Overnight New York Style Bagels
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.
What is a true New York Style Bagel?
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.
Like a really great loaf of Rye Bread there’s nothing like 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.
If you’ve got a sourdough starter, you can make Homemade Sourdough Bagels .
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Bread Flour – Bagels should have a very chewy crumb from a strong gluten network in the dough. High protein bread flour develops plenty of gluten.
- Yeast – I prefer instant yeast to rapid rise yeast for a slightly slower rise. A slow overnight rise gives more time for flavor to develop.
- Barley Malt Syrup – Adds a traditional slightly sweet note to the dough. You can substitute honey or a combination or honey and molasses for the barley malt syrup.
- Toppings – Leave the bagels plain or use your favorite seed for topping. You can mix seeds with salt to make your own “everything” bagel topping”. See the recipe card for details.
- Baking Soda & Sugar – For boiling the bagels. The boiling process creates the specific shiny and chewy bagel crust.
How to make New York style Bagels
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Use a cupped hand to form the a piece of dough into a smooth ball.
- Poke your finger all the way through the center of the ball to make a hole.
- Twirl the dough around your fingers to widen the center hole.
- Set the bagel onto the baking sheet and continue with the rest of the dough.
- Cover the pan and place the bagels in the refrigerator overnight.
- If you want to make the bagels the same day set them aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Bring a pot of water with baking soda and sugar to a boil. Preheat the oven.
- Boil the bagels a few at a time, flipping them every thirty seconds. Boil each batch for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the bagels to a rack to drain while you finish boiling the rest of the bagels.
- Brush the boiled bagels with egg white.
- Sprinkle seeds or bagel topping if desired.
- Bake until the bagels are golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- Allow the sponge to rest for 30 minutes before mixing the dough. During that rest the water has time to hydrate the flour and gives us a head start on gluten develop.
- To make the bagels the same day, skip the overnight rise in the refrigerator.
- 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.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Overnight Bagel Recipe
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.
bagels
Ingredients
- 16 oz warm water (2 cups (about 100°F))
- ¼ oz instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 25 oz bread flour (5 cups, divided, see note)
- 1 ½ oz barley malt syrup ( 2 tablespoons, see note)
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 2 oz granulated sugar (¼ cup (for boiling))
- 2 teaspoons baking soda (for boiling)
- 1 egg white (whisked lightly)
- Topping (Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds or coarse sea salt)
Instructions
- In a bowl for a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl combine 16 oz warm water, ¼ oz instant yeast and 3 cups (15 oz) of the flour . Mix to form a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
- Add 1 ½ oz barley malt syrup and 1 tablespoon table salt. If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook. Add the remaining 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 lightly sprinkled with flour or sprinkle the pan generously with cornmeal. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Divide the dough into 10 even pieces. Use a cupped hand to roll each piece into a smooth, tight 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 ½" 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 lighly oiled 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. The bagels should be noticeably fuller. Leave the tray out until the bagels come to room temperature, about 1 – 1 ½ hours. The time will vary based on the temperature in the room and how much the dough rose in the refrigerator. Once the dough comes to room temperature the bagels are ready to boil.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 °F. In a large pot combine 1 gallon of water with 2 oz granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons baking soda and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep the water at a rolling simmer. Set a cooling rack over a clean sheet pan and place it next to the stove.
- Lift a bagel off the sheet pan and lower it into the boiling water, bottom side down. Depending on the size of your pot, you can boil 3-4 bagels at a time. Boil the bagels for 30 seconds then flip them. Boil the other side for 30 seconds. Repeat the process again for a total of 2 minutes boiling time. Remove the boiled bagels from the water and set them on the cooling rack to drain.
- Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and generously sprinkle with cornmeal (or flour). Place 5 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 of each of sesame seeds, poppy seeds & salt with a 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and onion powder. Adjust toppings to your taste.
- Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
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Notes
If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.
You can use 1 tablespoon molasses plus 1 tablespoon of honey instead of barley syrup.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!
I use this recipe all the time! Always bakes beautifully. I do sometimes need to pull them out around 15 minutes instead of 20, but that could be my oven.
Your recipe is very confusing. 3cups of flour is not 15oz. Then you state 25oz. I would like to try this recipe but not wasting ingredients.
3 cups of flour weighs 15oz is you use the “dip and sweep” method. If you have a scale you don’t need to refer to the volume measurements. They are provided for bakes who don’t own a kitchen scale. You start the dough with 15oz of the flour then add the remaining flour in the next step. There is a total of 25 oz of flour in the dough.
