Learn how to make the greatest New York Style Bagels at home with this easy to follow recipe.
When you can't get to NYC and you want a bagel, don't pay $6.50 to have just one delivered from the city! Instead, make a batch of the BEST homemade bagels up.
Choose your own choice of topping, the classic everything seasoning, just onion flakes, sesame seeds or even plain. These New York Style Bagels are perfect for lunch or breakfast!
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What is a NY style bagel?
New York style bagels are chewy yet soft, and have a glossy exterior whilst the inside has the characteristic dense yet tender crumb. A NY bagel is often topped with Everything Seasoning and makes the perfect bread product for a smoked salmon sandwich.
Are New York Bagels better?
If you have ever eaten a bagel in New York City then you will know it is one of the best in the world!
I have eaten a LOT of bagels, some have been so wildly disappointing that I have wanted to cry and some have been so amazing that I have eaten two in one sitting (can you say piggy!)
What makes a NY bagel so good?
It is suggested that what makes a NY style bagel so good is the softness of the water. It kind of makes sense, as the minerals in harder water, will affect the gluten in the dough, strengthening it and this would, in theory, result in a tougher bagel.
Or it could just be that New Yorkers have been making bagels for longer? Who knows, but aside from a bagel shop in Brick Lane (UK) the bagels I have eaten in New York have been the BEST ever.
Can you make New York Bagels at home?
YES!!! I have spent a long time trying to recreate the chew and dense but soft inside of the perfect bagel. There are so many recipes out there and so many methods, but I have combined everything I have read and created my own New York Style bagels. These are so easy to make at home, and all made with your basic grocery store ingredients.
Making New York Style Bagels
To make your bagels you will need:
- Warm water
- Instant yeast
- Sugar
- Bread flour
- Salt
- Oil
Why use bread flour?
Bread flour (sometimes called high protein flour) has a high gluten content than all-purpose or plain flour. You will find that bread flour gives you a better quality of crumb. You can find bread flour now in most grocery stores, however, if you are having problems sourcing it, or you need to make bagels right now (I understand!) you can use all-purpose/plain flour and still get great results.
How to work with instant yeast
Don't be put off by the inclusion of yeast, I promise with this easy recipe you will never be scared by yeast again.
To make bagels with instant yeast you first need to bloom the yeast. This just means to bring the dried yeast back to life.
To do this add some warm water to a bowl, tip in the yeast and the sugar then leave it to sit for 10 minutes. No stirring, just allowing it to dissolve and start to bloom. After 10 minutes you will find you have a wonderful foamy mixture.
How to mix the bagel dough?
This is quite a stiff dough, which is what you want to create the correct texture for the bagel. The easiest way to do this is to use a stand mixer, you can knead it by hand but it is a definite workout!
I have found the key to getting the dough stiff is to reserve a small amount of flour and then add that once the dough has come together. The stand mixer makes a great job of this.
A word of note. If you have a Kitchen Aid, set the speed to 1.
Kitchen Aid recommends kneading bread dough on nothing more than speed 2 and as this is a very stiff dough, I don't want to overwork my motor so I keep it at speed 1. The dough still comes together beautifully.
How to form the O shape of a bagel
There are two methods for shaping the dough into the instantly recognizable bagel shape.
Roll a piece of dough into a sausage shape and then join the ends to create a ring, use the palm of your hand to smooth and roll the join.
Roll the dough into a ball and then use your fingers to poke a hole through the middle. Once you have a hole, slowly stretch and pull the bagel until the hole is about 2 inches big (It will shrink during cooking).
Personally, I prefer the second method as I find the first to be unreliable. I get oddly shaped bagels and some times they break apart so I end up with a 'C' shaped bagel!
How to get the perfect texture to your bagel
As mentioned above the perfect New York Style Bagel should have a glossy exterior and a dense, chewy yet soft inside.
To do this we boil the bagel before it goes in the oven. This kills the yeast, forms a crust on the bagel and stops it from rising any more whilst in the oven. Many recipes suggest just 30 seconds of boiling. I like really chewy bagels so I boil mine for 3 minutes a side. If you want a softer bagel you can boil them for just 90 seconds.
To get the nice glossy look to the bagel sugar is added to the boiling water. Not too much otherwise the bagels start to take on the sweetness.
