I used to make these bagels all the time…then I guess I forgot about them. Recently the boys asked, “WHEN are you going to make those yummy bagels again?!” (I think they ended the sentence with “oh our Beautiful Mother Dearest” or something like that.)
Funny how you can completely forget about a particular recipe for a while. I made the requested bagels again last weekend and I think I made quite a few little men (and one tall one) very happy. Wow, is that all it takes?
Making bagels takes a few different steps…but they aren’t hard steps. You mix, rest, shape, broil, boil, and bake. I kinda think it’s fun to say “broil your bagels”, but then again, I don’t get out much.
Honey Whole Wheat Bagels
4 to 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground flour from hard white wheat)
1 pkg yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cups warm water (if you put your finger in and it hurts, it’s too hot and will kill your yeast)
3 Tablespoons honey + 1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
Stir together 2 cups of the flour, the salt and the yeast. Add in the warm water and 3 Tablespoons honey. Gradually add in the remaining flour.
Dump it out and knead the flour in until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough and let it take a nap for about 10 minutes. (zzzz)
Divide the dough into twelve equal parts.
Set a timer for 20 minutes. Begin shaping each piece of dough into a nice ball. Stick your finger in the middle of the ball and pull it apart to create about a 2 inch hole.
Lay it onto a buttered cookie sheet or baking stone.
Continue until all the bagels are formed. Let them sit until your timer goes off.
After your 20 minute timer goes off, turn the broiler on in your oven.
Broil your bagels for 2 minutes on each side.
Meanwhile…bring a big pot of water to a boil. Stir in the remaining 1 T. honey.
Put 4-6 bagels into the water, turn down the heat and
simmer for seven minutes, turning the bagels over once during that time.
Continue to boil your bagels until they are all done.
Let them drain on a towel for 1-2 minutes.
Bake at 375 ° for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Slice these, toast them, then slather them with butter or cream cheese for breakfast….oh my goodness.
Now I want to experiment with cinnamon raisin or blueberry bagels…and what other flavors can you think of?
Okay, answer me this….is it fun to say “broil your bagels” or is it just me? Yeah, you know you love it.
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This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.
Haha- “broil you bagels.” Those look fantastic.
They look great and don’t appear to be that difficult. Panera Bread makes a cinnamon crunch bagel that is absolutely heavenly and much like eating a dessert. It has a hard crusty sugary topping. See what you can do with that idea… hint, hint, hint.
Oh yes, if you can figure that out it would be fantastic! Love Panera bagels!
These look yummy, Laura! I have my “Gratituesday” post all written for next week and saved. Sorry I didn’t get it done this past week like I had said I would. Happy Easter! Lori in OK
Those look delicious! I should try making bagels. I haven’t done that in awhile either. Hey, do let me know if you come up with a blueberry bagel recipe! My husband loves blueberry bagels. You could try everything bagels or onion/garlic bagels too…
I think the fact that bagels are boiled is funnier than broiled. Although when you say broil your bagels it’s funny. Even though I can’t hear you :)
I like cheese bagels. You could put cheese in your dough and then press the tops of the bagels into shredded cheese after you boil them and before you bake them. You could also put some parmesean into the dough. Mmmm… and on top with some pizza sauce.
Did you know that the average sized bagel is four servings of bread!
I was so excited to see this! I had been looking for a bagel recipe for weeks before this and finally just adapted my bread recipe to work with the bagel process. I was wondering, since I saw that you use Nourishing Traditions, have you tried this with sprouted grains? Or Sprouted flour? I’m trying to make the switch but seem to be having some issues with perfecting the end product. I think I’m gonna have to broil some bagels next week! ;)
Could one still make these bagels without broiling them? I don’t have a broiler on my oven. Of course, then I wouldn’t be able to say I broil my bagels. But I do wonder seriously.
I love bagels, but since Daddy and I have been on a low carb diet, they’ve been off the menu. These we could do :) Thanks for the recipe and pictures…
these look delicious!
happy Easter weekend.
Oooh, thanks! I think I’ll go make some of these for our dinner tonight, actually :) God’s rich blessings to you and yours this Easter!
oh, wow. I. LOVE. BAGELS!!! I can’t wait to try these! I think today will be a bread-making kinda day for us!
Can’t wait to try these! I love your step by step directions :) Happy Easter! Tina
Wow, this looks so neat! I appreciate the visuals with the pics! =) You rock!
These look great! My husband only likes whole wheat bagels, so this recipe is great. What setting do you broil your bagels on? You’re right that is funny! :)
okay, you are now my favorite person on the internet
They were great! Thanks for the recipe and picture instructions!
Funny, I made bagels this morning too. It was my first time making them and they are yummy. Yours look good, I will have to try your recipe next time.
Mmmm…these look yummy. We love bagels in this house but dont buy them very often. I may have to try these, though. I have a sweet tooth and like cinnamon sugar bagels. Not healthy and definitely not something I get very often.
Also…could this be a bread recipe? Seems like it but thought I’d ask if you’d tried it.
I’m back to comment again…I actually was so inspired to make these yesterday…and I did! I put a link to your site so others can learn this art from you! Thank you so much!
I made a gluten free version of these for Easter breakfast this morning. They were really good although as usual the gluten free made them a little dense but I’m hoping to adjust. Thanks for the great recipes!
Hey Laura!
I can’t wait to try out this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
As your friendly Pampered Chef gal, just be careful broiling on your stoneware… it’s actually not made for that much direct, intense heat and can crack your stone! I’m not sure how high your broiler was set… but just a warning that it can crack your stones.
Take care and Happy Easter!!
Debra
Laura, I sure do love your site and your recipes. It’s just so cool to have someone else do all the legwork and then just give me the finished product–a recipe that works and tastes good! I’m looking forward to trying these.
