Homemade Bagels (Authentic Jewish Recipe)

5 from 11 votes

Homemade Bagels (Authentic Jewish Recipe)

Homemade bagels are surprisingly easy to make and this authentic Jewish bagel version from Europe will win you over for sure! Knead the dough, shape it, boil it, and bake it. Make fun bagel sandwiches or top your bagels with your favorite cream cheese for an amazing New York breakfast experience.

Prep Time40

Cook Time24

Resting Time2

Total Time3 4

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine: American, German, Jewish

Keyword: Authentic Bagel Recipe, Bagel Recipe, Bagel Recipe with Chili Cream Cheese Spread, Best Bagel Recipe, Chili Cream Cheese Bagel Topping Recipe, German Bagel Recipe

Servings: bagels

Calories: 223kcal

Equipment

1 Strainer

Ingredients

Bagel Dough

500 grams all-purpose flour
300 milliliters water
10 grams salt
10 grams oil I like using avocado oil
3 grams active-dry yeast half a pouch
½ teaspoon malt syrup or sugar
1 egg

Toppings

1 egg white to mix with water and brush on the bagels before topping and baking
seeds Optional. Such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds or pumpkin seeds. You can also use cheese or other toppings.

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Combine all ingredients for the bagel dough and knead on the lowest setting of your stand mixer for 5 minutes, then another 10 minutes on the second setting until you end up with a smooth, firm dough.
500 grams all-purpose flour, 300 milliliters water, 10 grams salt, 10 grams oil, 3 grams active-dry yeast, ½ teaspoon malt syrup, 1 egg
Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Portion the dough into 9 equal parts (100 g or 3.5 oz each), roll out into 20 to 25 cm long strings (about 10 inches), then fold over the ends and press together.
Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and cover with a clean linen towel. Let rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
You can optionally complete the previous steps the night before baking bagels (making this a super quick process the next morning). Cover them with a clean linen towel and put them in your fridge.
Preheat the oven to 230℃ or 445℉. In a large pot, bring 2 liters/quarts of water to a boil, then add some salt. Boil the bagels for 2 minutes on each side before carefully removing them with a skimmer and transferring back to the baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
Before baking, brush each bagel with an egg white whisked together with equal amount of cold water. Optionally roll your bagels in any choice of topping (I used pumpkin seeds and poppy seeds this time).
1 egg white, seeds
Bake for a total of 20 minutes. After 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 200℃ or 390℉ for the remaining 15 minutes of baking. The tops should be starting to turn golden.
It's best to enjoy bagels warm and up to 5 hours after baking. When storing, I slice them in half, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer, so they're ready to pop in the toaster whenever I want an authentic bagel.

Video

Notes

Shaping Bagels. There are two ways to shape bagels. You can either make a roll, then poke a hole through the middle using both thumbs, and stretch the bagels into shape. You can also shape strings and connect each string into a ring.

Malt Syrup. Barley malt syrup gives the bagel a touch of warm, malty flavor. I keep mine in the fridge and it's lasted me for years. I also use it for some bread-baking recipes such as my Müsli breakfast rolls. Use sugar if you don't want to buy malt syrup. Use sugar if you don't want to buy malt syrup.

Toppings. Toppings are optional, but I love them so much. I love adding seeds like sesame seeds, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Another great option is adding grated cheese on top. Gruyère or aged gouda are some favorite cheeses to add to homemade bagels. You could also work chocolate chips, roasted garlic or hot peppers into your bagel dough.

Chocolate Chip Bagels. If adding chocolate chips, I like chilling my bagel dough before shaping the bagels. This way you're not smearing melted chocolate all over your bagels.

Nutrition