These bagels are chewy, crusty and properly dense New York Style Bagels. The overnight rise creates the perfect texture and flavor – and you’ll have fresh, hot bagels for breakfast or brunch less than an hour after getting out of bed.
I promise you if you follow this recipe correctly you can make a good bagel at home. I mean, there are loads of really bad bagels in the world and life is just too short to eat a bad bagel.
Personally, if a frozen grocery store bagel was the last bit of food on earth….well, I would eat it so I wouldn’t starve, but I surely wouldn’t enjoy it. Ditto for the big, puffy bagels from certain chain restaurants. Nope, not for me.
What’s the difference between a bad bagel and a good bagel? Well, to start with, I would walk 30 minutes in the freezing cold for a good bagel. True story, on a recent trip to New York we did exactly that. And it was worth every single step.
What is a true New York Style Bagel?
A good New York Style Bagel (really, is there any other kind?) must have a nicely dense and chewy texture with a toothsome crust. To get that characteristic chewiness we’ve got to develop some really strong gluten in the dough.
First of all we use bread flour for maximum protein content. More protein means more gluten development. Kneading also helps develop the gluten.
But we can also employ a few “lazy” steps to help develop the dough. First we make a “sponge” and let it set for 30 minutes. During that rest the water has time to hydrate the flour and give us a head start on gluten develop. This little bit of hands off time also improves the flavor of the final product.
Once the bagels are shaped we give them a quick 15 minutes at room temperature to rise just a bit, then they go into the refrigerator overnight.
You can skip the 15 minutes at room temp if you want your bagels even a little more dense.
The cool, slow rise enhances the flavor and texture of the dough. I’ve left the formed bagels in the refrigerator as long as 16 hours and got great results.
An added benefit of overnight bagels – they are ready to finish first thing in the morning. Once your oven is preheated, it only takes about 30 minutes to boil and bake the bagels.
Scroll through the step by step photos to see how to make New York Style Bagels:
Tips for making perfectly chewy New York Style Bagels overnight:
- Allowing the sponge to rest for 30 minutes before mixing the dough gives the gluten a head start in forming a strong network.
- Use unbleached bread flour for maximum gluten development.
- You can substitute molasses for the Malt syrup, but the malt syrup does give the bagels an authentic taste and color. If you can’t find it in your local market, you can buy it on-line.
- You could skip the overnight rise in the refrigerator and go straight ahead and boil and bake the bagels, but that long, cool rise is what gives these bagels their chewy texture and deep flavor.
- Boiling the bagels in sugar/baking soda water is what gives them a super chewy yet crisp crust. If you skip this step your bagels will have a crust similar to a roll or bread.
- Bagels should be baked in a very hot oven for a quick oven spring and good crust development.
- Bagels are best the day they are baked. For longer term storage slice the bagels about 3/4 the way through and pack them into freezer bags.
- Previously frozen bagels are best if toasted before serving.
Fresh, hot delicious bagels for breakfast or brunch. They also freeze beautifully for future enjoyment. Now all you need is a schmear of cream cheese!
If you’ve got a sourdough starter, I highly recommend my Homemade Sourdough Bagels for a real treat.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Overnight Bagels
Chewy, crusty and properly dense, New York style bagels. They rise overnight so you can have fresh bagels for breakfast or brunch. All they need is a schmear of cream cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 oz, 480 ml) warm water (about 100°F)
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons, 7g) instant yeast
- 5 cups (25 oz, 700g) bread flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons (1.5 oz, 42g) barley malt syrup (see note)
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1/4 cup (2 oz, 56g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 egg white, whisked lightly
- Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds or kosher/coarse sea salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl for a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl combine the water, yeast and 3 cups of the flour . Mix to form a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
- Add the barley malt syrup and salt. If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook. Add flour and mix to combine. Knead 5 minutes on medium/low speed. If working by hand, stir in as much of the flour as you can, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the remaining flour. Knead 5 minutes. Form the dough into a smooth ball.
- Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper then sprinkle the paper with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Use a cupped hand to roll each piece into a smooth ball.
- To form a bagel, poke your finger all the way through the center of a ball to make a hole. Use two fingers to gently widen the hole. Continue gently stretching to form the bagel or twirl the dough around your fingers to widen the center hole (see photos). The hole should be 1 - 1.5" wide.
- Place the bagel on the prepared sheet pan and continue to form the remaining bagels. The dough will probably spring back a bit so you can go back and re-stretch them once you're done forming all the bagels. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes then place the pan in the refrigerator overnight.
- In the morning, take the pan out of the refrigerator and unwrap it. Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large pot combine 1 gallon of water with the sugar and baking soda and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep the water at a rolling simmer. Set a cooking rack over a clean sheet pan and place it next to the stove.
- Lift a bagel off the sheet pan, holding it by the center hole so it stretches a bit as it goes into the water. Boil the bagels for 30 seconds on each side. Depending on the size of your pot, you can boil 3-4 bagels at a time. As you remove the boiled bagels from the water, set them on the cooling rack to drain.
- Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Place 6 of the boiled bagels on each sheet pan. You could fit them all on one pan but they may rise enough to stick together as they bake. I like all the sides to be crusty so I leave plenty of room between them.
- Brush the bagels with egg white. You can leave the bagels plain or add the topping of your choice. To make "everything" bagels combine a tablespoon each of the seeds & salt with a pinch each of garlic salt and onion powder. Adjust toppings to your taste.
- Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Notes
You can use 1 tablespoon molasses instead of barley syrup.
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Renae
This recipe calls for sugar but never shows when to add it ….
Eileen Gray
Hi Renae, the sugar doesn’t go into the dough. The sugar and baking soda are added to the water for boiling the bagels.
Winnie
My bagels tasted delicious, but they were very flat. My only thought was that I possibly didn’t do the first step properly? i combined the water yeast and flour then mixed them to a thick consistancy. after 45 minutes I added the barley malt syrup and salt and mixed again. then i switched to the dough hook and added flour and kneaded 5 minutes. i then allowed to rise to double, kneaded slightly and formed my bagels.
any ideas? I followed the rest to the tea, but it seems my bagels never rose in the refrigerator at all. 🙁
Eileen Gray
Hi Winnie. It’s hard to say. Do you think the bagels were flat because they never rose or because they deflated? Did they spread out instead of rising up up? Did the dough have a good stretchy texture? After forming the bagels did you leave them at room temperature for 15 minutes before refrigerating? I made these bagels a couple of times and found that 15 minutes gave the bagels a little head-start on rising.
CJ
Mixing for so long might cause them to come out flat; mixing 5-10 minutes with the dough hook has always worked well for me
Eileen Gray
The recipe does specify kneading 5 minutes and that’s how long she said she kneaded. I find 5 minutes kneading on a stand mixer plenty of time, especially when using bread flour.
Joanne
Can diastatic malt powder be substituted for malt syrup? I have seen it in some bagel recipes. If so, what would be the proper amount? Thanks
Eileen Gray
Hi Joanne, the barley malt syrup is in the recipe for the flavor. Diastatic malt powder includes enzymes that help condition the dough. The enzymes in the malt powder help the yeast grow to create a better rise and oven spring. I haven’t tried this recipe with malt powder, but according to the King Arthur flour website you should use about 1/2 tsp per 3 cups of flour. If you use the malt powder, I would still use the malt syrup for flavor (or a mix of honey/molasses).
suzie
Best bagel recipe I have found yet and I have made a LOT of different recipes in the past 10 months. Thank you so much for sharing! I think I have found my new go-to recipe 🙂
Eileen Gray
Yay! So glad you like the recipe, Suzie. If you have a sourdough starter, I would definitely recommend that you try my Sourdough Bagel Recipe.
Ashley
These turned out AMAZING! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Eileen Gray
You are quite welcome! Glad you liked the recipe.