Your bagels look so much prettier than mine…I think I’m going to try your recipe. It’s similar to mine, but different enough that it’s worth a shot. Thanks!
Hey! I just made these for the first time (I didn’t even know you could make bagels homemade!). They are really yummy! The only problem I had was that some of them didn’t really rise very well. Some were small and not fluffy like the others. I’m not sure what I did wrong.
Otherwise though, they are really yummy! I’m also really impressed that they are 100% whole wheat and no sugar.
Yes!! I’m not the only one! I was scrolling through the comments looking to see if anyone had commented about this issue or if I would have to be the first. I had the same problem. Seemed to happen between at the boiling part. Is that what you noticed?
These looked so yummy I had to try them! Unfortunately mine didn’t turn out so good. I think I probably didn’t knead the dough long enough. They did not raise very much. Next time I will be lazy and knead it in the Bosch (love that machine!) The bagels are baking right now so we will see what the family’s verdict is on them!
I tried them too and they tasted great. But my didn’t look as pretty either. They looked good until I took them out of the water after boiling. Then they started looking all shriveled up and ugly. They still tasted fine. I’ll definitely try again though to see if I can get it right.
Mine too! Please help! I really want to know how to get them right next time!
Hi, I just found this web site and when I have more time I intend to explore it. Thanks for the wheat bagel receipe. Some one asked about putting fruit in bagels. I make english muffins with assorted fruits should be the same principal. I use dried fruits and shake them in flour before stirring them in as the last step.Hope this helps.
Wow that is a great recipe! Very simple. I can’t wait to try it. Where do you great your wheat flour from?
I mean *get your flour from. :)
These look wonderful! I’m going to go try out the recipe today.
Thanks!
Tanja
Another recipe I’m stoked to try!
I put cinnamon and raisins in mine. They’re about to go in to broil :)
Is it possible to over boil them? Should you boil them longer if they still look doughy?
I’m sure if you boil them a little too long, it should be okay. But no, if they look doughy I don’t think boiling them longer will help. The water makes them look doughy anyway, I think.
I used to make bagels like these and remember how great they were! I’ve never seen a bagel recipe which called for the “broil” step, only the boil and bake. Mine turned out fine that way – I wonder if broiling adds any characteristic to them? Have you tried it without the broiling, Laura?
No, I’ve never tried to do it without broiling. It seems that the broiling hardens the outside of them before I boil them. :)
I never broil mine, just boil and bake. But I do put on an egg wash to get a nice chewy crust that is a little shiny.
I never broil mine and it came out looking just like you pics. BTW, do you have any gluten free bagel recipes?
No, I’m sorry I don’t. Hopefully someone else can help us out with one!
I just came up with a HEAVENLY Pumpkin Spice Bagel Recipe. You should try it if your family likes bagels. And by the way… I love your site Laura. Finally a place that loves whole wheat as much as I do. I just started a little blog (nothing as awesome as yours), you should check it out for the bagel recipe. bestofmommachef.blogspot.com
Wowza! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. After many failed and sad attempts at homemade bagels- I finally have a winner! Woo Hoo! I am linking this recipe to my blog. Hope that’s okay? My hubby is going to be so excited when he sees these!
Janna
adventuresinjannaland.wordpress.com
I made these today and they are SO good! My boys loved them! I definitely will not be buying bagels any more. Did you ever make cinnamon raisin bagels? I’d like to try making them.
No, I never did. We like these plain ones so much, I keep sticking with them!
My kids and I made these yesterday and we LOVE them!!! I wanted to make more, but I ran out of yeast. Now I can’t wait to go to the store just to buy yeast to make some more! My kids had so much fun with helping me mix the dough and seeing it rise. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Oh, my husband loves them too! He ate two when he came home from work and tried to go back for more, but I told him to save some for breakfast! :) DELISH!!!
i had a cranberry bagel, it was pink on the inside and outside and oh so delicious! how fun, definitely going to be making these!
Can you freeze these at any steps along the process? Can you finish baking them and then freeze them? Would like some way to prepare a bunch in advance and then be able to have them quickly ready later on. Thank you — I’ve been enjoying the recipes!
PS (another topic) — the cinnamon rolls I made from your recipe were too dense, any tips for making them fluffier and lighter?
I’ve never tried freezing these before baking. I *think* it would work after you broil them…but I’m not sure!
The cinnamon rolls are in general a little dense. You could try adding an egg to the mix to see what happens.
When I make bagels I usually bake them lightly and wait for them to cool. Then I cut them (not all the way through but you can if you like) and the put them in a freezer bag. Bagels freeze very well:)
Thanks for all this information! I really appreciate it. I haven’t tried them yet, but now I have even more reason to get to it!
PS — I’m only now getting to baking with dough things and have really been enjoying myself. Thanks for the inspiration!
This sounds so easy. I never considered making my own becasue I thought it was one of those things best left to “the professionals”. Wondering if you have to broil right away or can you do in batches? My oven stopped working and just have a toaster oven to work with right now and it won’t take a whole batch.
Oh, you can do them in batches, no problem.
I made a few adjustments 1) I used 3c Whole Wheat flour and 1c Bread flour 2) 2TBSP vital wheat gluten 3) Skipped the “broil the bagel” step (btw I like saying that also…lol) Let the bread machine do all the hard work (kneading). Boiled and Baked!!! The bagels came out absolutely delicious and had the perfect bagel texture. Not too dense. Thanks for the recipe:)
I love making whole wheat anything (having fresh is so yummy!) and I was excited to see that you had a homeade bagel recipe, so I tried it this morning. So easy, and so yummy. Even my husband, who likes his plain white bagels, said that they were good enough for me to make instead of buying them. Another battle won on the healthy eating front! :)
I was wondering if you’ve ever tried making an everything bagel? I think I might try adapting your recipe. I was also wondering, do you know the nutritional differences (or if there are any) between hard white whole wheat and hard red?
