Bagel Recipe (plain, cinnamon-raisin and cheese variations)

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EASY-TO-MODERATE

Bagels are unlike typical breads because they tend to be really chewy and dense, yet tender and satisfying. It’s not totally clear why they traditionally have a hole in the middle. Some say they were given as symbols of fertility or even the earth, while others say the holes simply allowed street vendors to stack them on a pole. It makes no difference, since the concept works so well! Whether with lox and cream cheese, cold cuts for a delicious sandwich or just plain with some butter, bagels are sure to please.

**DISCLAIMER**

Before we get into the recipe, it’s important to note that bagels are traditionally made with low hydration dough. While a typical bread may have a hydration of 65% or more (which means that for every 1,000 g of flour there is 650 g of water), bagel dough is typically around 50% hydration. This means the dough is dense and hard on your mixer.

I do not recommend attempting this recipe unless you have confidence in your mixer. Professional-grade KitchenAid mixers with metal gears are fine, but the cheaper ones with plastic parts could break under a lot of stress. Please refer to the tips included in the recipe below for reducing the risk to your mixer. I use a commercial grade spiral mixer (which is very powerful) and even it strains noticeably when making this dough. I also hydrate my dough to be closer to 55%, which helps, but it’s still tough on the equipment.

As always, I use a 11.5% protein bread flour. If you happen to know the protein content of your flour, you may need to add extra gluten to get it up to at least 11.5%, otherwise it will definitely affect the consistency of your dough. You can use this handy calculator I created here if you need help with that.

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Bagel Recipe

Delicious, tender and chewy bagels

Course Breads

Cuisine American

Keyword bagels

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Poolish 12 hours hours

Total Time 13 hours hours

Servings 9 Bagels

Calories 1kcal

Ingredients

Poolish

• 176 g Flour I use ABC+ which is a 11.5% white flour
• 176 g Water
• 1/8 tsp Instant Yeast

Final Dough

• 345 g Poolish
• 135 g Water COLD – keep in fridge until ready
• 7 g Instant Yeast
• 23 g Sugar
• 362 g Flour I use ABC+ (11.5%)
• 28 g Vital Wheat Gluten VWG
• 6 g Diastatic Malt
• 11 g Salt

Instructions

Poolish

• Make the poolish by thoroughly combining the flour, water and yeast.
• Allow it to stand at room temperature for 12 hours or longer, until it is risen and very bubbly.

Make the final dough

• Add all ingredients together.
• Mix in KitchenAid mixer for 3 minutes on speed 2. Stop and let it rest for 5 minutes, flip the dough over in the bowl so it mixes more evenly. Mix another 7 minutes. If using a spiral mixer, mix 5 minutes speed 1 and 5-6 minutes speed 2 until improved – intense mix.
• Bulk fermentation for 1 hour minutes at room temperature.
• Divide the dough into about 9 pieces, 100 g each. Allow the balls to rest covered for 15 minutes.
• Add any additional ingredients to flavor your bagel like cinnamon/raisins, Parmesan, garlic/onion, honey, olives, blue cheese, etc..
• Shape each ball into a bagel shape. Flatten according to preference (see notes in detailed recipe below).
• Allow to proof for 45 minutes covered. Start your oven and get a flat pan of water boiling.
• Boil bagels for 1 minutes, then flip them over and boil another minute (2 min total).
• Place on baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Bake at 425°F for 14-15min until evenly browned. Flip over and rotate throughout the bake a few times to assure uniform baking.

Notes

By mixing and then stopping after a few minutes, it allows your mixer to cool down.  It also gives the gluten a chance to relax, which takes some strain off your mixer’s motor.  Keep in mind that bagel dough will put a lot of strain on your mixer and there is a risk it could cause permanent damage. 

Also keep mindful of the fact that you are taking things in and out of boiling water, so be extra careful not to burn yourself!

Detailed instructions:

Start by making your poolish. I always use preferments whenever possible because they impart a lot of flavor and aroma, while improving the handling of your dough. The time invested in a preferment like a poolish is well worth it. For a stiff dough like bagel, you could use a lower hydration preferment like a ‘sponge’. I allow the poolish to ferment for at least 12 hours, but you could go even longer depending on your room temperature. You could also let it ferment and then store it in the refrigerator until the next day. The advantage with that is you will have your dough heat up less as you mix it, a problem easily encountered with such a stiff dough.