Melaney
Eileen, my family loved these!! They came out perfect! Thank you for your post I’m so glad I found them. I made 3 that night and 9 the next day and you are right I love the over night but the ones we had that day they were still good!! Thank you again
Eileen Gray
Thanks, Melaney! If you ever get into sourdough baking (or maybe your already do?) try my Sourdough Bagels for a real treat.
Natalie
Would this recipe work for the rolling out method instead of the punched out method? I really want to incorporate ingredients into the dough.
Eileen Gray
What do you mean by the “rolling out” method? Do you mean rolling and cutting circles form the dough like donuts?
Natalie
You cut the dough into individual sections and then instead of sticking your finger through it you rolling it out into a thin disc and roll it up into a log and then overlap the two ends
Eileen Gray
Oh, got it. I did these bagels with both methods to see if it was true that “rolling” makes a chewier texture. The texture of the bagels was just about the same with either shaping method. I find poking the finger through method a little easier. But you can do it either way.
Ashley
Just came across this recipe and am so excited to try it out. We don’t have any bagel shops where I live other than Panera so we constantly are craving bagels! Where would I find barley malt syrup at the grocery store? Thanks!
Eileen Gray
Hi Ashley. In my grocery I find barley malt syrup In the baking aisle. You can also find it on line at amazon.
Michelle D
Any idea what the difference in boiling/baking time would be for making mini bagels with the recipe?
Eileen Gray
Hi Michelle. I think the boiling time might be about the same. But the baking time would probably be shorter. I would start checking them at 10 minutes. Of course it depends how “mini” they are.
Kristi
I had the same issue as another reviewer in that my bagels never really rose. They tasted great and had a nice texture, but they were flat. Not sure where I went wrong – I followed the recipe exactly. The dough was very stretchy when I shaped the bagels, but when I took them out of the fridge the next morning, they had spread out and the dough seemed very wet. Any suggestions on what I could do differently next time? I’d definitely like to try again!
Eileen Gray
Hi Kristi, Did the bagels not rise at all, or did they spread out and not up? Did the dough feel airy the next day, or dense? You can see in the photo that my bagels did rise out as well, almost touching the next day and the center hole is smaller. But they do puff up in the oven. Make sure to flour the pan so the bagels don’t stick. If the dough is sticking to the pan that could cause the bagels to deflate as you lift them off the pan to put them in the boiling water.
Kristi
They didn’t seem to rise much, but the little bit they did they seemed to rise out and not up. And I’d say the dough was more airy than dense the next day. I’ll try flouring the pan next time as you suggested. Thanks for the quick response!
sheila
Hello! Wow, wow. Thank you for this incredible recipe. As a Native New Yorker now in Colorado, oh I have struggled to find good bagels! My daughters and I made these last night and enjoyed them this morning! Our favorite topping was salt (Maldon) and chopped fresh rosemary. We also made “Everythings” with fresh pressed garlic and variety of herbs. YUM.
I followed the recipe and they turned out perfectly! Crust — amazing, cooked perfectly inside (15 minutes for ours). I do need a proper utensil for taking them out of the pot of water as I was using tongs and they had a few indentions.
I am going to try the sourdough next. Thanks again!
Sheila
Eileen Gray
Well, since you’re a native New Yorker I take that as the ultimate compliment. So glad you enjoyed them.
Abby
Hi. I made this recipe and thought I had followed it correctly, but then my bagels all burned on the bottom. I used silicone baking mats on top of my sheet pans. Do you know why this could have happened? I’m a little lost!
Eileen Gray
Hi Abby. I’m not sure what happened. Honestly, I don’t bake with silcone mats often, but I suspect it’s more about your oven. Do you have an oven thermometer to check if your oven temp is accurate? Also, try baking on a higher rack. If you have more than one sheet pan you can slide a second pan under if the bottoms are baking too fast.