No I never did try any other variety of bagel. Someday…
There is no nutritional difference between red or white wheat!
These sound soo yummy! Unfortunately I’m not a “bread maker” so kneading is foreign to me. I’ve tried it in the past and nothing comes out right. Can I use my dough hook on my Kitchenaid? If so, for how long? Thanks!!
I’m sure you can use your dough hook on your Kitchenaid, but I’m sorry that I have no idea how long to recommend! I’ve not used one, so I don’t know. Probably a little less than the time you use for bread?
I just found your sight today and i love it. Ty for so many wonderful ideas and inspirations. I’ve been slowely getting back into baking after being sick for some time. It’s nice to find some whole wheat recipies that i can try.=) Ty again.
Well, ‘broil your bagles’ made me giggle, too, but I don’t get out much either :D
I’ve tried a lot of bagle recipes, but they never come out right. This one has promise! And who doesn’t like whole wheat? Thanks for posting!
I found you thru Halle The Homemaker. I think “broil your bagels” sounds funny as well. I am looking forward to trying this recipe. My children love bagels (who doesn’t right?) Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I just made these bagels and they are fantastic. Mine aren’t as pretty as yours, but they taste great! Now, if I only eat one (and not the whole batch). :) I have thought about make bagels for a long time, but hesitated because it sounded like it took a long time, but it doesn’t. These are absolutely great!
My sister and I made these bagels… which are amazing… but we made chocolate chip, blueberry, garlic & sunflower seed versions… you should most certainly experiment… they were so good!
hi..thanks for sharing..!!
I was wondering what kind of flour did you use?
I just don’t get it..thanks
I used freshly ground whole wheat flour.
These have really good flavor. I just finished making a batch (I actually still have a pan baking right now), and they turned out well. I did have a problem with several of them … they shrunk and are wrinkled. Any ideas on how to fix that? I wondered if it might be because they sat for awhile between the time that I broiled them and boiled them? I’ve never broiled them before, and have had the shrinking and wrinkling problem on a much larger scale. I’m guessing that broiling helps to reduce that … any advice would be welcome!
Thanks for sharing – I’ve been looking for a good bagel recipe. I have 6 younger siblings, and we all like bagels! BTW, I had my 11 year old sister say “broil your bagels” 3 times real fast, and she came out with “bury your bagels” :) :)
Mine get wrinkled sometimes too, but yes, the broiling helps prevent that.
I was looking for an easy recipe for bagels and this is truely it!!!! I modified the recipe by adding a half cup of King Arthus Harvest Grain blend for more nutreitns and fiber. Also, for six of the bagels I added cinnamon and raisins. Yum, my family enjoyed these. I’m ready to start another batch. Thanks for the recipe.
Nice. I’ll try this soon. I am one who has to borrow brains. Would you say white wheat berries would work, or red? If you put fruit in them or onion, how much would you do, like a half of a cup? Thanks.
I like white wheat berries best and think red would make this recipe too heavy. Yes, I think a half a cup of add in would be perfect!
This looks soo good!! Am gonna try it this afternoon…we like the cinn. an raisin, would you just add it to the batter??
Yes, just knead it in at the end!
I mean at the end of adding in the rest of the ingredients! :)
Okay, newbie bread/bagel maker here . . . how long do you knead for? I’m not exactly sure how to tell when it is elasticy or smooth enough . . . Thanks :)
Probably for about 8 minutes or so?
So I was over-zealous & tried both the Whole Wheat Bread & the Honey Whole Wheat Bagels…at the same time. I’m going to try baking them at the same time as well. Have you ever done that successfully?
No, I’ve not done it before. How did it work?
Baking them at the same time seemed to work just fine…the bread turned out wonderfully! (The bagels, as I already shared, were shriveled after I boiled them. That didn’t stop the family from eating them, though!)
I just baked my bagels, but most of them turned out a bit shriveled. I read elsewhere online that the shriveling is due to over-rising the dough before boiling them, or letting them rise in a room that’s too hot. Just thought I’d share that in case it might help someone else. Can’t wait to try these!
Thank you!! I think that’s exactly what happened to mine. I did end up letting the dough rise longer than 10 minutes because of something unavoidable. Now I know for next time! I look forward to seeing them come out a little better. :)
We were playing with the tongue twister, “Broil, boil, bake.”
I made these today and first off was the dough supposed to rise after 10 minutes b/c it looked exactly the same. Also, they are very dense. What did I do wrong? Are they supposed to come out dense.
Thanks
Hmm, I’m not sure. Your yeast may not have worked because mine always start puffing up right away after I shape them. Since they didn’t rise, that would make them very dense. They are going to be a little bit dense because bagels sort of are…but it just sounds like your yeast didn’t activate well. :(
Yum! These look great and so healthy too. Thanks for the recipe! :)
Care to share the recipe for Cinnamon raisin and blueberry?
Sure, if I ever get around to actually MAKING them!! :)
Oh, I am SO looking forward to making these. My husband eats bagel sandwiches at work every day, at I hate to paying $3 per pack for the ones he likes best. I’ve looked on other sites, but it seemed to be a long and expensive endeavor, so I’m thrilled to have found your recipe. By the way…my whole wheat crackers are crisping up as we speak. Can’t wait!
I’m SO frustrated that I found this recipe. I made them with chocolate chips and now I can’t stop eating them! Especially covered with a layer of cream cheese. I must resist eating a 3rd!
Hi! I love this site – such a great resource for eating well! Your honey whole wheat has become our staple bread (that is, until I try the sourdough – who knows how much we’ll love that?!) I have a question about these bagels. Do you freeze them? What point in the making, cooking process would it be good to freeze them? I’d like to freeze them after the broiling and boiling, so all I had to do was bake when I got them out, but I’m not sure if that would work. Did anything specific work for you?
