
  6. Cover your dough with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for an hour. After an hour, your dough should have about doubled in size.
  7. Divide your dough into 16 equal pieces. If you have all your dough together, divide it into fourths, then divide each fourth into four parts.
  8. To form bagels, roll each piece of dough into a ball, then press your thumbs into the center to make the hole.
  9. Lay on a lightly floured working surface. Cover and allow to rise for about 10 minutes.
  10. Meanwhile, prepare a pot of lightly boiling water. You pot doesn’t need to be super deep, just deep enough to hold enough water so the bagels don’t touch the bottom of the pan. Adding a tablespoon of sugar helps give the bagels a nice sheen. Also, spray two large cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
  11. After bagels have had about 10 minutes to puff up, careful bring them to your boiling water 1 or 2 at a time. You can have 2-4 in your water at a time, depending on the diameter of your pan.
  12. Set a timer for 1 minute. After a minute, flip the bagels over using a slotted spatula. Allow bagels to boil on the other side for about 30 seconds.
  13. Remove the bagels from the pot with a slotted spatula. Allow them to drip off over the pot, then flip them onto your greased cookie sheet so the prettier side is up. Repeat until all the bagels have taken their turn in the boiling water.
  14. Whisk the egg white with a tablespoon of water for a glaze. Brush the glaze over the bagels.
  15. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Have your oven racks spread apart so that you can fit both pans in at once. Total cooking time will be 25-30 minutes, but after half of the time has passed, switch your pans. That way, they each have an equal opportunity to get their bottoms and tops turn a beautiful golden brown.
  16. Use a spatula to take a peek at the bottoms near the end of their baking time to be sure they don’t burn. When they look good on the bottom and top, they’re done! Use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm or let them cool and store in an airtight container. If your house is like mine, they won’t last long, but if they do, bagels freeze like a dream!
3.5.3251

Note: This post contains a few affiliate links for some products I love.  For more information, see my disclosure policy.

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Filed Under: cooking from SCRATCH, FRUGAL FOOD, FRUGAL LIVING, In the KITCHEN

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Comments

  1. Jessica says

    April 11, 2017 at 10:58 am

    Loved these bagels! Absolutely worth the effort. Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    May 5, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    I have made homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, cakes, cookies, pies- you name it, but I have never summoned the courage to make bagels. I think I was under the impression that you have to boil them a long time. That doesn’t look that scary though. Maybe I will give them a try.

    Reply
  3. Lauren says

    March 4, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    These are so amazing. I made a few tweeks but so soo good. I placed leftovers in the fridge.
    Thank you for an awesome recipe I will use over and over!
    Lauren

    Reply
  4. Whitney says

    February 29, 2016 at 9:37 am

    Really 4 -TABLE-spoons of yeast?

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      February 29, 2016 at 2:00 pm

      Yep, that’s correct! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Whitney says

    January 27, 2016 at 10:08 am

    These are so yummy! I made them once last year, and am about to make them again today! Thanks for the recipe, I never thought making bagels would be doable at home. And I agree, the cheese ones are my favorite too!

    Reply
  6. Samantha says

    December 31, 2015 at 5:10 pm

    Can you half the recipe

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      December 31, 2015 at 8:08 pm

      Sure! The only problem with halving the recipe is wanting more! 🙂

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        January 9, 2016 at 12:02 pm

        How long do you let it rise for the first time

        Reply
        • Stephanie says

          January 9, 2016 at 1:22 pm

          For an hour.

  7. Alexis says

    October 17, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    I tried them and they are great!
    I also used 2 cups of wheat flour and 5 cups of white for some added health benefits
    I also made 1 batch with paremesean cheese in the dough and mozz baked on top
    Love it
    Thanks!

    Reply
  8. April McCray says

    May 11, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    This seems so simple to make! Thanks for sharing (:
    I was wondering if there is a certain type of flour you use or would just an all purpose would work?

    Reply
  9. Leslie says

    September 9, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    Okay, so these look delicious. I’ll definitely have to try the recipe…thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      September 19, 2014 at 10:08 am

      No problem Leslie! I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  10. Meaghan says

    September 9, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    These look amazing! The last couple of times I’ve made bagels I used our bread machine but the dough just never rises as much as it should! I’m not sure if my kitchen isn’t warm enough or my yeast is old or what. I might try these this week and see if they come out any different!

    ~Meaghan from DIYfaerie

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      September 19, 2014 at 10:08 am

      Those are the two places I’d start for troubleshooting as well (yeast and cool kitchen). Best of luck! Homemade bagels are yummy and worth the effort!

      Reply
  11. Liz says

    September 9, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    I’ve always been intimated at the idea of making bagels.. but this sounds like a fun recipe to try. I read the Prudent Homemaker as well. She has some great recipes too- I keep meaning to try the rosemary olive oil bread!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      September 19, 2014 at 10:06 am

      I’ve been in the mood to try new recipes lately and I’m enjoying trying some of hers. The rosemary olive oil bread sounds delicious!

      Reply
  12. Libby says

    September 9, 2014 at 5:17 am

    I LOVE the Prudent Homemaker!

    Your instructions with photos are very easy to follow – kudos.

    Our local bagel store sells 14 for $3.00 after 3:00 each afternoon. Hard time for me to get there and no guarantees there will be favorite flavors or any bagels at all! But when it all comes together my family is happy.

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      September 19, 2014 at 10:06 am

      That’s an awesome deal! Bagels freeze well, so if you get lucky and they have your favorites, don’t be afraid to stock up!!

      Reply
  13. Susan @ SunfowerHugs.blogspot.com says

    September 8, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    I know what I am going to do this weekend! Thank you for the step by step instructions. I never would even have thought to try it without this!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      September 19, 2014 at 10:04 am

      I hope they work out well for you Susan! Homemade bagels are so yummy!

      Reply
  14. Kim M says

    September 8, 2014 at 12:13 pm

    Wow.. its like you’re a mind reader or something! I’m 16 wks pregnant and have been so seriously craving everything bagels, but its become and expensive habit, so I was JUST looking for a way to make them homemade. Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      September 8, 2014 at 12:41 pm

      That’s too funny Kim! 🙂 Congratulations– both on the pregnancy and for finding a way to satisfy your bagel cravings and your budget!

      Reply
  15. Linda Thomson says

    September 8, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    Now see what you did? I desperately want a bagel! I don’t think I have enough yeast and I know I don’t have any cream cheese. Can you hear me whining?

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      September 8, 2014 at 12:40 pm

      Haha! I hear you Linda! All of our cream cheese is frozen and we just ate the bagels plain. They were that good! Oh, but cream cheese on them will be heavenly.

      Reply

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