The best bagel recipe I’ve found,absolutely delicious. I added another tablespoon of molasses, the dough is quite wet and sticky
I added another 1/2 cup of flour, the best way is to make sure your bagels are tennis ball size as they puff up beautifully in the fridge and are easier to handle and get in and out of the water bath
the least you handle them the better they are
I’ll be making these often after the final proving
You can add cinnamon and plumped up sultanas
The final bake is fantastic made 5 of each they lasted a morning
I have made a recipe similar to this 3 times now.. they are excellent. My question is what difference will it make to let them come to room temp first? My recipe calls for me to boil straight out of the fridge.
Great recipe! Truly a great bagel.
Nice recipe. The bagels look better if you boil then top side first
I have never made bagels, so I was a little intimidated, but figured I’d give it a shot as my husband loves bagels and we can never find any good ones.
Followed your instructions and got some amazing bagels. I have now made these 4 times (starting #5 now) in the last two weeks. My husband and I (and some friends) are hooked!!
Thanks for the great recipe!
OK. Growing up just outside of NYC, bagels are a way of life. I tried this recipe for the first time last night into this morning, and I have to say, great flavor and decent texture. I ran into a bit of an issue with them sticking to the parchment and plastic wrap overnight, so they weren’t as fluffy as I would like. So, I am going to try a second batch today — baking bread takes practice, and no two environments are the same.
Question, while I know this is not a sourdough recipe, it does have a long rise, so will it aid in the digestion of gluten like a sourdough? I only ask because I am trying to cut down on gluten, and it seems like more traditional fermentation is better for the body and aids in the body’s ability to process.
I am eager to learn more. Thanks for posting this recipe and for sharing your knowledge.
Hi kt. For the sticking I have the best results when I put the bagels on a sheet pan dusted with cornmeal. You can lightly oil the underside of the plastic wrap to prevent it sticking to the dough. I have no expertise on the affect on gluten with long fermentation. I’ve read articles that say it’s better for digestion but couldn’t comment on it myself. I do have a Sourdough Bagel recipe if you have a starter or are interested in jumping into the sourdough world.
Had the same problem with the parchment paper sticking, so just cut around each bagel and boiled them with the parchment, it fell right off!
Sorry, not freeze, put in fridge.
Hi Eileen,
This seems like a great recipe but I have had the same issues as other people and I follow your instructions to a t (well the second time around).
1) First, please fix the weight translation in Step 1 (it says to add all 25 oz of flour which is not 3 cups), which led me astray the first time I made these. As a result I got no sponge. I still plowed ahead and the end result was pretty decent.
2) Also, for those of us who just go on automatic pilot, please remind us to put flower on the parchment paper and oil on the film, or the dough sticks miserably. It had risen fine but they deflated while “unsticking” them. I had to reshape my bagels but they did inflate when baking and still came out pretty nice.
3) The second time around no problems with the sticking to paper/film, but when I picked them up after the 1.5 h at room temperature, they could not hold their shape, deflated and fell apart. I baked half of them like that and reshaped then baked the other half. By then I was extremely frustrated. The reshaped ones look ok. And they taste great.
4) At this point I am with others and wonder why it is preferable to shape and freeze than the other way around or else what is the trick for them not to fall apart after warming up back to room temperature.
Thanks !
1. The weight listed in step one is the total amount of flour for the recipe. That automatically populates from the ingredient list. The instructions specify 3 cups. I did add a note next to the 3 cups that is 15oz.
2. I try to be as detailed with my instructions without overwhelming with too much text. I put extra reminders in those steps. For me, I prefer cornmeal to anything else for preventing the bagels from sticking.
3. I can’t say what happened. But if they deflated it’s likely they were over-risen. The amount of time needed at this stage will vary based on the temperature of the room and you do have to use your own judgement as to when the dough is ready. I added yet another note to this step but the more often you bake bread doughs you’ll get used to reading the dough.
4. I prefer to shape then refrigerate so all I have to do in the morning is boil and bake. Although I developed this recipe you are free to change the way you make the bagels to suit your own schedule.
Hi Eileen,
I have some questions regarding this recipe.
After step one I gave it 30 min time at 32° C in a combi oven (with some additional steam). It hat already risen significantially. I used Wheat flour type 550, which is the standard flour in Germany. I just realized I should have gotten type 812, which is more like bread flour.
I kneaded using a hand mixer for more about seven minutes, as it only ever kneads a spot and not the whole dough as a stand mixer does. Afterwards, the dough was still really sticky and it was hard to get it into the oiled bowl.
It is now once again proofing in the combi oven, same setting as before.
1. Anyway to still help the gluten develop? Do I need to add more flour?
2. I had planned to steam the bagels at 100° C instead of boiling them. I’ve found another recipe which says to steam them for 7 min; Steaming takes longer than boiling, but this seems like a rather large difference?