I haven’t frozen these before, so I’m really not sure how it would work. MAYBE you could freeze them after they’ve been boiled, but I’m just not sure. I think they’d work best to be baked, then frozen, thawed then toasted.
Just FYI – I froze these bagels after boiling, let them thaw on the counter for an hour or so, and then baked the, for the normal amount of time and they came out really good! They looked slightly different – perhaps not as shiny and had a few more wrinkles – but the taste and texture was not compromised. I’ve got some stashed in the freezer for breakfasts this month!
Is there any way that you can figure out how to make french onion? Those bagles are sooo tasty, and I want to make them, but I can’t figure out how to make them with out using that pre=made french onion soup mix that is really unhealthy and full of nasty stuff. You know the mix that I’m talking about, right?
Also… I used real maple syrup instead of honey, and made maple syrup whole wheat bagles and they were soo tasty!
I’ve never made these or any other bagels, but french onion soup is basically caramelized onion in a rich beef broth, so if you want french onion bagels I would try adding some cooked onion and substituting beef broth for the water.
I may have to try making these this snowy afternoon… I love bagels and have been kind of hungry for some.
Oh Horray!! A recipe that I will use on a weekly basis due to E’s obsession with sausage cheese bagels before work! Thank you thank you thank you!
And yes “broil your bagel” does sound… funny!
Have you tried this with soaking? How would you do that? Thanks!
I have yet to try this with soaking…if I ever figure it out, I’ll be sure to post about it!
Could you mix up everything except the yeast and a little of the water and honey, and then add that in the morning? And use buttermilk instead of water for soaking?
if you say it MIGHT work, I will try it! And let you know :)
Oooooh….I just HAD to send you the link to a recipe I found for pumpkin bagels!! I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m definitely going to!! I’m thinking that might be a nice little Christmas goody…half a dozen pumpkin spice bagels in a pretty bag w/ some cream cheese and a cute little knife??? Anyhoo….I’m sure you could healthify this one a bit. Maybe switch the brown sugar for sucanat??
http://fromapples2zucchini.blogspot.com/2010/09/pumpkin-spice-bagels.html
YUM!
Made bagels this morning & they were great! (I added about a tsp. of cinnamon to the dough…can hardly taste it but yum!).
I didn’t broil mine first though and only boiled for 3 minutes. I also brushed the tops with one beaten egg and baked at 400 for 20 minutes. It worked well.
The only problem is–there were only 8 :)
Hi, I have a question. I’m going to try making your bagels tomorrow. You say to boil them for seven minutes, and then you say to “continue boiling until they are done”. About how long would this be? I have no idea what I’m doing, so can you give me a general timeframe of how long they have to boiled after the initial seven minutes? Thanks :)
Ah, I see why that was confusing. I just meant…you can only boil a few of your bagels at one time. Boil the first few for 7 minutes, set them on a cloth to drain, then boil THE REST of them for seven minutes. I meant for you to boil bagels until you have them ALL boiled for seven minutes each.
Does that make more sense?
Yes, thank you :) They are in the oven as I type…
What temperature do use to broil them?
Nancy
Hmm, my oven just has a “Hi Broil” and a “Lo Broil”. I broil mine on “Hi” but I don’t know what exact temp that is.
What temperature do you use to broil the bagels?
Most broil temperatures are 500 degrees.
I always follow directions to a “T” when i am new to something. You said, “set the timer for 20 minutes and begin shaping bagels and laying them on a buttered pan. when the timer goes off, broil them”
Is this the step that was supposed to raise the bagels? I did this exactly and they did not raise, so I thought boiling may raise them. It didn’t. So I thought maybe baking would raise them. It didn’t.
I feel a complete failure. Could you insert after the “set the timer for 20 minutes” advice that the bagels should rise? That way, newbie newbie bagel cooks like me could know to keep them longer so they rise if still skinny at 20 minutes.
You followed the directions perfectly!! They really aren’t supposed to rise much…just a tiny bit during that 20 minute time. Bagels are a little more dense than a regular bread, which is why they don’t need much rise time.
I’m currently making these and they don’t seem to be rising like your’s did! :_( I guess I should wait until the end to get upset.
Loved the maple syrup idea. I’m using buckwheat honey (which has an AMAZING flavor on its own…)
YUM!
Bummer that they didn’t rise properly. Hopefully they tasted okay?? :)
Wonderful recipe! I added raisins and cinnamon to the dough.. MMMMMMM! Thanks for the recipe and the website!
I already have some whole wheat molasses oatmeal bread rising, but making some bagels sounds like the perfect snow day activity. I’ll be trying these once the kiddo is down for a nap :D
Any idea how to make an asiago cheese bagel – like they have at Panara Bread? I wasn’t sure at what point to put the cheese on top…
I made your honey whole wheat bread last night – fantastic. Hoping to make the bagels today.
Omg I so am going to try this soon cause my son and i are HUGE bagel fans. Normally blue berry bagels. All i do is add blueberry’s right? Oh my i cant wait to try…U dont have a home made cream cheese do u? Thanks laura. Just found this site to night been looking up recipe’s for like 3 hours..
Yes, just add blueberries. And you can use store bought cream cheese if you want!
Ok i have one more question..What do u mean by kneed the dough..Ive never made bread before..My mom was gonna show me but she passed before we got to that n my cooking lessons..
You can watch a tutorial here to learn how to knead the dough: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial
Hi, Laura! ;o)
I’m still learning about the soaking thing
(to break down phytates) & wondered if you
soak this recipe beforehand? Also, what’s
your basic premise on what you do or do not
soak? Hmmmmm
I was also a little confused b/c I am borrowing
the “Nourshing Traditions” book & it talks
about doing the soaking in a “warm” place
overnight. Is this really necessary?
