Homemade Bagels {New and Improved}
Make perfect homemade bagels at home with this easy step-by-step recipe. The bagels are easily customizable with your favorite toppings!
I originally published this recipe in 2011 and have since added new photos and additional recipes notes, as well as a few recipe enhancements, to make this recipe better than ever!

One reader, Nancy, commented: Thanks so much for this absolutely delicious recipe! Followed your recipe exactly, (used sesame seeds as the topping), and they are every bit as good as any bagel shop we’ve ever been to, and oh-so-much better than any grocery store brand. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why You’ll Love This Bagel Recipe
- The bagels are straightforward and easy to make at home – the recipe doesn’t require any overnight starters or lengthy instructions.
- The bagels are incredibly delicious with a perfect fluffy-chewy texture.
- It is very easy to customize the bagel toppings to your tastes.
- The baked bagels freeze extremely well, so you can make large batches and freeze for later breakfasts, snacks, or bagel cravings.
- This is the perfect recipe for beginner bread makers. SO MANY people have commented that they struggle making yeast doughs or they are brand new to breads or they are scared to make homemade bagels…but they tried this recipe and the bagels turned out amazing!

How to Shape Homemade Bagels
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface and divide the dough into eight equal pieces, about 115 g/4 ounces each.
- Roll each piece of dough into a smooth, taut ball. Let the balls of dough rest for 30 minutes. This helps relax the gluten so that when they are shaped, the dough holds its shape without stubbornly springing back.
- Use your thumb to poke a hole through the very center of each ball then use both thumbs together to twirl and stretch the dough until the hole is 1 to 2 inches in diameter (the bagel will be around 4 inches across).
The most important thing you can remember when shaping homemade bagels is to let go of perfection! Not all of them will look the same, and some of them may have thin/thick spots. It’s ok! It gives the bagels personality…and they all taste delicious regardless of how they look.




Why are Bagels Boiled Before Baking?
There are several reasons why bagels need the necessary boiling step.
- Boiling the bagels helps develop the signature chewy texture. The steaming hot water cooks the very outside layer of the bagel allowing it to rise in the oven but not as much as it would without the water bath. This is what helps create the classic dense, chewy texture.
- The sweetener in the water (either sugar or honey) also helps the bagels develop a beautifully golden crust while baking.
Bagels that aren’t boiled prior to baking end up just simply posing as a quirky dinner roll with a hole in the center instead of the gloriously chewy, delicious bagel they were meant to be.


Best Bagel Toppings
To get bagel toppings to stick, brush the tops and the sides of each bagel with a simple egg wash (1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water). For maximum coverage, place the toppings in a shallow bowl and dip the bagels, turning to coat the top and sides. Or simply sprinkle them on top.
Our favorite bagel toppings are:
- Sesame seeds
- Finely grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
- Sesame seeds
- Coarse salt
- Cinnamon and sugar
Of course, you can also leave the bagels plain. If doing so, the egg wash is optional (but adding it will further help the golden brown crust to develop).


A Few Additional Tips
Making bagels at home is not hard, but it can be helpful to keep the following tips in mind:
- The dough for homemade bagels is stiffer than a dinner roll or sandwich bread dough. This is by intention. Because the bagels are boiled before baking, a lower hydration dough, like bagel dough, holds up to the boiling water bath without disintegrating and the result is a perfectly chewy bagel.
- I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale {aff. link} and weighing ingredients, particularly dry ingredients like flour. If you measure your flour in cups, lightly fluff the flour, scoop in the cup and then level off.
- If you live in an excessively dry climate, you may want to start with 1/4 cup less flour and add remaining flour only if the dough is sticking to the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Keep a timer going during the boiling step – it may seem counter intuitive, but boiling the bagels longer won’t result in a better bagel. They just need a minute or so per side, max.
Most of all, have fun with this recipe! This has been a favorite recipe of ours for over ten years. My kids love to help with shaping the bagels, choosing the toppings, and of course, devouring the bagels after they’ve baked and (barely) cooled.