3. If I’d steam them, I can’t add sugar or baking soda – what are they needed for? Can I cover them with a concentraded solution of sugar and baking soda using a brush instead? If so, what ratio would you use for the solution?
Thank you very much!
As far as developing gluten, using a strong flour like bread flour is the best way to get great gluten development for this dough. If your mixer doesn’t mix well you could try kneading by hand. Use plenty of flour and a light touch to start. I have never hear of steaming bagels so I couldn’t comment on that. Is there a reason you prefer to steam rather than boil?
I have a couple of questions/comments about this recipe…I hope you will respond to me. Admittedly, I’m not an expert bread maker but I have baked quite a few types of bread and have advanced a little beyond beginner. Here are the issues I experienced…
1. After pulling from the fridge – I let them set for 1 1/2 hours. They were flat and some were very, very wrinkled. Looked like an old prune.
2. When I was ready to boil them they were very difficult to handle. So soft and some fell into a blob. I had to try and reshape them which did not go well.
3. Baking went ok…I did add 5 minutes on to the 20 minutes to get to a golden brown. No two look alike. Size wise was my problem, I should have weighed each one when forming. Otherwise, after the bake some are flat, some very tall, some very wrinkled.
4. Taste – tops were not crispy, bottoms were crispy. Insides was less chewy and more cake-like.
Clearly, I’ve done many things wrong and would really appreciate some help from experts. Disclaimer: I did use molasses in place of barely malt.
Thank you in advance.
Tom
The way you describe the dough being soft and like a “blob” it sounds like maybe you didn’t have good gluten development. Did you use unbleached bread flour? Did you weigh your ingredients? Did you knead for 5 minutes?
A person could also use a bread machine to mix the sponge, leave it for 30-60 minutes, and then add the rest of the ingredients and let the machine knead the dough. I don’t have a stand mixer and kneading is hard on my hands. I would do that but I would not have room in my fridge for the formed bagels even in half-sheet pans which I don’t have]. I wish you provided an option for leaving the dough in the fridge overnight, then shaping the bagels the next morning and leaving them for as long as needed to be ready to submerge in simmering water. Then I could try this recipe with its wonderful reviews.
Well, you could do exactly as you described. Refrigerate the dough overnight then proceed with the recipe in the morning. The rise time will be a little longer, but otherwise should work well.
These were the best bagels I’ve made in recent memory. I made this first batch plain, since seeds hide a multitude of problems and I wanted to taste and see what they were actually like. That sponge may have been key in how flavorful they were. Excellent warm out of the oven; and the split/wrapped/frozen ones taste great and have a nice chew after toasting. But the crust itself was a bit chewier than I was expecting, perhaps since I had to knead them a little longer. The dough was quite wet and sticky when I was almost at the end of kneading in my stand mixer, and had to add an extra cup of flour in total, which may have made the crust more obstinate. My bread flour was 13.3% PRO. The temps here are 65-70F indoors, 60-ish outside. It hadn’t been raining excessively and humidity is ~50% (if it WERE muggy, baking is the last thing I’d be doing). I’d measured most ingredients by weight, and the H2O by ml/cups. My measurements were as correct as I could make them. So, I’m curious why my dough was as wet as it was, as it seems like if it were due to the protein in the flour, it should have been drier, not wetter? That said, I’ll make these again once we’re done with the ones in the freezer. Coatings of sesame seed and poppy seed are next on the menu, now that I know they have nothing to hide.
Just finished making these bagels, had no problems at all. I followed the recipe the only thing I did different was that I knead it for almost 7 minutes. Would make again.
So for everyone having trouble with their bagels deflating. There could be a few reasons. I’ll list them and also give tips on how to fix it.
1.) Check the temperature of your refrigerator. Make sure that the thermostat is set at the right number.
*Place your tray of bagels at the very bottom of the fridge. It’s the coldest part. Try not to open the fridge so much while these are fermenting. Every time you open the door it takes about an hour for your fridge to bounce back.
2.) Reduce the amount of yeast called for in the recipe.
*When fermenting dough overnight in the refrigerator it’s best to only use about a third of the amount that the recipe calls for. Why? Well since the dough will be proving for a long period of time, you don’t want the yeast to work to quickly. The more yeast the faster the dough becomes over proofed. Not only will the dough lose its shape it can also start to smell and taste like alcohol due to the yeast consuming all the starch. I recommend about 2 grams of yeast for this recipe.
3.) Check the temperature of the water.
*Lower the H2O temperature to about 66-68 degrees. (Depending on the temp of your house. The warmer the kitchen the more cold your water should be. A loe temperature water guarantees your dough to rise slower. Thus preventing over proofed bagels.