My oven doesn’t have any light, so I don’t
know where else I could put my ingre. in to
soak that would keep them “warm”. Thanks
for getting back with me on this as I’m still
trying to learn & grasp these new concepts!
As always, your patience is much appreciated!!
I’m still loving your recipes……soo good!!!
Blessings!
Amy
I haven’t tried soaking these. There are some recipes I just haven’t taken the time to figure out and I haven’t worried about it too much since we’re eating healthy, whole grains.
Eh, warm place or not…I’ve never really given it much thought. I think wherever you leave it overnight will be fine. I think NT just means – not in the fridge. I think. :)
I made bagels today, and they wre great! I had tried bagels once as a teenager for a 4-h project. Major flop. I just crossed that off my list of possibilities. I am so glad I gave this recipe a try, very good! My only regret is I don’t have any cream cheese!
I would love to make these, but we are having to make everything with sourdough, because of yeast overgrowth issues and lyme disease. Do you know of a good bagel recipe with sourdough?? Or is it pretty easy to change over the recipe for sourdough use?? THanks!!
I don’t know of one right now, but if I can figure one out someday, I’ll be sure to share!
I live in a high-altitude place. Do you know if I will need to reduce the yeast in these bagels for them to turn out right? When making bread, I usually reduce the yeast by at least 1/2 tsp. (or when baking, reduce by about half of the total amount of leavening agent). Thanks!
Alternately… I can try it and let you know! :)
Yikes, I’m not up on how to tweak recipes for high altitude. I’d say try it the way you tweak your bread and see what happens. Then be sure to let us know!
Hi Laura,
I tried making these bagels today (finally!) using the recipe’s stated
amount of yeast, and they turned out perfectly! (I let them rise in a
200-degree oven once shaped into O’s, since my kitchen was a bit
chilly this morning). My husband was quite impressed. :) I will definitely be
making these again, and would love to try some other variations!
I was wondering what kind of yeast you used–active dry or instant. Maybe that’s why some people had trouble with the rising. I’m going to make these today and use the instant.
I believe mine is active dry. I threw away the package though so I’m really not sure!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I made everything whole wheat bagels last night and they turned out well!
I tried this recipe today and it didn’t work at all:-( I fresh ground whole white wheat berries- but my grinder doesn’t get the flour powder fine- it was a little coarse- am wondering if that had anything to do with it? Also I used dry active yeast, and in all other recipes, have combined it with the water and let it sit first- i just added the yeast right to the dry ingredients like you did here- and I don’t think it activated at all- my bread didn’t rise at ALL- stayed a hard little lump. Should I leave it sit longer- other recipes say to let the dough sit overnight- have you done that? The flavor/smell is good- but the finished bagels are rock-hard dense:-(
Yes, it could be that the flour was too course. I also use dry active yeast, so I wouldn’t imagine that was the problem. I’ve never let mine sit all night. So sorry they didn’t work for you!
My two girls and two girl frineds wanted to make bread and we only had whole wheat flour. We found your recipe and are enjoying the finished product. Yum!!!! They are so happy with their accomplishments that they are joking about dropping out of college and making and selling bagels for a living. Thank you for your recipe! You made a spring break day at home in the rain special.
We made these today. They’re so good! I did find that the broiling was a bit too long. It almost cooked them through so I found that I didn’t need to bake for as long later. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Oh my Godness, these bagels were so yummy. My boys loved them. Thank you so much Laura for this recipes and this wonderful website. I just wanted to request one thing: would you be able to update the time on draining the bagels? I let them drain for 5-10 minutes before baking. And, they came out really good. I am not sure if that is what you did.
Thank you again and God bless.
Hmm, I just drained them long enough to get them all out of the water…then baked them right away. Looks like I didn’t specify a draining time huh? Thanks for pointing that out!
I will be making these tomorrow for sure. I have a questions though: do bagels really need to have that hole in the middle? Also, how long would I knead in my Bosch? Thanks. This recipe seems nice and easy and not so scary.
Bagels really do work better with the hole in the middle. I’m sorry I don’t have a Bosch, so I’m not sure on how long to knead it in that. I’m clueless about Boschs, but I’ve heard they are wonderful!
Can you make these into mini bagels? You know like instead of 12 divide them again for 24?
I would imagine so, but I’ve never tried it. Sounds like fun!
I am planning on making these for a brunch this weekend, but I live in extreme humidity. Do you have any pieces of advice for me? Generally I add a little extra flour to baking recipes to combat this but half the time things don’t turn out right and I’m not completely sure why, haha.
I’m really not sure what to recommend, yes maybe a little extra flour, although too much would make a dry dough.
I am so thankful for your great tutorial! I have been wanting to make bagels for a long time, but I was scared being of the boiling part. But it was so easy and I will be tasting my bagels in a few minutes. I used Kamute instead of whole wheat flour because its gluten free, so we will see how that tastes!
God bless!
Rebecca
I made them and my family ate them real quick! we loved them! thank you so much for a great recipe!!! We ate them in 2 days! :)There are only 4 of us. hahaha :)
Hi :) just tried these and they all looked marvelous coming out of the water but then all but 3 of them shriveled almost immediately into hard little circles! :P Has this ever happened to anyone else and whatcha think the problem might be? They are in the oven but I have dealt with this whole wheat dough long enough to know that most of these are gonna be inedible….now I’m just sad. :(
This happened to me too! I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong.
They tasted good, but the ones that stayed “big” were better. I’ll
be curious if anyone has suggestions.
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong either. They look great, until I boil them, then they shrink!