Nota
Hello and Happy New Year! I’m making these for the 2nd time and again the dough is very (very) sticky. I’ve followed your instructions and dosages. I’m using bread flour as instructed. However, perhaps the bread flour sold here (I’m in Greece) is thinner? First time I made these the dough was sticky, I added a lot of extra flour before removing from stand mixer. The bagels came out delicious but they were flat. This time i took the sticky dough out of the mixer, moved on to next step for rising, however when i took it out of the bowl it could not be knead/shaped into balls. I ended up spending 15 mins hand kneading and continuously adding more bread flour. I must have added about another cup, dough is still sticky but not as much as before. Should the dough be “bouncy”? Next time should I add more flour in the mixer until dough bounces back when pocked? At the moment, I’ve oiled the bowl again and will let it rise for an hour, i presume the dough needs to rest. Hope they turn out ok. Apologies for the long comment, I’m new to baking.and can’t find a decent bagel here in Greece, so for my sanity, I need to master this hahaha.
Eileen Gray
No need to apologize, I’m glad you’re so determined to make a good bagel. I can’t say for sure, but I would bet that the flour might be different in Greece. I made several batches of bagels lately and the dough is not especially sticky and should be quite elastic by the time you’re finished kneading. I use King Arthur bread flour, which has a protein content of 12.7%. Maybe you can try and find out the protein content of your flour for comparison? You’re bagels could come out flat if the dough is not elastic enough to hold in the air as they bagels rise. When I make this dough, it is strong enough that I really have to stretch and pull the dough into the ring shape, and it will pull back at you.
Nota
Thank you Eileen for taking the time to reply. So, they again are edible and taste like what bagels taste like but they are flat. The problem mainly is that since they are flat they are tough to bite into because the outer later is crunchy/hard and there is hardly any soft inside. Yeah, my dough was nothing as you described yours. The flour I’m using is 12.2% protein. Does that make a huge difference? Going forward, next time I try, should I perhaps use less water in the 1st step, say 1 cup instead of 2? Should i perhaps add a cup or two of flour? Although having added an extra cup at least both the times I made these (& this second time might have actually been more than a cup)… perhaps 1 cup less of water and 1 cup more of flour to start..& then when kneading in my mixer judge if extra is needed add?
Eileen Gray
A cup more or less of water and/or flour would totally change the recipe, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend such a drastic change to the ingredients. Since it is a lower protein flour you could add a few more tablespoons of flour while kneading the dough. But the dough should certainly spring back and be quite elastic when you’re done kneading. But even if the dough is a little too wet, if you have enough gluten development they will still rise. The problem could also be how you’re handling the dough. When you take the bagels out of the refrigerator in the morning have they risen at lease 50%? When you boil them do they puff up a bit? Also, when you lift the risen bagels off the sheet to transfer them to the boiling water you need to work gently so you don’t deflate the bagels. Make sure you well-flour the sheet pan so the dough doesn’t stick as you lift them.
Ali
Hi! Have you experimented with freezing the dough at all? I’m thinking… making the dough and letting it sit overnight, then freezing half the batch to bake fresh at a later date. Do you think this would work? Thank you!!
Eileen Gray
It should work to freeze the dough. Just bring it back to room temp and proceed with the recipe. I always just bake the entire batch and slice and freeze any leftovers. They toast up perfectly.
Narayani
Hi,
This is a great bagel recipe that I’ve made multiple times now. Every time they taste great!! But I’ve made mistakes and modified things so here are A few tips from my Bagel baking attempts.
1) don’t forget to liberally four your baking sheet before the overnight rise. I lightly floured the first time and the bagels stuck a bit. The result was too much handling to get them into the boiling water and flat bagels that tasted great.
As I plan to make fresh bagels regularly I invested in some silicone bagel molds purchased on amazon. They are awesome and have solved my too much handling issue.
2) second time I forgot to cover the bagels before putting them in the fridge. I blame too much wine. Next day the tops of the bagels were dried out a bit. Still bake up well and tasted great, but the crust texture was a bit off.
3) as others have said, I too get a very wet dough. I am using King Arthur Bread flour and have found I need to add 3/4 – 1 cup of additional flour to get the correct consistency and up my kneading time to about 10 minutes Regardless of this, the bagels come out great! I am considering trying to reduce the water quantity next time to see how that goes.