To make the water a little softer you also add a small amount of baking soda to the water (Do not get baking soda confused with baking powder they are different!) Adding too much will give the bagel a pretzel-like taste, but just a small amount will help to soften the water and stop your bagel being tough.
What to cover your bagels with:
Here I used Everything Seasoning but you can use any combination you like. Some suggestions could be:
- Everything Seasoning
- Sesame Seeds
- Dried Onion Flakes
- Poppy Seeds
- Garlic Chips
- Grated Cheese
- Flaked Salt
What to put on/in a bagel
Bagels are perfect cut open and toasted with butter. Or spread with cream cheese. (I like to add extra everything seasoning to my cream cheese.)
But if you want to load them up with some delicious fillings then you could try:
- Smoked Salmon, cream cheese and capers
- Salt Beef/Pastrami and Pickles
- Smashed Avocado
- Tuna Salad
- Egg Salad
- Turkey and Swiss
- Hummus
- Cream cheese and cucumber
- Strawberry yogurt
- Nutella
- Marshmallow fluff
Maybe just use plain bagels with the last three…and definitely avoid the garlic ones 😉
Enjoy x
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The Perfect NY Style Bagel Recipe
Ingredients
To bloom the yeast
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 4 teaspoon sugar
For the Dough
- 3 ¾ cups bread flour - see note 1
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 ½ tablespoon warm water
- 4 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon oil
For the boiling liquid
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda - see note 2
Instructions
To bloom the yeast
- Pour the warm water into the bowl of your stand mixer, add the yeast and sugar. Do NOT stir it, just leave it for 10 minutes.
½ cup warm water
2 teaspoon instant yeast
4 teaspoon sugar
To make the dough
- Add the flour into the bowl on top of the yeast mixture and then sprinkle over the salt.
3 ¾ cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoon salt - Pour in the warm water, and mix with your dough hook on speed 1. (see note 3)
¾ cups warm water - Once a rough dough has formed add the remaining tablespoon and a half of water and let the dough form a sticky wet mass.
1 ½ tablespoon warm water - Once this has happened, add the additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
4 tablespoon bread flour - The mixture will look very dry. Don't panic!
- Leave the stand mixer kneading for 15 minutes, by which time you will have stiff but elastic dough.
- I find that I need to stop the mixer periodically to push the dough back down to the bottom of the machine.
- Lightly coat a large mixing bowl with the oil.
1 teaspoon oil - Empty your dough into the oiled bowl and turn gently to coat it in the oil.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside somewhere warm to rise.
- Leave the dough to rise for an hour and a half. It should swell to about twice it's size.
To cook the bagels
- Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/390ºF (220ºC/430ºF for non-fan forced ovens)
- Place the dough on a chopping board and work it into a rough ball.
- Cut the dough in half, cut each half in half and then cut each piece in half again so you have 8 roughly equal sized pieces of pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough about so you have 8 ball shapes.
- Carefully push your finger through the middle of a ball and stretch the hole until it is 2 inch wide.
- Place the bagel onto a piece of cooking paper and continue with all the balls.
- Leave the bagels to rest for 10 minutes whilst you bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add sugar and baking soda to the water.
1 tablespoon of sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda - Place 2 bagels into the boiling water and set your timer for 3 minutes. After the 3 minutes flip them over and boil on the other side for 3 minutes.
- If you want to add a topping now is the time. Spread a thin layer of your chosen topping over a small plate. As you remove the bagel from the water, dip it into the topping and then place on a baking sheet (or two) lined with parchment paper.
- Place the bagels into the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes until they are golden brown.
- If your using two trays switch them over half way through cooking.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
- These are best eaten the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight containing for 24 hours.
Notes
- Ideally you want a flour with a high gluten content. These are often labeled as bread flour or high protein flour. They will give you an even better quality of crumb, however all-purpose or plain flour will still give you great results
- If you have a kitchen aid, set the speed to 1 only. Kitchen aid recommend kneading bread dough on nothing more than speed 2 but as this is a very stiff dough, I don't want to overwork my motor so I keep it at speed 1.
Bryan says
Amazing recipe! I followed directions exactly and I weighed all the ingredients instead of using cups. Best recipe ever and same result as proving overnight etc. I used malt barley extract on the poaching water and I got a wondefully chewy crust. Perfection.
Sandra @ wifeonaboat says
So good and so easy!!! Love having homemade bagels on the weekend and this is my new go-to recipe.