Thank you. Let me know if this helps any.
AJB
The dough was very sticky, so I needed to add an extra 1/2 cup flour. I was able to form them easily and they rose perfectly overnight. However, when I placed them in the boiling water, they got all wrinkly and deflated. Does anyone know why that might have happened?
5 cups of bread flour is not 705g. What is the correct amount of flour?
That’s pretty definitive statement. Why are you so sure that 5 cups of bread flour is not 705g? If you assume my number is wrong you must believe you know the correct number. If you really are asking I will tell you how I got that number. The weight of a cup of flour is not an absolute. The way you fill the cup will determine the exact weight of the flour in the cup. I always fill a measuring cup using the “dip and sweep” method. That is, I dip the cup into the bin to overfill it. I sweep away the excess flour. Using this method I consistently get very, very close to 5 oz per cup (25 oz total in this recipe). There are 28.3g per ounce. 25ozx28.3=707. I rounded the number from 707 down to 705g.
@Eileen Gray, Hi Eileen, I apologize if my wording bothered you. I assumed measurment was taken with standard practice for flour which is keeping it “fluffy” not compacting. A cup of flour is about 120 g which if measured with 5 cups is only 600g. That being said I needed more than 705g, which is why I think most people have difficulty with consistency of dough in this recipe.
Tone can be difficult in written communication. I’m not being snarky when I say that, as a pastry chef for 30 years and with a culinary degree, there is no “standard” practice for measuring dry ingredients by volume. My standard practice is to dip and sweep since I find it much easier and faster than fluffing and spooning flour into the cup. I recommend using the weight measurements of any recipe as that is always more accurate for exactly this reason. I wouldn’t say most people have difficulty with the consistency of this dough. With over 200 reviews and over 120 comments I saw about 4-5 folks mentioning wet dough. Again, this could be due to using volume measure rather than weight measure.
I have made this recipe a half a dozen times now and they are truly excellent bagels. However no matter what I do my bagels get stuck to the plastic wrap and end up partially deflating. Any advice for this? I actually have a dozen in the oven right now and even though I heavily floured them before putting the plastic on yesterday, they were still very stuck! Bagels are still delicious though!!
You can try lightly oiling the side of the plastic wrap that touches the bagels, or use pan spray on the plastic wrap.
Could you make a French toast style bagel with this recipe?
What is a French toast style bagel?
Hello,
I have used this recipe many times and every time these bagels come out amazing! My husband loves them! I have a question. I was having an event that got cancelled and I already have the bagels sitting in the fridge since this morning. I was going to make them tonight. Would I be able to keep them in the fridge until tomorrow night or even Saturday morning before cooking them??
Thank you!!
Are they already shaped? If so, I think you need to finish them. They might rise too much by Saturday and they could deflate as you pick them up for boiling. They do freeze really well, but you would have to toast them after they’ve been frozen. Otherwise, finish the batch in the fridge to stock your freezer and make a fresh batch for the event.
Hi,
Not sure what I did wrong. Followed the steps exactly using half as i only wanted to make six. Dough was way too sticky to even pick up. Try adding more flour but didn’t help.
Read through the comments, there are lots of tips for dealing with the dough.
Can I refrigerate the dough overnight and form the bagels in the morning? If so-how?- I mean rising time after forming. Thanks
You can. Just follow the recipe as is. After forming the bagels cover them and let them come to room temperature and start to rise. The time will depend on how warm your room is and how active the dough is. I would think at least a couple of hours. They don’t need to double in size but the key is to get the dough warm enough that the yeast starts working again. Otherwise, they won’t puff up in the water and in the oven.
Hi there,
Do you think it would work to modify this recipe in order to use up sourdough discard? So replace equal parts flour and water with discard? My starter is 50% rye 50% cream flour though so it would mean less bread flour overall… would love to know your thoughts.
I have a recipe for Sourdough bagels that you should try. I don’t recommend using discard for the bagels. In fact, of all my sourdough recipes I find that the bagel recipe works best with a starter that’s had a double feeding. I use my small starter for making bagels.
Hi there!
I love this recipe and would like to make blueberry bagels with the recipe.
When would you suggest to add the blueberries and would you use fresh or frozen blueberries??
Thank you!
I don’t think fresh or frozen would make a difference. The Blueberries will add quite a bit of moisture so just be careful as you handle them for boiling/baking.
@Zoya, probably too late too make a suggestion but I found that dried blueberries are the way to go. they don’t add moisture and have more flavor in the end. I add them in with the syrup. I also mix by hand since I don’t have a mixer but I don’t think it matters too much, the blueberries tend to fall out if not seriously worked in to the point where some are getting squished.