Perfect Homemade Bagels
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 4 cups (568 g) bread flour (see note)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups warm water
Water Bath:
- 2 to 3 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (see note for honey option)
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
Optional Toppings:
- Sesame seeds, Everything Bagel seasoning, grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese, coarse salt, cinnamon and sugar, etc.
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all of the dough ingredients and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. The dough will be fairly stiff (but shouldn't be dry).
- Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 10 minutes. This is a high-gluten dough and the long kneading time is necessary to develop the gluten.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until noticeably puffy.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface and divide the dough into eight equal pieces, about 115 g/4 ounces each. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth, taut ball. Let the balls of dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Use your thumb to poke a hole through the very center of each ball then use both thumbs together to twirl and stretch the dough until the hole is 1 to 2 inches in diameter (the bagel will be around 4 inches across). Place the shaped bagels on one of the prepared baking sheets.
- For the water bath, add the water and sugars (or honey – see note) to a large, wide pan or pot and bring to a boil.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Transfer the bagels, three or four at a time, to the simmering water. I like to gently re-stretch the center of the bagel if it has closed up while the bagels have rested. This is optional; if you do the same, make sure to stretch gently so as not to deflate and compress the bagel.
- Cook the bagels for 1 minute. Flip and cook for another minute. Use a wide spatula to lift each bagel up, letting the excess water drain back into the pot. Place the boiled bagels onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them several inches apart. I bake six bagels per half sheet pan.
- Repeat with the remaining bagels.
- For the egg wash, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the top and sides of each bagel and then sprinkle with desired toppings: sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, cinnamon and sugar, coarse salt, grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, or other toppings of choice. If leaving the bagels plain, the egg wash is optional.
- Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove the bagels from the oven, and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (don't let them cool completely on the baking sheet as they have a tendency to stick due to the sugar/water bath).
Notes
6 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon grown sugar
2 1/4 cups warm water
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly and expounded upon from King Arthur Flour
Recipe originally published April 2011; updated September 2025 with new photos, recipe notes, etc


