Easy Bagel Recipe

5 from 20 votes

Bagels are an iconic bread with a hole in the middle. They're popular the world over for their chewy texture and for being slightly denser than other breads. They work well with so many fillings to make a delicious breakfast or lunch.

Prep Time15

Cook Time28

Rising and Boiling the dough timings1 8

Total Time1 51

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, British

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: bagels, bread flour, caster sugar, yeast

Servings: 7 bagels

Equipment

baking trays
baking parchment
bowls
Measuring equipment

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

▢ 4 cups strong white bread flour
▢ 2 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast yeast that doesn't need pre-activating
▢ 2 tablespoons caster sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ 1 1/4 cup water
▢ 2 tablespoons sesame seeds optional: for spinkling
▢ olive - just enough to oil the bowl

Instructions

Add the flour, yeast and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Add the salt but make sure that the yeast and salt do not touch. (Salt kills off yeast so it's best to keep them separate until you begin to mix everything into a dough.)
Add in 2/3 of the water and gradually add more until it forms a soft but not sticky dough.
Knead the bread for ten minutes or until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Oil a bowl with a little olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover with cling film or a clean tea towel. Leave it to rise in a warm spot free of draughts.
Once the dough has doubled in size, knock it back (Knock the air out of it by folding the dough repeatedly until the dough is smooth) and divide it into 7 equal-sized pieces. Shape these pieces into round balls.
Take a ball of dough and flatten it with the palm of your hand. Then make a hole in the middle with a finger, making sure that it goes all the way through.,
Enlarge the hole slightly by moving your finger in a circular motion to widen the hole. Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Repeat with the rest of the pieces of dough .
Cover the uncooked bagels with a cloth and leave for about ten minutes for a second rise.
Heat a large pot of water. A soup pot is ideal as you can boil more bagels at the same time. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Preheat the oven to 425F/220C/200C Fan.
Using a slotted spoon or slotted turner (fish slice) lower a bagel carefully into the water of the large saucepan. (I can get 4 comfortably in my soup pot) Fit in as many bagels as you can without crowding them too much. They need a little bit of space to expand and not touch each other. Cook for 2 minutes like this, then turn the bagels over carefully and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes. Then take them out and place them on the baking tray ready to go into the oven.
Do this with all the bagels.
If you are using sesame seeds, sprinkle the seeds over the bagels to create a nice topping.
Bake in the oven for eighteen minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Notes

Note: Nutritional Information is computer generated and is intended as a guideline only.

A word on Timings

It is really difficult to give accurate timings for making these bagels. Some days will be warmer so the dough will rise more quickly. If you do not have a large saucepan you may only be able to cook only 1 or 2 bagels at a time which of course will take longer.

These timings reflect how long it takes me to make them. You may be able to make them slightly faster or it may take you slightly more time. This is 'a best estimate' and I hope that it serves you well.

Did you make this? Mention @thesimplerkitchen or tag #thesimplerkitchen!

Nutrition