Name: King Arthur Flour’s Plain Bagels
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 12 h 40 min
Yield: 12 bagels
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup bread flour; 1/4 cup cool water; pinch of instant yeast (about 1/16 teaspoon); 1 1/4 cups cool water; 1 3/4 teaspoons salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast; 4 cups bread flour; 5 cups water; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 tablespoon baking soda

Thishomemade bagelrecipeincludes everyday ingredients and are the chewiest circles of perfection you will ever eat!

This recipe is for your standard bagels, but you can add any flavors that you want.I’ve had great success with them and I love that you can customize the bagel really easily. If you are feeling an everything bagel or cinnamon raisin-it’s a cinch to create.

Some of my favorite carbs come in the form of bagels. Especially the ones that are plump and chewy. These bagels make for a great breakfast. I like to serve them with an assortment ofyogurt, fruit, and if you are feeling fancy, add some sausage or bacon or even asmoothie.

bagels sliced and toasted on a plate with a knife

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Fresh and Homemade: Nothing beats the taste and aroma of freshly baked bagels made in your own kitchen. Bagels that are made at home are fresher, chewier, and more delicious in my opinion.
Customizable: You can easily customize your bagels by adding toppings like sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything seasoning, or even mixing ingredients like cheese or herbs into the dough.
Fun Baking Project: Making bagels from scratch is a fun and rewarding baking project, whether you bake by yourself or grab some family or friends to help out.

Ingredients

For the sponge/starter

Bread Flour
Cool Water
Instant Yeast

For the dough

Water
Salt
Instant Yeast
Bread Flour

For boiling the bagels

Water
Brown Sugar
Baking Soda

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

top view of bagels sliced and toasted on a plate next to two cups of tea and a bowl of bagels

How to Make Homemade Plain Bagels

Step #1.Mix all the starter ingredients together in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature 12-24 hours.

Step #3.While the dough is rising, prep the water for boiling and preheat the oven. Shape the dough and drop the bagels into the boiling water 2 or 3 at a time. Place the boiled bagels onto a parchment lined baking sheet. (Optional: Sprinkle with toppings while still wet.)

Step #2.Mix the dough ingredients together in your stand mixer. Remove and knead until slightly tacky. Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, and let rise one house. Punch down and let rise another half hour.

Step #4.Once all the bagels have been boiled, bake them for 25 minutes or until deep brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe FAQs

Is it cheaper to make your own bagels?

As with most things, it is super cost friendly to make bagels at home. Bagels from breakfast shops or restaurants are between $6-$10 once you get toppings put on. You can make a bagel at home for under 50 cents! Cost effective and delicious. Total win.

Do you have to boil bagels?

Boiling bagels is the key to chewiness. When you boil bagels it creates a type of gel wall. This creates a shiny exterior as well as cooks the outer layer so they hold their shape and texture when baked. It is an extra step in the process but so worth it. Bagels need to be boiled for about 30-60 seconds per side before they are baked.

How do you shape bagels?

Shaping bagels is the fun part. Simply roll the bagel into a ball of dough and then poke your finger through the middle. Use your fingers to widen the hole to about 2 inches. There’s nothing to it! You can also roll your dough into a log and then twist the ends together rightly to make a circle.

What is the best flour to use when making bagels?

I like to use bread flour when making bagels. Bread flour has a higher protein content and because of that it aids in making the bagels chewy. All purpose flour will work, but I just don’t prefer it because they won’t be as chewy.

Expert Tips

Not kneading the dough enough is one common mistake with yeast breads.When you knead dough, the gluten forms a sort of “net” that catches the yeast bubbles and helps the dough rise nice and tall. One of the best ways to tell if the net is strong enough, is to do a “window pane test” – take a small piece of dough and stretch it thin enough that you can almost see through it. If you can do so without it breaking, you’re done kneading. If not, give it a few more minutes and try it again.
It’s really helpful if the bagels are the same size.Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces before shaping.If you have a tough time eye-balling the amount of dough, this is a great time to whip out a kitchen scale and measure the pieces to make sure they’re even.