Woooooooow! I only had access to all-purpose flour and these still turned out significantly softer and chewier than any store-bought brand so I can’t even imagine how they would turn out with the suggested bread flour or gluten added! I’ve missed quality bagels so much since moving to Asia so I’m so grateful for this recipe that is easy to follow and has such simple ingredients that are easy to find. Although I’ll have to find a different topping next time. Tried slices of swiss cheese and they just dried up and fell right off the bagels ;;
Maybe try turning the heat down a bit – otherwise, just cut the time, as long as they soften and turn translucent, they should be fine!
Can I make these, and then after boiling the dough balls, freeze them, and then when I need a few I can take them out of the freezer, let them de-thaw and then bake them??
I haven’t done that, but I believe others have – definitely worth a try!
Thanks so much for this recipe! Your blog has been and continues to be a lifesaver as a newlywed!
Thank you!
So easy !!! Love this recipe , i wish you could see the picture of my bagel !! Thanks:)
Is this recipe a high altitude baking recipe as is?
I found this recipe searching for a high altitude bagel making recipe. Will this recipe work as-is at 5280 feet? Thanks!
I’ve made these bagels both at high elevation and sea level – they turn out great either way!
Enfin une excellente recette! Merci
Hi. I’ve been looking for a good recipe for bagels and I can’t wait to try yours. The only thing is I can’t find bread flour nor the wheat gluten. Is there anything I can use as a substitute?
You can try all purpose flour, although the bagels may not be quite as chewy
These are the BEST bagel I’ve ever eaten. Husband asked me to make bagel because we live in timbuktu and there are NO good bagels for miles and miles. I knew that if I tried another one of your recipes it would be good and you would give me enough tips to do it all right (thanks for that by the way). Once again you’ve helped me be a super star in the yeast bread arena! Yay! Thanks so much for your recipes, but even more important, to a wanna-be baker, your extra efforts with step by step and videos.
Yay, Jane! I’m so happy the bagels were a success!
I just made these and they came out sooo delicious!!! Also following this recipe was super easy, thanks to the word directions and picture references!! Seriously, I can be a perfectionist when it comes to recipes so the pictures helped a lot!
The only issue I ran into was that my balls of dough didn’t turn out to be as smooth as the ones shown and I was too afraid to manhandle them too much, so the result was that my bagels ended up pretty “shaggy” looking, rather than smooth. I would probably serve the ones that I ended up with because they taste so amazing, but I’d be a little embarrassed by their slightly weird appearance. I do love breaking open a bagel when it has that smooth (almost crunchy) golden brown top. I think next time I will try rolling the dough balls more and see if it gets me the aesthetic I’m looking for!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was super comprehensive and really great. It is now my go-to for bagels 🙂
I just wanted to pop in and say that I have enjoyed reading your blog. I enjoy your perspective on “Real Food”. Everyone and everything seems to have varying *rules* about any and every food. It’s nice to find a “moderate” in the kitchen arena. Thanks for the bagel pics; I’ve wanted to try for yrs but assumed it would be too tedious.
BTW: Do you have a “subscribe” button? I’ve scoured the page and can’t find it. It could be that you (a) don’t or (b) I’m beyond exhausted and can’t see the obvious in front of me.
Thank you!
Thank you, Julia! Are you wanting to subscribe to emails or through a feed reader?
Here’s the link to subscribe to email updates: https://madmimi.com/signups/108287/join
And here’s how to subscribe to feed reader: http://feeds.feedburner.com/melskitchencafe/NvNP
I made these today, darn I wanted to add a picture of them. I agree with the lady who said they tasted salty. Kinda like a pretzel. But hey, I like pretzels! Next time I will cut down the salt to half the amount. I loved the picture directions. Thanks
I know you have a zillion followers, because I am one of them. I made my own gravlax and wanted to make bagels to go with it. I was sad to see that I needed to make a starter a day ahead (according to King Arthur Flour). Then, I saw this post, and I followed your recipe. This was so easy! I made the dough with my Kitchen Aid, and the dough was easy to work with. These are baking as I type, and the aroma is making me anxious to eat these. Thank you for adapting my trust KAF recipe so it worked NOW!
Finishing my second time making these as I type. Love this recipe. Love bagels. Love the fact that I can make them and they are fantastic. I made an Everything topping for most of mine. Also made plain, and a few salt topped.
Great recipe, spent the past 18 years making bagels here in Pittsburgh. Add this. Before shaping the dough into bagels, run down to the nearest place that carries Hebrew National hot dogs, buy as many as you need if you double the recipe you can make 16 bagel dogs. Simply roll the dough into a rope and wrap around the dog. Egg wash, bake, and enjoy. See if you can buy some everything mix from the nearby bagel shop, and no, panera is not a bagel shop, nor do theymake or sell bagels.
Thanks for the step by step! I have made bagels (years) before but always did it by rolling little cylinders & attaching them to make rings, and they always rise poorly at that spot & come apart in boiling or baking. I’ll do it again with the thumb holes. Homemade is always better!
Thank God for bakeries!!!
Thanks so much for this absolutely delicious recipe! Followed your recipe exactly, (used sesame seeds as the topping), and they are every bit as good as any bagel shop we’ve ever been to, and oh-so-much better than any grocery store brand. Also, for anyone who might be hesitant to tackle something like this, they are incredibly fun to make! I think my favorite part is when you poke your thumb through the balls of dough and twirl to form the bagel…guess I’m easily amused 🙂 Can’t wait to try more recipes from your website!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I made my onion – poppy seed bagels today, and they are both gorgeous AND absolutely delicious. The only change I made was to add about 1 T baking soda to the boiling water, as another blogger suggested that it would enhance the exterior color.
Hi, I want to try these, but whenever I’v made bagels I’ve put poppy seeds and sesame seeds into the actual dough. It’s been a while though, so I can’t remember if you have to change anything about the recipe to accommodate for that? Would you recommend anything? Thanks!
You could definitely add poppy seeds or sesame seeds to the dough – add them in with the flour and let them knead with the dough.
I love this recipe. I have made bagels three days in a row this week, as I have been getting requests from family members to take them to work for their staff. It is so easy once you have made it a few times. All the people that are afraid to attempt this recipe,don’t feel intimidated. There is nothing better than a freshly made bagel. I have sesame seed,everything (mixture of seeds), cheese,jalapeño and cheese, chocolate chip,cinnamon raisin. This is my go to recipe every time. I am so glad I found it!
Made these Sat just bc we are running out of fun in the winter. So easy and yum. The kids loved them and said “much better than the store.” Which now has created a problem for me because they only want these! Luckily they are easy and worth it.=) Thanks!
