Soft and Chewy Homemade Bagel Recipe


I mentioned awhile ago, that I've been doing some experimenting with my bread machine. Well, I am happy to report that I had an astonishing bit of success making something I would have expected to be a disaster: homemade bagels!

I'm pleased that the first batch turned out just like how you'd expect, golden and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Perfect, with a little dab of butter.

(You might be interested to know that the trick to making them involves boiling a big pot of water and dropping the dough in there for a minute before baking them in the oven. Who knew?!)

See? I'm learning! And feeling very encouraged, culinarily-speaking. Maybe next time I'll put on a little apron and heels to feel every bit June Cleaver-ish...

Bread Machine Bagel Recipe
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 quarts boiling water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
  1. Place 1 cup of warm water, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting and press start. (By the way, here's the newest version of the bread machine I use.)
  2. When cycle is complete, let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of white sugar.
    Cut dough into 9 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger to enlarge the hole, and to even the dough around the hole.
  3. Cover bagels with a clean cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle a baking stone (here's the baking stone I use) or an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside.
  5. Carefully transfer bagels to pot of boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning halfway through. Drain briefly on clean towel. 
  6. Once drained, arrange boiled bagels on baking stone with cornmeal. Glaze tops with egg white, and sprinkle with your choice of other toppings.
  7. Bake in preheated 375-degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden.
 P.S. If you are new to this blog, thank you so much for stopping by! You can feel free to browse all my other posts about my journey toward a lifestyle of simplicity and DIY, as well as some of the ways my husband and I are learning to save money. I also write about my faith, my marriage and everything in between, which you can explore in the archives.

If you like this recipe, click here to pin it to Pinterest. You can also follow me on Pinterest here. 
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    22 comments:

    1. I love making bagels, I'm making sesame seed bagels this weekend. They are really much easier than you'd think and so much cheaper!

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    2. yumm, bagel's are one of my guilty pleasures
      i have a bread maker but haven't touched it in a few years
      i love to make mini bagels and put fun toppings on them
      then, I don't each so much bagel
      or i don't think i do.

      ReplyDelete
    3. @ Liv - I can't wait to start experimenting with more varieties. Sesame sounds good!

      @ atoodleleedo - Ha, I know exactly what you mean! I like being able to make bagels myself because they do end up being more realistic sizes than the ones as big as your head from Panera!

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    4. Hiya, new follower from 20SB. Love your blog, it's so professional and cute. Hoping you'll drop by for a visit soon. Thanks

      Marie

      The Things We Find Inside

      ReplyDelete
    5. That. Looks. Amazing. I'm quite the carb addict, and love bread best when it's (a) fresh from a bakery! or (b) made from my bread machine. Mm.

      Thanks for stopping by La Couturier! I've just recently launched my new website and blog, A Bit Coquettish. Do visit - I've [finally!] dropped my guise of anonymity. Take a peek? (;

      bises,
      Kimberly
      abitcoquettish.com

      ReplyDelete
    6. Me! I have a breadmaker! {well, my roommate does to be more precise, ha} If you don't want to post it, you could email it. I would NEVER have thought of making bagels in it...but now I just have to try.

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    7. Hey thanks for the pita bread recipe! I still haven't tried that sandwhich loaf yet ( I know.. slacker here ) Sooo I was thinking since you made bagels if you want you could totally make pretzels because it is the same process and I have a good recipe if you ever want it, just let me know :)

      As for throwing in some wheat you could go half wheat half white to start off with and see how it goes. Shouldn't be a problem :) As for them being more springy.. do you mean more airy?

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    8. @ Amanda - As per your request, I added the recipe to the post! (I also emailed it to you.) Let me know if you try them! Enjoy :)

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    9. @ Amber - Yes, I would love to make pretzels! Is your recipe for soft or hard pretzels? I imagine it would be the same process, just baking longer. What a great idea :) Thanks!!

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    10. How in the world did your bagels not stick to the pan with only a tablespoon of cornmeal!? I tried that with my bagel recipe, and it took forever and a day to get them off. Now I grease it liberally and use no cornmeal :) Your bagels look delicious! I'll have to try them in the bread machine.

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    11. Thanks, Diana! I think the non-sticking probably has to do more with the fact that I use a baking stone instead of a cookie sheet. I think that makes all the difference!

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      Replies
      1. Wow, I wrote that a long time ago! I've been making these again recently (finally got energy back after my son was born!) and they are so good! I'm sure you're right about the baking stone being the difference. Thanks! Just pulled a batch out of the oven now--can't wait to eat them! :)

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    12. My children have severe food allergies and LOVE bagels so I tried making them a couple months ago... my youngest (who has the most severe reactions) LOVED them, but my son (who is tainted by public school and learned to love all things packaged) wouldn't touch them. I am so eager to try this recipe (without the egg white). THANK YOU!

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    13. I need to try this....any idea on the cost comparison? Bet they taste 10 times better!
      Michelle Foraging4aLiving.blogspot.com

      ReplyDelete
    14. Sounds delicious! I think I'll be trying it this weekend!

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    15. @ Michelle - Thanks so much! I think figuring out the cost comparison would give me a headache to sort through! However, if you're used to buying high-quality bagels like me, I am pretty sure that this one is quite a bit cheaper, based on the fact that you can get a bag of flour for less than a bag of those bagels, and you'll still have flour left over. (I guess that's how I do my cost comparisons!)

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    16. Brilliant idea, I will give that a try. We love bagels!

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    17. I followed this recipe exactly and all I could taste was yeast. Do you think NOT adding the ingredients as directed and fermenting the yeast first (I'm not doing this on the timer) would help?

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      Replies
      1. Are you sure your yeast hasn't gone bad? Also, sometimes if it's too warm when the bread is rising, it can result in a yeasty taste, so that could also be the culprit. I have no idea if you fermented the yeast first whether that would help or not. I've never tried that before. Hope you try it a second time and it works out better for you.

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    18. Hello! I tried this recipe and it seemed i didnt have enough liquid.. :( any pointers?/ THANK YOU SO MUCH!
      jessica

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    19. I really enjoy this recipe and have shared it with my friends. With my oven, I actually do 325 for 30-35 min and turn the cookie sheets to get the even browning (there is a huge temperature difference within my oven). But they always come out soft and chewy. I tried making the dough the night before, putting them in the fridge, then proofing in the morning, but they are not as soft. Have you successfully able to make fresh albeit dough-made-the-night-before bagels?

      ReplyDelete

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