Hi Eileen,
Your recipe sounds great, I really want to try it but, I am GF. Do you have any experience with GF flours or suggestion to use with your recipe?
I have a second question. Is the process of making your bagel similar to making big, soft pretzel?
Sorry, I’m not an expert in GF recipes. Yes, boiling the bagels in baking-soda-water is similar to making a soft pretzel.
I reduced the hydration to 60%, and used the Malted Barley Syrup (iHerb).
34 grams of Vtal What Gluten boosted the protein to 14%.
The bagels got a 48-hour slow-rise in the fridge.
My friends are calling this the “perfect bagel”.
Thanks again, Eileen.
I just finished eating one of these bagels from the batch I just made & it was delicious!! When I was making the dough last night it was very sticky so I added about 1/4 cup of extra flour & I was nervous it would mess up the recipe, but they turned out so good in the end!!!! Super chewy insides & the outside crust is perfect. My family loves them and I will definitely be using this recipe again, thank you!! (also, I found that 20 min was slightly too much cooking time. My first batch was a little overcooked, but I think the problem is with my oven not your instructions. I cooked the rest for 15 min and they turned out beautiful!)
Hello Eileen, At Step 6 when I cover the sheet pan with a plastic wrap And allow to rest for 15 minutes before I store the bagels in the refrigerator overnight,..,does the plastic wrap ever stick to the bagel dough when you take it off in the morning and if so how can I prevent that? From the interpretation of your recipe I’m gathering that the bagel dough is best when covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator over night. Yes?
Thanks in advance,
Woodie
Yes, the night in the refrigerator helps develop the flavor of the bagels. Obviously they need to be covered so the dough doesn’t dry out. If you find the plastic wrap sticking you can coat the side of the plastic wrap touching the dough with a light film of oil or cooking spray.
HI,
Since this will become my go-to recipee for bagels now, any suggestions on how to adjust this this to make a “whole wheat” version?
Thanks.
Steve in Tel Aviv
Yes, you could replace a portion of the flour with whole wheat flour. I would start with about 1/4 of the total and see how that works. You don’t want to use too much whole wheat since that would weaken the gluten.
I am am experienced baker, apprenticing in a bread bakery at the age of 13, and have been baking professionally on and off for years. I never tried bagels, but I did, pretzels (their cousin).
I made this recipe twice, both times using fresh ingredients, except for no access to the malt, so I did the honey/molasses combo.
Both times I made it, the bagels deflated as I put them into the water.
This is a sign that they were over-proofed.
The issue is… “overnight”. What is the actual time in hours that they need to be in the fridge?
Thanks,
Hi Steve, last week when I made the Sourdough Bagels, I left them in the refrigerator for a full 18 hours without trouble. Of course sourdough will behave differently than a yeasted dough. Generally, I make the dough in the late afternoon and prepare the bagels later in the evening. I would say the bagels have typically spent about 10 hours in the refrigerator.
But I honestly haven’t made the yeasted bagels recently and in the summer the dough could certainly be more active. How did the bagels look when you took them out of the fridge?
I have updated the sourdough recipe to note that in the summer I have been putting the bagels straight from the fridge into the water without waiting for them to come to room temp. Again, sourdough may behave differently. But if your bagels come out of the fridge looking like they’ve risen a bit overnight you could try putting the cold bagels right into the water. They may sink as they go in but should rise pretty quickly.
The other option would be to refrigerate the dough overnight then shape and boil the bagels in the morning.
Hi Eilieen<
Thanks for youre reply. I would say that they didn’t look much different than when I put them in, a bit on the flat side. As soon as I touched them they lost a bit of their shape, and the raw “crust became wrinkled” They didn’t puff in the water, either. I am wondering, since I am in Israel, and its pretty HOT… that they over-proofed even before they hit the fridge?
Maybe reduce the rising times before the fridge, and leaving them in the fridge the whole time?
I will also try the straight from the fridge option this weekend. I am NOT giving up. With bagels here costing $1.75 a piece… I want a hommade option.
Again, thanks for the input, I will keep trying.
Yes. The warm weather can make a big difference. Good luck.
OK, so it looks like third time was the charm!
1. Proofing times were greatly reduced 30 mins + 30 mins (watached the dough rise to double).
2. Rerigerator time was 18 hours.
3. Bagels went from fridge to boiling water.
4. They deflated a bit in the water, and were wrinkled, I was worried.
5. 20 mins in the over… puffy and perfect!!!!
Thanks so much.
I agree Steve. With the warmer weather my dough has been very active and I’ve been going straight from the fridge to the water. May have to readjust again in the fall. Glad you got a good result.