Dawn Peins says
I’ve made these a dozen times always come out delicious! I add diastatic malt powder to the water when boiling as well!
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed them Dawn. thank you for the information, I am sure others will find that useful too 🙂
Cx
Michele says
I’ve tried other bagel recipes and find this one to be the best.
Ryan says
This is my go to bagel recipe. Fantastic!
Claire McEwen says
I am so pleased you love it Ryan 🙂
Cx
Mimi says
Is it possible to mix by hand? I don’t have a mixer. Hope the answer is yes because you recipe looks great!!!
Claire McEwen says
Hi Mimi,
It is definitely possible, it will be a bit of a workout as the dough is quite a stiff one, but it can be done. My brother often does it by hand 🙂
Hope that helps.
Cx
Mary says
Oh my gosh beyond amazing and I’ve been to New York and THIS was better! So good, so easy I love this recipe! My husband refused to share with a friend LOL. He said awesome. Will be making this recipe again and again!
Claire McEwen says
Oh Mary, thank you so much for the lovely comment 🙂
They are a favourite in our house so it is always wonderful to know someone else loved them too!
Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment and happy baking.
Cx
Lexy says
Just to clarify, there is no need to punch down the dough at all during the rising phase, correct? There was another very similar recipe I came across that required it be punched down so I just wanted to confirm that it is NOT necessary in this recipe. Thank you!
Claire McEwen says
Hi Lexy,
That is right, punching it down mid-rise is not necessary.
Once the dough has had its rising time and you start to cut it into pieces, it will collapse naturally.
Hope that helps 🙂
Cx
Kara says
Made them and I am so proud and I’m loving this recipe!!!
Claire McEwen says
Oh Kara, this has made my day, I am so pleased you loved the recipe!!
I love home baking and it makes me so happy that you did to?
Cx
Bryan says
Hi,
Amazing AMAZING recipe!!
I was wondering if it's possible to prove overnight in the fridge either with the dough still as a whole or shaped?
If so any tips?
Much appreciated 🙂
Claire McEwen says
I think you could definitely prove the shaped bagels in the fridge overnight.
Hope that helps
Cx
Claire McEwen says
And thank you 😊
Mariann says
I was born and raised in NYC, still live here to this day. This is the closest thing I've ever had to a bagel here. And yes, they are the best bagels ever. Once I'm done commenting, I think I'm going to make another batch!! Absolutely delicious with the perfect about of chewiness
Claire McEwen says
Oh Mairann!
Thank you 🙂
This makes me so happy!
Cx
Kristy says
This might be the best bread type thing I have ever made. I almost commented before I made it because I have never seen a recipe written with the measurements included in the instructions. This is the reason I tried this recipe in the first place. The chew on this bagels is perfect. Some things I changed:
-I only have active dry yeast so I let the yeast sit in the water a couple minutes longer, and few extra minutes on the rise.
-I don't have a dough hook for my mixed so I kneaded by hand. All 15 min. Yes I'm just bragging
-used Maruka honey in the water instead of sugar just because I love the flavor
The result was the best bagel I have ever had. No I've never been to New York.
Claire McEwen says
Thank you so much Kristy!
I am slowly transitioning all my recipes to include the measurements in this way, it is a manual process so it is taking time 😉 But it is great to know that you found it useful! My 12 year old son suggested it to me first, as he and his brother were making my taco mince and said scrolling up and down on the iPad for every ingredient was a pain (and I think his younger brother would scroll too fast and end up back at the top!). I agreed it would be useful to see them as you cook and so came up with a way to add it to the instructions. So pleased it is helpful 🙂 🙂
I am super impressed with the hand kneading! It is a tough dough to work!!! You have deserve to brag 😉
Thank you again for the lovely comment.
Cx
Nicole says
I also love the measurement thing! Thank you! I’d never seen that before and it was super helpful
Claire McEwen says
I am so pleased Nicole 🙂
Updating them is a manual process so it is taking me lots of time, but knowing it makes my recipes easier to follow is always great to hear 🙂
Cx
Michelle says
These sound amazing and I plan on making a batch tomorrow. Do I need to use instant yeast or will active dry work? I ask because you bloom the yeast in water but I thought instant yeast means that it can go directly into dry mix without having to bloom. Thank you so much.
Claire McEwen says
Hi Michelle,
Sorry for the late reply, sick kids here have kept me away from work for the last few days.