I’ve read this over and over and thought how difficult this’ll be. But once you dive in, it’s so simple! They’re cooking in the oven as I write this. They smell amazing!!!
This is the first bagel recipe I’ve made taste and have the texture of a true NY style bagel. My family loves them, thank you! Question, can you prepare the dough the night before, store in the fridge, and then bake in the AM? If so, what step would you put them in fridge?
I haven’t tried that myself so I’m not exactly sure. I don’t know how the dough would be affected if they are refrigerated after they have boiled. You could refrigerate them overnight before the boiling step and then boil/bake in the morning.
still the best bagel recipe i made
thank you a lot
i did mine with mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat
Your instructions are fabulous! THANK YOU! I always thought it would be too hard and too time consuming to tackle. I am a bread addict, and I think I could live on bagels. Gonna make these for sure!
Have you ever made egg bagels? Do you have a recipe for that?
I don’t have a recipe for egg bagels; never made them. Sorry!
So very delicious. I used all AP flour and 1 package traditional yeast. I just proofed the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with a teaspoon of sugar then followed recipe as written. I also portioned out 12 instead of 8 as that size worked better for me. Thank you for this recipe!
thank you for this recipe mel. all of our frenz and fam love them. i’m going to try the whole wheat bagels for the first time and am having trouble figuring out the measurements. i usually do the 4 cups of bread flour. so instead would it be 3.5 cups of whole wheat flour? and 11 1/4 T of vital wheat gluten? and no bread flour? if so, is there an easier way to measure out the vital wheat gluten? thanks much, tricia
You can include bread flour if you like – I’ve never made a 100% whole wheat version but it’s worth a try. It would be something like 3 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten. But you can really experiment, a lot of the final flour amount will depend on the texture of the dough.
Hi! I have a question, how long would these bagels last for? a week or two in the fridge? I’d like to bake a few of them but I don’t know how long to store them or how to store them properly… Thank you!
p.s. I’m totally psyched to try this recipe out !!
Hi Ashley – I hope you love this recipe if you try it! I don’t recommend storing the bagels in the fridge – they tend to dry out there. They keep fairly well covered at room temp for a day or two but what I really like to do is once they are baked and cooled, slice them in half and freeze them. They defrost perfectly out of the refrigerator (a short spurt in the microwave or 20 or so minutes on the counter) and taste fresh, especially toasted. Good luck!
‘Wanted to let you know that I’d stumbled across your recipe and made them yesterday. They’re delicious! Thanks so much!!
Thanks, Dave!
You indicate in your note you used whole wheat flour, was that freshly milled? Would I need to do any other adaptions to make these myself?
Rebecca Del Piano – Yes, I use flour I’ve ground myself. If using freshly milled flour, just keep an eye on the texture of the dough to make sure it doesn’t get overfloured.
Hallo Mel, thank you so much for the step by step instructions, I never made bagels before, I knew bagels since my holiday few months ago in USA, I come from Indonesia but live in Germany. It’s not so familiar here. Finally found your website, I’ll try it right away.
Looks amazing!!! thanks for taking the time!!!
I was wondering, what happens if I can´t find gluten? can I still make the bagels?
Andrea – If you don’t have gluten you can try making them with 100% whole wheat or all-purpose flour but they might not be as chewy as if you used bread flour or added gluten. Good luck!
I am excited to try this recipe but I am gluten free. Do you think I can use gluten free all purpose flour for this?
Kate – I have not tried it with gluten free flour so you will have to experiment. It might be worth googling a gluten free bagel recipe and comparing. Good luck!
Wow! I made these today and already ate two. Amazing! Thanks for the recipe! Definitely a keeper!
Thanks Mel! I will try that!
Mel,
I made these today and they taste wonderful! My question (which is very similar to Lana’s question earlier) is that they deflate when I put the hole in them. However… they seem to be developing that type of crust you talked about when I was forming the balls. Weird huh? Do you think the dough needs more water? It was sticky at first, but then by the time I got the dough separated in to 8 pieces, they had already formed a crust (and I swear I’m not THAT slow!). Any ideas?? Thanks a million!
Tommie – this dough should actually be on the nonsticky side of the spectrum. Not tough and overfloured, but definitely a bit more stiff than roll dough so I don’t think you need more water. You can try spritzing the dough with a teensy bit of water if it does form a crust – do it right before rolling and it will help the dough to be uniformly smooth again. If they are deflating quite a bit when poking the hole in them then try letting them rise a bit longer after that to get puffy again. Let me know if you have more questions!
Very good made them today next time will 12 not 8 very big love them
My cousin and I tried your bagels today, some with cheese and some cinnamon crunch, we were blown away! They are delicious, thanks for sharing your fabulous recipe!
The result was AMAZING
It look amazing …i am doing the recipe right now … do you have an idea if i can make them with all purpose flour because bread flour is not avaliable all the time here and i cant find any store that sell gluten alone ? Thanks in advance
J. Hulegaard – if you want to add in ingredients to the dough, knead in the add-ins at the end after adding most of the flour.
How do you add ingredients into the bagel? I would like to make blueberry and strawberry bagels. Even cinnamon raisin. I use the breadmaker recipe, as I don’t have a mixer.
Chelsea – I have no idea how gluten free flour would fare in this recipe. Sorry! You’d have to experiment and try it out. I’ve made these at high and low altitude and haven’t made any adjustments when I’ve made them so unless there is a hidden secret, I think you should be good. Just judge the texture of the dough by feel versus how much flour you’ve added.
These look amazing! Do you know if I could use a gluten free flour instead? Would it work the same way as the bread flour? And what about any high altitude changes that might need to be made? Can’t wait to try them!!! 🙂
I made these today and they taste great. However mine did not look so pretty. When I tried to roll them into a smooth ball I couldn’t get all of the wrinkles out. So I figure there must be something not quite right with my dough. Do I need to add more water, knead longer? Any suggestions? Thanks for all your great recipes. My family hasn’t been down the bread aisle in weeks.
Amber, I’m not entirely sure why your dough would be wrinkly but a longer kneading time could definitely help the dough to become smooth and supple. Keep an eye on your flour amounts, too – an underfloured dough can have issues forming smooth, neat balls of dough. Good luck!
Hi Samantha – yes, these freeze beautifully! I freeze them all the time. I like to let them cool after baking and slice them prior to freezing.
This looks amazing. I love bagels and would love to try to make my own. What I’m wondering is if these would freeze well? It would be super handy if I could make a double batch and freeze the ones I won’t use right away but I didn’t know if they froze well or if they had a decent length of shelf life.