I made the recipe 3x Bagels were wonderful first time.The next two times the bagels looked perfect and round ,refrigerated and in the morning they were flat. Thought I did all the same. Cold over kneading make this happen as I kneaded by hand for 10 minutes. I really loappreciate the recipe but am frustrated. Hope you can help.
Hi Neil. Did you do anything different the second and third times? 5 minutes of kneading should be sufficient. How was the dough when your formed the bagels for the 2nd and 3rd batch? Was it nice and elastic? Are you using the same type of yeast? Do you mean they were flat when you took them out of the fridge or when you lifted them into the boiling water? I find my dough behaves very differently at this time of year than in the cooler months.
Hello! I love love love this recipe, these bagels have been an insane hit with everyone I’ve made them for!
How long do you think they are able to hold up in the fridge? I’ve had them in there for about 18 hours so far, and had intended to make them today, but plans changed and I need to make them tomorrow. Do you think they would hold another 24 hours in the fridge?
Thank you!!
Hmmm, I’ve never held them that long. I assume the bagels are already formed? If they’re not you can definitely hold the dough for up to 2 days. If the bagels are already formed I’m a little afraid they’ll over-proof and will be difficult to handle getting them into the water. If you try it let me know how it works out.
Love this recipe – really delicious!! I’m making a batch of these and the sourdough to bring to a brunch. Is it possible to boil them the night before and then bake them the next morning? Thanks!
No, they should be baked as soon after boiling as possible. I make sure the oven is preheated before I start boiling. You can have the bagels cut and ready the night before. I have often prepared the water in the pot the night before as well. As soon as you get up take the bagels out of the fridge. Turn on the water and oven and as soon as the bagels are about room temp you can get started.
This recipe was great. Taste was good, but my dough over-proved and therefore was flat. I was wondering if I should cut the 15 min rise before going in the fridge or shorten the time I have them at room temp before boiling??
Were they already over-proofed by the morning? If so, then you can eliminate the 15 minutes before refrigeration.
I had a great time with this recipe up until it came time to boil them. They stuck to each other, they stuck to the parchment and they all ended up deflating and just turning awful. They rose beautifully in the fridge but into each other and no matter how I tried to separate and lift them off the parchment, it didn’t work and they were a mess. I was really excited for these but it ended up a terrible waste 🙁
This was my first attempt making bagels and I have to say I couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome! This may very well become a go-to recipe for me. They’re perfectly chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, and just the right balance of sweet and salty ( I used everything bagel seasoning as a topping).
A few notes: I used 12 oz of whole wheat flour and 15.5 oz of all purpose flour (a recommendation from a different recipe – I looked it up because I didn’t have bread flour). I also subbed the molasses-honey mixture for the barley malt, and I baked at 400 instead of 450 (23 min ended up being perfect for me).
Bagel making is certainly time-intensive, but totally worth it. I divided the dough and boiled half straight away and the other half are rising in the fridge overnight. I can’t wait to see how they’re different and which method I prefer. Thank you so much for an amazing recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly using gram weights, and my dough was so wet it could not be kneaded. So I kneaded in a few extra table spoons which allowed me to shape them but in the morning the slightest touch deflated them so they were lumpy and flat. Tasty though!
Did you use unbleached bread flour? Did you give the sponge 30-60 minutes before mixing the dough? Did you knead a full 5 minutes? All these steps help develop the gluten, which lets the bagels hold their shape.
My bagels seem to come out flat even though I followed the recipe to a “T”. I can only get 8 bagels. I put 3 to a cookie sheet for the refrigerator. They rise but tend to spread out. Should I put them on a sheet the way that I do cinnamon buns so that they touch? Will this allow the dough to rise higher?
If the bagels touch in the pan they’ll be almost impossible to pick up and transfer to the pot. If they stick together you’ll have to tug them to separate and then they can deflate. Place them on a well-floured pan with plenty of room between them so they don’t touch. Why can you only get 8 bagels? If you prefer larger bagels that’s ok. But if you divide the total dough by 12 you can have 12 bagels.
I had the same issue with the bagels being flat in the morning. I followed the recipe exactly, and I had great success with each rising and it was clear the yeast and gluten was perfect until the dough hit the fridge. My thought is that in the morning, it would probably help to take the bagels out of the refrigerator earlier, let them warm up to room temperature and let the yeast reactivate to puff them back up a bit, then put them into the water. As it is written, the cold bagels cause the water to stop boiling even with just three or four bagels in it. Just a thought.
Hi Jeff, looking at the way I wrote the instructions I can see the confusion. I rewrote it to be more clear. The intention is that the bagels sit at room temperature for some time. They can sit out longer if need be.
Hello.