4) just took a batch out of the oven and realized I forgot the egg wash on half the bagels (made 6 everything bagels that got the wash and 6 plain that didn’t) they look great but you can tell the bagels that didn’t get the egg wash don’t have that nice shine on the crust.
Overall this is a wonderful bagel recipe that I have enjoyed working and learning with. The one consistent thing every time I make these bagels it the taste. No matter what mistakes I make, Or things I forget to do, they always taste fantastic!!
Eileen Gray
Hi Narayani, thanks for your comments and suggestions. Regarding the sticky dough, did you allow the 30 minute rest after mixing the sponge? This will give the dough time to start hydrating the flour and developing the gluten. I really haven’t had an issue with this dough being sticky. I’ve made these bagels and my Sourdough Bagels at least 4 times over the last few weeks and have no problem with the dough texture. That being siad, do whatever works for you. Glad you like the flavor.
Narayani
Hi Eileen, thanks for the reply. I usually let the sponge develop or 30-45 minutes before adding the rest of the flour. Maybe next time I’ll use my kitchen scale instead of just the cup measurements. That always seems a bit more accurate. Thanks again for the great recipe
Eileen Gray
Yes, that can make a difference. I use the “dip and sweep” method for cup measure. You know, when you dip the cup into the flour bin then sweep away the excess. A cup of “dip and sweep” flour generally weighs a little more than flour that was “spooned” into the cup. The spooned flour is usually fluffier with more air in it.
Nota
Hi Eileen & Narayani,
Firstly, Narayani you had me lol with comment no.2. I agree with you, I’ve made these twice and although dough has been sticky and i’ve added more flour each time (a lot more the 2nd try) they always come out tasting like proper bagels. So I am ok with experimenting until getting it perfect. I don’t use the cup measurements, I measure the ingredients out. I was going to ask if perhaps that was the fault in my sticky dough. I’m gonna make this again next weekend. I will try a little less water for the sponge and I will use extra flour in the kneading. Also, re flouring the sheet the 1st time i lightly floured, 2nd i floured a lot more. Also, i discovered that handling the dough from pan to pot needs to be “gentler”. I have one more question (at the moment – haha) Eileen: when adding the malt & salt to the sponge i incorporate using the mixer. Perhaps i should just add ingredients and then the flour and mix with dough hook?
Elli
Any suggestions for helping the bagels not stick to the parchment paper aside from sprinkling with flour? My bagels had a good rise and shape to the them this morning, but when I tried to pick up my first bagel to put in the boiling water, it did not want to come off the parchment paper very easily, stuck to my fingers as I transported it to the water, and deflated. They rose back a tiny bit in the oven, but overall very deflated after good success shaping them and rising overnight in the fridge 🙁
Eileen Gray
Someone else mentioned that they use a silicone bagel mold. I haven’t used it so can’t speak from personal experience. I just make sure to sprinkle a very even layer of flour over the tray. If you miss spots that’s where the dough can stick. I haven’t tried placing the bagels on a silicone baking mat, but I might try it next time to see how it works. You could also try brushing a thin layer of oil over the paper instead of flour.
Elli
Thank you so much for your suggestions, I will try them out next time!
Loly
OMG these bagels turned out amazing, even when I subbed one of the ingredients. The recipe calls for 42g of Barley Malt Syrup, I only have Diastatic – Malt Powder, so I decided to experiment. I used the same 42g of the diastatic malt instead. Left the bagels covered in the fridge over night, followed all the instructions the same, and the bagels turned out amazing! Nice crisp crust, soft inside. LOVE this recipe! I’m definitely ordering your book on Amazon!!! Thank you for this great recipe! 😉
Eileen Gray
Oh, thanks Loly!I like the substitution of diastatic Milk Powder for the malt syrup. Glad you liked the recipe. If you maintain a sourdough starter, I highly recommend the Sourdough Bagel recipe. I’m also currently working on a Sourdough Bialy recipe.