Because this is quite a thick dense dough, I like to bloom the yeast before I add it to the flour.
I use Instant Yeast, because I keep that at home for my pizza dough, but due to the blooming process you can use active dry yeast either.
Hope that helps and you enjoy the bagels 🙂
Claire x
Jeanette says
I use about 1 tsp barley malt in the boiling liquid instead of sugar or honey. It is readily available on Amazon.
jimmy says
silly question but i didn't see where the sugar was used???
Claire McEwen says
Hi Jimmy,
The sugar gets mixed with the yeast at the beginning of the recipe to help it bloom.
Hope that helps.
Rose lee says
Hi,
It says add the remaining tablespoon of water. Do you mean 1 1/2 tspn of water or do you really mean 1 tbsp of warm water to the kneaded mix. thank you!
Claire McEwen says
Hi Rose,
I have updated the recipe and recipe card to make it all a bit clearer. It is 1 1/2 tablespoons of warm water.
Hope that helps 🙂
Nina says
The perfect New York Bagel is impossible to find here in Canada. With an American husband I am going to make these soon!
Jack says
An excellent recipe. So authentic
Thank you.
Claire McEwen says
Thank you so much Jack 🙂
Matt says
Thank you! I made these for our anniversary brunch and they were perfect. Just like the ones we get in the delis!
Claire McEwen says
Matt, Happy Anniversary!
So pleased you enjoy them!
???????? says
Lovely, I am cheerfully sharing these with my colleagues.
Katalina says
This is my first time on your blog, but I am loving it!!!
Thank you for this recipe I am going to try it tonight!
Pug @ Pug's Modern Life says
It's been so long since I had a bagel and now you've got my mouth watering! You're too right about Aussie bakeries not quite getting the chewy-denseness down. I've had ones that were way too crunchy (?!?!) and some that were so soft that they might as well be bread! You'll have to hit up Baker's Delight and tell them how to do it 😉
Claire McEwen says
Hehe, my boys love the vegemite scrolls from Baker's Delight! The ladies know them by name!!! Although that isn't that unusual. The ladies in Pantry Man do as well!!! They are such chatterboxes!
Far too many bagels just end up tasting like bread....so disappointing. I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile says
I love bagels, but theres nowhere near me that sells really good ones! So you've totally solved my problem. Cant wait to make a batch of these.... and then smother them in cream cheese!!! Thanks so much for linking up with our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party xxx
Claire McEwen says
It is so hard to find somewhere that sells decent bagels isn't it!! I am yet to find an Australian bakery that produces the chewy dense bagel of my dreams.
Yum, everything seasoning bagel with loads of cream cheese....sounds a good plan 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and thank you for hosting the linkup xx
Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love. says
I have a recipe for bagels in my bread machine but I use the rope method and have ended up with some pretty funky looking bagels. I'm giving this ball/hole method a go and making bagels this week!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you for stopping by Meaghan. I hope you end up with bagel looking bagels 🙂
Michael says
At hey look delicious. Could they be made with gluten free flour given your comment about high gluten content?
Claire McEwen says
I fear not, but I will work on it, ready for you visit next summer x
Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
These look totally ace! I am a bagel lover from way back. When I was a kid and used to stay at my uncle's house, he used to get warm bagels from the Jewish bakery which we would slather with smoked salmon and cream cheese or even better, chopped liver! So much yum! You make this look so easy, I just might have to give these babies a go!
Claire McEwen says
I bet they were amazing from the Jewish Bakery!!!! I think smoked salmon and cream cheese is my favourite way to eat them...then I toast them with butter and think that is my favourite. Too hard to choose.
I hope you enjoy them, they are definitely worth the time to make your own, like a proper bagel and nothing like the ones you can get in shops (well certainly in my part of the world!)
Lauren @ Create Bake Make says
Oh these look so good, I will definitely be trying this recipe out very soon!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Lauren. I hope they enjoy them 🙂 x
Gretta @ Mumma Plus Three says
I have never tried a Bagel thanks for this recipe. I just might give them a go 🙂
Claire McEwen says
If you are a bread fan then you have to try them, the recipe looks lengthy but it is pretty straight forward and they are so yummy. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Shannon says
These look so good! I love bagels but have never made them myself.
Claire McEwen says
My family love them. Living out in the bush we can't get great bagels, so coming up with a winning homemade version became a bit of an obsession of mine 😳
Thanks for stopping by 🙂 x