I am not sure why this is happening…hmmm. I am wondering if the yeast
is getting killed somewhere along the way. They should shrink a little
bit, but not a whole lot. I am wondering if they need to be made bigger
before they go into the water. I wish I could be more helpful.
I just tried making these yesterday, some of them came out perfect while others just shriveled up after I boiled them, just as you described! It was disappointing but I had the idea that perhaps it was with the first baking process, either too long or too short. I made them again today, watching the first batch very carefully and not allowing them to brown at all on either side. They came out super super perfect after the boiling and didn’t shrivel or anything. The other ones, I allowed to get to varying degrees of brown before boiling them, and they shriveled. The more brown ones shriveled up more, and the less brown ones shriveled less, but they still shriveled up. So, I believe the broiling process is the critical point in making these. Anyhow, my two cents worth. :)
I have this problem EVERY time, and during the process of “boiling” today, I decided to boil my first 5 bagels for the full 7 minutes suggested, and each one “shrunk” immediately upon removing them from the water. With the 7 bagels left, I only boiled them briefly (a minute or so) and took them out, and found that none of them shrunk. I think I’m going to stick to only boiling for a SHORT time from now on and see if that solves the shrinking/yeast die off problem!
Just boil them for 30 seconds on each side, it wont kill the yeast and has the exact same effect (This is from an old English bagel recipe). :-)
I’ve been making bagels for a while now, and Abby is right. But so is Elyssa. The Broiling is only suppose to be about 5 minutes, and the boiling in the water is suppose to be 30 seconds on each side, so one full minute. Hope this helps!
That is, if you even broil them at all. I’ve never broiled them. Just shape them, boil them for a minute, and put in the oven for 20.
I’ve actually found that NOT broiling them results in larger bagels. Found that out by accident when I forgot to do it once.
It’s the broiling. I’ve never heard of broiling bagels except in this recipe. I always skip it and just boil then bake. They always come out great.
I love your recipe for bagels so I thought I’d comment on how we use it.
I make the recipe just like you called for but instead of boiling and baking them all I do is broil them on low until lightly browned on both sides. That way they are still bagels but nice and SOFT. My little ones LOVE them!
Thanks again for the recipe!
Can you use regular flour for this and not have to change the measurements of other ingredients? I’m still trying to get rid of the last of my white flour.
Yes, you may actually need just a little bit more flour than the recipe calls for, otherwise I think the recipe should work the same.
I love making whole wheat bagels. I usually use part white wheat, part red wheat and also some oats that I grind up in my blender. Another difference is that I do not broil them. I don’t understand the purpose of that step. I shape them, let them rest about 20 minutes then plop in the boiling water with honey. They sit in there 30 secs then I flip and they go for another 30 secs. Then I put them on a rack to dry off, then brush with an egg white wash, dip in seeds and bake for about 20 min or until golden. Yummy every time. Nice and chewy but still soft. Store the extras in the freezer to toast because they don’t keep long on the counter. They tend to get too dry.
I have made these so many times and everytime at least half of mine are doughy, not cooked through, I boil for 7 minutes like you say to do after broiling for two minutes per side, then bake for 30 minutes. I am wondering if you have any suggestions on how to bake them so this will not happen. My MIL makes bagels and boils them for 30 sec each and then bakes them and never has this problem, maybe I should try this???
Sounds like a good idea to try!
A thought . . . Oven temperatures can vary widely, and a low temp would cause your bagels to not cook through. Try getting an oven thermometer and testing your oven for accuracy. ( turn oven on to 350 and see if it really is 350 when your oven is done preheating.)
This will be my first try at making bagles today. I cant wait to try this recipe!
Mine burned when I broiled them– and I did one side on the highest rack and the other side in the middle and both got way too brown. How in the world did you manage to keep yours still dough colored?!
Wow, that’s too bad. Your oven must broil much hotter than mine. Next time, it would be just fine to broil them for a shorter amount of time. The only reason you need to broil them is so that the outside of the dough will be a little bit tough, so that when you boil them, they’ll stay together better.
Hi Laura
I made the bagel today. I did great. How do you make onion, blueberry bagel. Have you try any other??
Thank You for sharing your recipe. I love your web-site. Nancy
I’m just learning about yeast and am just finding out that there are more than one kind, much less how each different one works. What yeast do you use for these?
I use active dry yeast in this recipe.
I just made these using fleishman’s yeast. Should I have used two packs? I used the active. I was able to get 12 med ones out of the batch. I would love to start another batch because shrunk after I boiled them. I also see that you added the yeast to the dry mixture then added the water? So you didn’t have to poof? Boy this is confusing. Thanks so much!
I’d say my bagels generally shrink up a little bit too, making about 12 medium sized bagels. It IS weird that you don’t have to proof the yeast in this recipe, part of that is that we’re not looking for a big, fluffy bread, so it doesn’t need to rise much. I think your one pack of yeast was enough. I know this IS confusing – bagels are much trickier than many other breads!
i do proof my yeast and also let the dough rise for a bit. usually i put them in the frig over night until i have time in the morning to prepare. no shrinkage occurs. i do not broil them, that sounds like a step i can add next time and try. i do press a lot of garlic in mine….but that is just me!!! i love garlic!! i look forward to trying this recipe!!
Thank you!!! I’m very excited to make these so I’m picking some yeast up tomorrow when I go to the grocery store. :-)
Okay so I will try it again! Thank you and still just use one packet and don’t proof the yeast for just mix all as directed. Let me clean the kitchen and see if I can do another batch. This is so fun!!
Hi,
I too often have had the problem of “soggy” bagels without seeing it addressed anywhere. I think it may help to not boil them more than 3 mins. per side, then what I do is place them on a slotted tray (commonly used for broiling) in front of a circular fan on my kitchen counter for a few mins. till they dry out a little (turning over once). This has seemed to help. I think since this seems like a nice detailed recipe, it should work.
hi
this may come as a surprise but i do not have a broiler in my oven. is there anything i can use instead or is it ok if i just boil and bake them? thanks.