Below is my poolish after being mixed (left), and then after 12 hours on the right. Notice how bubbly it is and that it has almost doubled in height.

Final dough

Now combine everything in your mixer. I use pre-chilled water to get the dough temperature down as much as possible.

The pictures below show it in my spiral mixer, probably the most appropriate way to mix stiff dough like this. If you are using a KitchenAid, just be sure to use caution. The cheaper mixers with plastic gears could break under so much load. For KitchenAids, I also recommend mixing for 3 minutes, then letting your mixer cools down and let the gluten relax for about 5 minutes before mixing another 7 minutes. Obviously, a mixer like a Hobart N50 doesn’t need to be finessed in any way.

You do want a well-developed gluten network by the time you are done. If you are not sure, introduce a fold or two during the bulk fermentation.

In my spiral mixer, I get it done with 5 minutes on speed 1 and 5-6 minutes on speed 2.

When you mix such stiff dough, things can really heat up and that’s bad for your dough. Your fermentation will occur too rapidly which causes excess gas production and over-oxidation of your dough. If in doubt, I place my mixing bowl in a tub of cold water to get the temperature down when I’m done mixing.

After about 1 hour of fermentation, you are ready to divide your dough into 9 pieces, each one weighing about 100g.

Bagel variations

Not satisfied with just a plain bagel? Here’s your opportunity to really show your creative side! My family loves cinnamon and raisin bagels, so this is when I introduce those ingredients. I’ve also made bagels that had blue cheese, honey, garlic/onion, olives and Parmesan. Have other great ideas? Please share them in the comments below.

Cinnamon and raisins

Just as a side note, this is how I introduce cinnamon and raisins into the bagel.

First I flatten a 100g ball. Then I sprinkle cinnamon (don’t over do it). Now I add my raisins and roll it up like a cigar. Then I fold the cigar over itself and roll the whole thing into a tight ball.

Cheese Bagel

Here are more pictures of the cheese bagel. Unlike commercial version that only sprinkle shredded cheese on top, I incorporate Parmesan cheese inside which make a HUGE difference in the flavor of the final product. I also add the shredded cheese on top at the end, but I do that mostly so it’s clear what kind of bagel it is. The Parmesan really makes the flavor. The process is just like with the cinnamon/raisin bagel.

Making the bagel shape

Now that you have your 100g balls resting for at least 15 minutes (whether with additional ingredients or not), you are ready to shape them into bagels!

Start by flouring each ball so it doesn’t stick. Poke your finger as close to the center as you can. Now start stretching the hole to be wider and wider. Be careful not to tear the dough. Just keep a gentle tension on the ring and you will find it slowly getting wider and thinner. When you are done, your hole should be pretty big. As the bagel proofs and then bakes, that hole will get really tiny. I also like my bagels fairly flat and not super fat. Otherwise it gets hard to fit them in the toaster, but that is all about preference.

Boiling your bagels

Now that your bagels are shaped, you will let them proof covered for about 45 minutes. Start your oven and begin boiling water in a wide flat pan.

We boil the bagels because that imparts the chewy smooth texture to the crust that makes bagels so distinctive. It’s a good idea to boil your bagels right before baking them. In other words, if your baking pan only holds 5 bagels, boil just 5 bagels and then start baking them. Save the other 4 until your first batch of 5 is almost coming out of the oven.

Ideally get all your bagels into the boiling water around the same time and then start a 1 minute timer. Flip them over and boil another 1 minute. Now place the bagels on your baking sheet and get them all into the oven as soon as you can. Remember to be careful around boiling water! I use 2 forks to manipulate them and to avoid getting burned.

When I bake bagels, I find it helpful to flip them over around half way through and rotate the tray a few times. Otherwise, they can burn pretty easily on one side or another. Once out of the oven, let them fully cool before enjoying. They will be some of the finest bagels you ever tasted!

Bagel thickness

As alluded to earlier, I like my bagels thinner so they fit in the toaster and they are less “bready”. But that’s all a matter of preference. If you like those super-fat bagels with the tiny holes, go for it! Just know you do not need to flatten out the bagel after the shaping. You also don’t need to stretch them quite as much at the shaping stage.

Have some tips, tricks or comments. Please share with us below.