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Everything Bagels

Everything Bagels

Craving something delicious? Try these homemade Everything Bagels! They’re crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, perfect for breakfast or a snack. With a delightful blend of toppings, they’re sure to be a hit. Make them today for a fresh twist on a classic!
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Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Breakfast, Snacks
Cuisine American
Servings 12 bagels
Calories 250 kcal

Equipment

  • Wooden Spoon
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Frying Pan
  • Chef's Knife
  • Whisk
  • Baking Sheet
  • Large Pot
  • Oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 4 cups high-gluten or bread flour
  • 2.5 cups water at room temperature
  • 0.5 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 3.75 cups high-gluten or bread flour
  • 2.75 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons malt powder OR 1 tablespoon dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
  • Everything Bagel Topping for a homemade version, see below
  • 4 teaspoons poppy seeds
  • 4 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 4 teaspoons dried garlic minced or flaked
  • 4 teaspoons dried onion minced or chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt or other coarse salt

Instructions
 

  • 1. To make the sponge, stir 1 teaspoon instant yeast into 4 cups high-gluten or bread flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add 2½ cups water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.
  • 2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add ½ teaspoon instant yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3¾ cups high-gluten or bread flour and all of the 2¾ teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons malt powder. Stir (or mix on low speeds with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough.
  • 3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated. If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.
  • 4. Immediately divide the dough into 12 pieces for standard bagels, or 24 pieces if you are making mini bagels. Form the pieces into rolls.
  • 5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.
  • 6. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and mist lightly with spray oil. Proceed with shaping the bagels by pushing a hole through the center of the roll with your thumb and stretching out the hole to 2 ½ inches in diameter, making sure that the resulting ring has a fairly even thickness all around.
  • 7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
  • 8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test.” Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.
  • 9. The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add 1 tablespoon baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.
  • 10. For Homemade Everything Bagel Topping, combine: 4 teaspoons poppy seeds, 4 teaspoons sesame seeds, 4 teaspoons dried garlic, 4 teaspoons dried onion, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. This makes enough topping for 12 large bagels or 24 mini bagels.
  • 11. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minute, flip them over and boil another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with Cornmeal or semolina flour. As soon as the bagels come out of the water, top them with the Everything Bagel mixture.
  • 12. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer.
  • 13. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

Notes

  • Tip 1: To store leftovers, place your bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a resealable bag. Just toast them directly from the freezer when you’re ready to enjoy!
  • Tip 2: You can freeze unboiled shapes too! Simply shape the bagels and flash freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring them to a freezer bag. When you’re ready to bake, just boil them from frozen.
  • Tip 3: Everything bagels pair wonderfully with cream cheese, avocado, or even as a sandwich base. Experiment with different spreads to find your favorite combination!
  • Tip 4: Using high-gluten flour is key to achieving the chewy texture characteristic of bagels. Don’t skip on this detail!
  • Tip 5: For a more uniform shape, you can use the bench rest method to allow the shaped bagels to rest before boiling.
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