Yes, I think that will work okay.
I hope it works cause I don’t have a broiler either! I am going to try them without the broiling step. I hope it works too.
I’ve been making bagels for 2 years now and have never heard of broiling them until recently. It’s something you can do and doesn’t hurt the process, but you can certainly just boil them without having done it. Make sure you only boil them for a minute though, not the full 7 listed here.
I’ve made asiago, cinnamon sugar, chocolate chip and bacon cheddar chive bagels! I’ve yet to try honey wheat which is how I came across your blog. I know this is months after your post, but you should try some different flavors! It’s so fun to experiment.
Ours turned out great. All of your recipes turn out so yummy. Thank you!!!
I made these last night and they did turn out good. I just feel, though, that they turned out a little too dense. I mean I know bagels are a denser bread but these were too much so. Do you think I need to allow them rise longer or can you tell me what I may need to do for them to not be so dense.
I also wanted to ask that if this same recipe would work to make cinnamon raisin or other flavored bagel just adding in desired ingredients with the yeast?
Thanks
Yes, maybe let them rise just a little bit longer. Sometimes mine turn out perfect and other times mine are also too dense. Maybe it depends on the moisture level and temperature in the air?? Who knows! And yes, I think you can just add raisins or cinnamon or whatever you would like for different flavors!
Today was my first attempt. They did not rise as much as your pictures….maybe my yeast got too hot. They are in the oven now. I am planning on serving them tomorrow morning for breakfast. We’ll know the verdict then =)Thank you for being such an inspiration!
I always heard you couldn’t broil on a baking stone is that true? Or do you just put it on a lower rack?
I’ve heard that too – after I had done this many times without a problem! But yes, mine is on a lower rack, so that might be why I haven’t had trouble.
I cracked my Pampered Chef Stone, even after using it to broil a couple times. Yes, I cried. So be careful!!!!
Was looking for a bagel recipe and found yours today – do you think I could make these with maple syrup instead of honey? I’ve found it usually subs well… (I’m allergic to honey)
I am sure that would work fine!
I use maple syrup for my wheat bread and it works!
Have you ever tried a soaked or soured method with these?
No, I’ve not tried that with these bagels.
Well my wife came in and caught me making these bagels, she wanted to know why I WAS NOT proofing the yeast and why I had to put the under the Broiled and other question related to how she makes bagels. I advised her that I was following your receipt and she would have to wait and see. She then ask if you were Jewish and I said ” not sure but I think so” Anyway the bagels were not so good with some being very flat and doughy and others being ok. I will be eating them all my self as that is the way it is when you cook something and it does not turn out so good. Thanks for you work putting this on the internet, I had fun making them. Ray
Well it sounds like this was an adventure for you! I am bummed that
they didn’t all turn out, but I guess that is how it goes sometimes.
Laura is actually not Jewish; she is non-denominational Christian. :)
I am glad that even though they didn’t turn out, you still had fun!
I made these on Sunday and shared one with my 9 year old son who LOVED it! Then on Monday when he had his choice of 2 different kinds of yummie cookies for dessert, he said, “Can I have one of those yummie wheat bagels you made?” He didn’t follow it with “My beautiful Mommy dearest” but I still love it!! :)
P.S. I followed Laura’s recipe exactly. I didn’t change one single thing. I will say, though, that they are better warm than cold. So, if you have leftovers just pop them in the toaster to warm them up. So Good!
We just made elderberry bagles with the elderberry mush left over from making syrup!
SO great!
I love the whole wheat.
Thanks!
Yum! The bagels are really good. Mine aren’t as big as the ones shown in the photo. After reading the reviews, I decided not to broil the bagels. As one of the reviewers suggested, I let it rest for 20 mins and then boiled it on each side for 30 secs. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!
If they shrivel up directly after boiling that most likely means they were left to rest for too long, so just shorten the rising time that should help.
This looks like a great recipe! Thanks so much! I always wanted to make homemade bagels!! I am now going to be following you! Would love to have you as a follower of my brand new mommyhood blog too! Have a blessed new year!
I made these bagels this afternoon and my family ate them for dinner because they were fabulous! I am passing this recipe on to my friends and family because I am thrilled to find a healthy bagel recipe!
I love your website! I love baking and making homemade stuff but it is sometimes hard to find a more healthy way to do it. I made these bagels and than toasted it. It was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing and all your hard work:)
These are amazing!! So much easier than the regular white flour bagel recipe I have made in the past, and so delicious!!
Hello I was wondering when you broil the bagels where do you put the rack inthe top middle bottom. My bagels browned, my stove also asked me broil low or high. Thanks a bunch
I put them on the middle rack at high broil.
Do you ever put baking soda in your boiling water? I have made bagels and soft pretzels in the past and that is usually in the water.
No, I don’t. But I’m sure that would work.
I LOVE this recipe!! My daughters request bagel every morning, and when we run out, they are begging me to make more! I keep them in the freezer and just thaw and toast them in the toaster as needed.
I also added dried cranberries, orange zest, and a little bit of cinnamon to a batch…they were crazy good! Those are my favorite! :)
In the oven now, I have a cinnamon sugar one that has a layer of large sugar crystals on top. I used to order one like that at a bagel shop when I was younger. We will see what happens. ha! I also added chocolate chips to some to see how that turns out. These will be more like a dessert bagel, but that is okay too!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!
I have never made bagels before, and these are delicious!
This was my first time making bagels..they are so yummy but stayed a little too wet so next time I’ll boil them a little less..and I might try using my spelt/sweet sorghum flour mix and see how they turn out! THANK YOU for the wonderful recipe!