Not much experience at baking but I’m looking forward to giving these a shot! It’s been really hard to find yeast these days but a thoughtful neighbor gave me some active dry yeast. Your recipe calls for instant yeast. What additional steps will I need to take with active dry yeast?
The recipe should work as written with active dry yeast. If you want to be sure the yeast is good, in step one mix the yeast and water with a 1/2 tsp of sugar. Set it aside for 20 minutes to make sure it bubbles up. After that proceed with the recipe as written.
I’ve been spending quite some time looking for a good Bagel recipe having grown up in Jersey and NY. I’ve noticed a common theme with the Barley Malt Syrup in the dough, but another recipe I found uses the syrup in both the dough and in the boil. What are your thoughts on using the syrup vs. sugar?
I think you could use either in the boil. But definitely the syrup in the dough.
Hi. I am from Long Island and these taste just like my local bagel shop, thank you.. But as a few others have stated the bagels go flat while being covered in the fridge. Are you using cling wrap? I feel that the wrap is preventing them from rising even though they are loosely covered. Maybe they should rise in a deeper dish? I use the scoop method. I let proof for 60 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes before the fridge. Would a longer time cooling in fridge (16+ hours) cause them to flatten? I had to reshape into a ball after fridge cooling, poke a hole and then rise again at room temp in order to get better results. Otherwise they turn out to be flagels
Hi Mark. I place the bagels on a parchment lined sheet pan which is well-sprinkled with flour. Then I cover the bagels with plastic wrap. I’ve had the bagels in the fridge for more than 12 hours. Are the bagels still flat after boiling and baking? What do you mean by the “scoop” method? Are you referring to measuring the flour? Is the 60 minute proof you refer to for the sponge at the beginning of mixing the dough? When you say the bagels go flat in the fridge do you mean they are flatter than when they were shaped? Like the actually deflated. Or do you mean they just haven’t risen enough?
They rise in the fridge until they hit the cling wrap. Then they seem to flatten. Even if I let them rise a bit before boiling they flatten. I try to handle gently but they are very fragile
Does the dough have nice gluten development? Do you find the bagels are nice and springy when you’re shaping them? The dough should be springy enough that you may have to go back and give them another stretch to reopen the center hole. If the bagels have good gluten development I wouldn’t expect them to flatten from hitting the cling wrap. You are using bread flour, leaving the sponge for 30 minutes and kneading 5 minutes?
Yes to all your questions. They are very springy. Holes close up. I am thinking just a bit less water. Thank you for getting back to me. Again I will say that the taste is excellent. Thank you for the recipe
Hello! In Brooklyn and self isolating, but really craving a bagel. Can whole wheat flour be substituted in?
Do you only have whole wheat flour? Do you have any all purpose or bread flour? Whole wheat flour doesn’t develop the gluten as well as white flour does. A dough made with just whole wheat is generally quite heavy.
Can’t get my hands on any bread flour – seems everybody’s cooped up inside and baking. I do have all-purpose, can I substitute that?
I accidentally used half all purpose flour the other day before I realized what I was doing. The bagels were still good. I think you’ll make pretty good bagels even with all ap flour. Just make sure to give the dough a good 5 minutes of kneading to really develop the gluten. Also, bread flour will absorb a little more liquid so if the dough is really sticky knead in a couple more tablespoons of flour.
Thank you so much! Planning to use all-purpose and will report back.
This was the first dough recipe I ever made and they came out wonderfully. I substituted the malt for 1tb of brown sugar, and it worked quite well. One thing I learned is that the cross-section of the bagel is important – if it’s not completely round, tougher flat spots will happen while the rest of the bagel rises. Still, it’s delicious. Some stores sell “everything” seasoning. I used this and it was super easy. It’s also great for other foods!
One question – is allowing these to rise in the fridge for longer than 12 hours okay?
Yes, I’ve left them in the refrigerator as long as 16 hours.
I’m planning to make a batch from this recipe tomorrow, but I’m already stumped at the ingredient list! My preference is to measure ingredients in grams whenever possible, so I was glad to see measurements in both volume and mass units on your site. Alas, I can’t make sense of your flour measurements. According to the King Arthur Bread Flour (which you mentioned using in another comment) packaging, 1/4 cup is equivalent to 30g, so 1 cup would equal 120g, and 5 cups equal 600g (or 21.25 oz). Your recipe calls for “5 cups (25 oz. 700g)”. Can you clarify which measure you use/suggest given the disparity?
Thanks for your guidance!
