New York Style Bagels Recipe

Overhead view of a pan of stacked bagels.

5 from 7 votes

Homemade New York Style Bagels are large and chewy, achieved through a brief boiling process. These bagels are made with simple ingredients including yeast, sugar, water, bread flour, and salt, and are often topped with sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning!

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword homemade bagels, New York Style Bagels Recipe

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 20

Rise Time 1

Total Time 2

Servings bagels

Calories 235kcal

Author Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

1 ½ Tablespoon active dry yeast (26 grams)
2 Tablespoon granulated sugar (25 grams)
2 ¼ cup warm water (531 grams) - heated to 100-110 degrees f
6 cups bread flour (780 grams)
3 teaspoons kosher salt
water plus 1/4 cup honey - for boiling
egg wash - (one egg plus a splash of water)
toppings - optional

Instructions

Activate the yeast. In the bowl of a large standing mixer, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Stir with a spatula and let sit for 15 minutes (without stirring).
NOTE: Yeast is activated when the mixture is bubbly and foamy on top.
1 ½ Tablespoon active dry yeast (26 grams), 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar (25 grams), 2 ¼ cup warm water (531 grams)
Add flour and salt. Then add the flour and salt to the bowl. Add the dough hook and start mixer on low speed. Let mixer run until the flour fully absorbs. You may need to stop mixer and use a spatula to scrape down the sides occasionally.
NOTE: The dough will be stiff and it may take a bit to become fully combined.
6 cups bread flour (780 grams), 3 teaspoons kosher salt
Remove bagel dough to a large bowl. When dough is ready, use your hands to transfer it to a greased bowl. Punch it down and form it into a ball. Place the dough seam side down and cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap.
Let rise. Place the bowl in a warm place (or room temperature) of your kitchen. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, approximately one hour.
Divide dough. Use a bench scraper (or sharp knife) to divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Form the dough into balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Let rest for five minutes.
NOTE: My dough weighed 1343 grams in total. So I made sure each piece of dough was about 112 grams.
Form holes. Use your index finger and poke a hole in the middle of each dough ball. Then gently stretch the dough to make the hole about an inch wide. Place bagel shapes back on the baking sheet and let rest again.
Prep for baking. Preheat oven to 425 degrees f. Prep two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Prep water bath. Fill a large pot (I use our Dutch Oven) to about 2/3 full. (Make sure you have plenty of water in the pot.) Add the honey (or use barley malt syrup) to the large pot of water, stir well, and bring the water to a rapid boil.
water plus 1/4 cup honey
Boil bagels. Add 2-3 bagel shapes (don't crowd the pan) to the boiling water. They should float to the top. Let the shapes boil for about one minute and then flip to the other side and let boil for another minute. Use a slotted spoon (or a fine mesh sieve) to remove one bagel at a time, shaking off excess water as you go. (I use some paper towel and tap the sieve on top to help remove water.) Set bagels on the prepared baking sheets.
Continue boiling bagels until all are boiled.
Add an egg wash. Combine an egg and a splash of water in a small bowl. Whisk well. Then brush the egg wash on all the boiled bagels and top with toppings of your choice.
egg wash, toppings
Bake bagels. Bake the bagels (six to a baking sheet) for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove pans and transfer bagels to wire cooling racks. Let cool.

Notes

STORING AND FREEZING: Store bagels in an airtight container or large freezer bags for a day or two. I recommend wrapping each bagel, placing in freezer bags, and storing in the freezer. Just take one out of the freezer at a time and enjoy the perfect New York Style Bagels whenever you want!
Classic topping options include sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, garlic, or everything bagel seasoning, which typically consists of a mix of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, garlic, and salt.

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