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I absolutely love, love, love bagels. Bagels in all forms – savory bagels, sweet bagels. I’ll eat a bagel for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Always with cream cheese. Mostly toasted, sometimes untoasted. As you can see, I’m not very picky! After discovering Peter Reinhart’s recipe for homemade bagels a few years ago, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve bought bagels from the store or somewhere like Panera or Einstein Bros. I have made tons of different versions of his basic recipe (you can view all of my bagel recipes here), but my favorites have definitely been the Cinnamon Raisin and Blueberry. One of the store-bought varieties I have always enjoyed has been the “everything” bagel, which is usually topped with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried onion and garlic, and salt. Since I’ve been on a bit of a bagel kick for the past couple of weeks, I decided that now was a good time to finally whip up some homemade everything bagels.

Now, you can make your own “everything” topping (I’ve included a recipe below) or you can purchase the topping from somewhere like King Arthur Flour. They sell an 8-ounce pouch of the topping, which will last you through at least three or four dozen bagels.

What’s your favorite type of bagel? How do you like to eat it?

One year ago: Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
Two years ago: Tin Roof Ice Cream
Three years ago: American Sandwich Bread[/donotprint]

2 stacks of 2 everything bagels on a wood surface.

Everything Bagels

Yield: 12 large bagels or 24 mini bagels
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Resting time: 3 hours
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Delicious homemade bagels
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Ingredients

For the Sponge:

  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 4 cups (500 g) high-gluten or bread flour, (18 ounces )
  • 2½ cups (625 ml) water, at room temperature

For the Dough:

  • ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) instant yeast
  • 3¾ cups (468.75 g) high-gluten or bread flour, (17 ounces)
  • 2¾ teaspoons (2.75 teaspoons) salt
  • 2 teaspoons malt powder OR 1 tablespoon dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar

To Finish:

  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
  • Everything Bagel Topping, for a homemade version, see below

Homemade Everything Bagel Topping:

  • 4 teaspoons poppy seeds
  • 4 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 4 teaspoons dried garlic, minced or flaked
  • 4 teaspoons dried onion, minced or chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or other coarse salt

Instructions 

  • 1. To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.
  • 2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speeds with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough.
  • 3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated. If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feels satiny and pliable but not be tacky.
  • 4. Immediately divide the dough into 12 pieces for standard bagels, or 24 pieces if you are making mini bagels. Form the pieces into rolls.
  • 5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.
  • 6. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and mist lightly with spray oil. Proceed with shaping the bagels by pushing a hole through the center of the roll with your thumb and stretching out the hole to 2 ½ inches in diameter, making sure that the resulting ring has a fairly even thickness all around.
  • 7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
  • 8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. if it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.
  • 9. The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.
  • 10. For Homemade Everything Bagel Topping, combine: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onion and kosher salt. This makes enough topping for 12 large bagels or 24 mini bagels.
  • 11. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-line sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour. As soon as the bagels come out of the water, top them with the Everything Bagel mixture.
  • 12. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer.
  • 13. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.
Calories: 332kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 2g, Sodium: 1214mg, Potassium: 170mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 10IU, Vitamin C: 1.3mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 1.1mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Michelle
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American