I haven’t made bagels yet, but reading this recipe really makes me want to try!
How dense are these bagels? I am looking for a lighter recipe for honey wheat bagels. The two that I’ve tried so far are way to dense & uncomfortable to eat. Thanks.
These are pretty dense. Every once in a while I get a batch that seems lighter, but generally they do turn out a little bit heavier. They do much better with freshly ground white wheat flour.
Yay! Another one to try! I have not made these before, but I am definitely doing it this week! Thanks for posting this!
I am wondering where the difference in the amount of flour comes in. It says you need 4 1/2 c but then you only mix 2 c. Is it just in case you need to add in extra?
Here’s how the directions read: “Stir together 2 cups of the flour, the salt and the yeast. Add in the warm water and 3 Tablespoons honey. Gradually add in the remaining flour.”
You simply add the other 2 1/2 cups slowly after you’ve mixed the initial 2 cups with the water and honey, until it forms a nice dough. Hope that helps!
I just made these and while they are not nearly as pretty as yours, I am ecstatic! My kids love them, they’re healthy AND I just figured out they cost me 1/3 of the price of store bought ones that are on sale! This is the first time I have ever had a bagel that didn’t come out of a bag, and I don’t think I will ever go back. Hopefully they will get prettier with practice!
i made these with whole grain no addative flour(rogers) and they turned out beautiful had to fight my neice and nephew off so they wouldnt all get eatten there 2 and 8 and these kids dont eat anything healthy!! GREAT RECIPE its nice to have a healthy bagel without all that sodium and additives from allot of that store bought flour and all the preservatives from packaging. thank you so much!!
oh man these bagels made my mouth water just thinking about em so i finally tried them!
per others reviews, i didn’t broil them. i boiled for just 30-45 seconds on each side then baked for 25 min.
i dipped directly into sea salt & sesame seeds and loved em (although, go light on the sea salt – it can be too salty if you dip it in a plateful of salt)
i even made the mistake of pouring all of the flour in before mixing the first half and they seemed to rise when boiled and baked anyway.
next time, i’m going to make everything bagels! THANKS LAURA!!!
I am in the 20 minute wait period but already I have ran into a small problem…I only had whole wheat pastry flour and I had to start over because it was too dry. I ended up only using 3 cups of flour. Do you think this kind of flour is going to make the recipe not turn out?
Pastry flour doesn’t usually work for recipes that call for yeast, but I’m sure they will still turn out decent. :)
Good to Know for next time!! They did actually turn out and were pretty fun to make!! Only 2 shrivled up. Not bad I thought. Can’t wait to make them again seens how there are only 2 left.Thanks!
I am so thankful to God that I found this site I have 4 girls and a military husband. He has decided we need to go all natural so this has been a God sent! The Bagels have come out perfect! We use to live in Nebraska (offutt), but now am an Ohioan. We totally miss Ted and Wallies in the Old Market! We love all your posts. Thanks
I have been wanting to try these for a long time. So for your “try something new” challenge, I finally made them! They turned out really good, and I am so excited to finally be able to serve my family bagels again. They beg for them all the time, but I don’t like store-bought bagels, not healthy! (And cost too much with 4 kids going through them like crazy!)
These look great, I can’t wait to try them! However, I only have instant yeast on hand, do you think I can use it instead of active dry yeast? Thanks!
Yes, that will work!
I made these today. I had another recipe for cinnamon raisin bagels that took A LOT of time.. and energy, which I do not have. So, I added some sugar to these (about 3 tbsp), a cup of rehydrated raisins, a tbsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg. I did not broil my bagel (hehe) I boiled them for a minute each side, then followed this other recipe’s way of baking, 5 minutes at 500, then 5-10 minutes at 450, until golden. They are delicious :) Just wanted to share.
Hi everybody,
I have little suggestion regarding bagels. When you boil the bagels with honey instead put l table spoon Baking Soda to water – boil just you are doing boiling, draining on paper towel and then bake – the bagel will be chewy and great. Just give a try. I learned this method in baking school.
thanks
almas
I made these bagels today. Followed the tips in the comments about not broiling and only boiling for a minute total and they came out awesome! I added some raisins and cinnamon to some, and garlic powder, onion powder and sesame seeds to some, and then topped the rest with just some oats and man are they good. I think I will try some blueberry bagels next time. Thank you so much for this easy quick recipe!! :)
I made these my first time making bagels. They didn’t turn out great. They didn’t rise. They are small thick and heavy. Any advice? Did you use 100% whole wheat or a 50/50 mixture?
I used 100% whole wheat, but it was freshly ground hard white wheat, so that might be the difference.
OH YUM! so I made the recipe but skipped the broil. They really lose the shape ..Does the “Broil” help with that? I’m assuming it does ….. but they are so good and I’ve NEVER made bagels before…. … most recipes say rest one hour then shape then raise again…… any thoughts as to why
Yes, the broil does help the bagels keep their shape. Glad these tasted so good!
We used to eat spinach flavored bagels at a coffee house, and they are really hard to find. I learned how to make bagels just so I could make them with spinach. They are especially good with vegetable flavored cream cheese!
I’m guessing this dough shouldn’t be sticky at all when trying to form the bagels?
I used sprouted spelt and my kitchen aid mixer for about five minutes. They looked deflated and we’re pretty sticky when I tried to form them. I almost scrapped it but broiled them and they puffed up well and then boiling them sealed it. They are awesome! It’ll take more flour and a couple times of making them to perfect them but pretty easy and you can’t beat homemade!
The dough is a little bit sticky, but usually not as sticky as you described. So glad they turned out so well for you!
These look so wonderful! I’m putting on my list of to bake next. Thx for posting. My favorite bagels are blueberry and cinnamon raisin types.
Enjoy!
-Bethany (Laura’s assistant)