Because I’m based in the US where most home bakers tend to use volume measure, that’s how I start most of my recipes. Because I use the “dip & sweep” method for measuring flour I get 5 oz per cup of bread flour. So that is my base measure for my recipes. I use the conversion of 28g per ounce. So 5 oz x 28 = 140g per cup. 140g x 5 cups = 700g. If you divide 700g/5 cups then by 4 that equals 35g per quarter cup. Not a huge difference. A total of 25g in the whole recipe, or less than 1 ounce. If you are following my recipe I suggest you use my measurements since that is how the recipe was created.
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! 😉
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.
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 🙁
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.
Thank you so much for your suggestions, I will try them out next time!
I use cornmeal. It makes all the difference! No sticking at all.
Yes. I’ve also been using cornmeal and did update the recipe to include that information.
If I may make a comment, I cut the parchment between bagels when ready to boil and individually turn the paper with the bagel upside down. So I never touch the bagel and have less chance of deflating it.
Yes, that works well.
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!!
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.
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
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.
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?
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!!
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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.
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
Well, since you’re a native New Yorker I take that as the ultimate compliment. So glad you enjoyed them.
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!
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.
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!
Any idea what the difference in boiling/baking time would be for making mini bagels with the recipe?
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.
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!
Hi Ashley. In my grocery I find barley malt syrup In the baking aisle. You can also find it on line at amazon.
Would this recipe work for the rolling out method instead of the punched out method? I really want to incorporate ingredients into the dough.
What do you mean by the “rolling out” method? Do you mean rolling and cutting circles form the dough like donuts?
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
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.
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
Thanks, Melaney! If you ever get into sourdough baking (or maybe your already do?) try my Sourdough Bagels for a real treat.
These turned out AMAZING! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
You are quite welcome! Glad you liked the recipe.
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 🙂
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.
I’ve made this recipe twice and both times the bagels went flat as soon as they hit the water. Up to them going into the water, they were a great consistency, formed, had nice rise….put them in for their bath and they deflated…what can I do to prevent this?
They probably were over-risen. With the warmer weather the dough is going to rise more quickly. What I did the other day (with sourdough bagels) was take the bagels out of the fridge when the water was boiling and the oven was pre-heated. They went right into the water still cold from the fridge. They did sink, but they came back up to the surface pretty quickly. This worked really well with the sourdough bagels and would probably work for the yeasted bagels too. I’m going to update the post to include hints for warmer weather.
I loved them but found them quite salty. I am reading one tablespoon was it teaspoon of salt♀️
No, I use a tablespoon. There are 5 cups of flour is the recipe, which is quite a lot. You can use less salt if you prefer.
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
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).
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. 🙁
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.
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
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.
My bagels came out flat, too, but besides that super yummy. I noticed my dough was very wet and therefore also hard to handle, so next time I’m doing this recipe, I’m going to reduce water by 20% and hope this will help with the flattening, too.
Hi Hanna, a few suggestions for next time. Make sure you are using bread flour and not AP flour. The same amount of bread flour absorbs more water than AP flour. Make sure to let the sponge rest for 30 to 60 minutes before you finish mixing the dough. During this time the gluten will develop and the water will be absorbed. If you are not weighing your ingredients, use the “dip and sweep” method for measuring the flour. Dip the cup into the bin and sweep away the excess. If you spoon the flour into the measuring cup you’ll be using less flour than the recipe specifies since I always use the dip and sweep. Finally, make sure to flour the sheet pan for the bagels. If the dough sticks to the paper it can deflate a bit when you pick up the raw bagels. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
The problem is possibly using active dry yeast and not instant. My flat morning bagels led to further contemplation. I used active dry and had a spreading dough.
Active vs. instant would affect how fast the dough rises. Some folks add a little extra yeast when using active dry to get a quicker lift. The spreading dough would be more about the gluten development.
my second batch was flat. they did stick to the sheet pan! maybe this was my problem. i do feel i had the right ratio of water/flour and think they got kneaded plenty so must be what happened. they were delicious but super weirdly flat.
Mine come consistently flat with uncooked dough on the inside and a hard crust in the outside. tried lowering to 425 F and the same thing happened. Pretty bad recipe.
Many people have great success with this recipe, including me. I make then almost every week. I would be happy to trouble shoot with you if you have any specific questions.
my second batch was flat, but my first batch was amazing! i think they did stick to the sheet pan! maybe this was my problem. i do feel i had the right ratio of water/flour and think they got kneaded plenty so must be what happened. they were delicious but super weirdly flat. i will let you know how my third batch comes out, john
I have updated the recipe and post with more information which will hopefully prevent the sticking.
This recipe calls for sugar but never shows when to add it ….
Hi Renae, the sugar doesn’t go into the dough. The sugar and baking soda are added to the water for boiling the bagels.
I’ve used a water, non-diastatic malt powder bath to boil my bagels. I’m not sure the baking soda/sugar bath would give enough flavor. What do you think?