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New York Bagels
If you have ever experienced a real New York bagel, you will know that the bagels sold in the frozen food section of most supermarkets pale in taste and texture. Boiling the bagels in water before baking is what gives them their distinctive, chewy texture.
Yield 12 small bagels
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups bread flour, divided
- 1 (0.25oz) package (7g) or 2 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup water (120-130º F; very warm, but not too hot to touch)
Water bath
- 2 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (brown sugar or molasses can be substituted)
Topping
- 1 large egg white (slightly beaten)
- 1/4 cup Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or your favorite flavors
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add 1 cup flour, yeast, salt and sugar to mixer bowl; whisk to combine. Add warm water to flour mixture. Mix for 4 minutes on medium speed. Switch to dough hook attachment. Gradually add remaining flour and knead 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until indentation remains in dough after poking with finger down to second knuckle, about 1 hour.
- Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles. Divide dough into 4 equal parts and each part into 3 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Poke a hole in the center with a finger. Pull dough gently to make a 1 to 2-inch hole. Place on parchment paper or silicone-lined cookie sheet. Cover, let rise for 15-30 minutes.
- Water bath: In a large pot, heat water and sugar over medium heat to a boil.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Place a few bagels at a time in the boiling water. Cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side (3 minutes total.) Remove with a slotted spoon and place back on prepared cookie sheet. Brush tops with 1 slightly beaten egg white; sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds if desired.
- Bake in oven 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack.
- Serve with your favorite spread.
Notes
Get Bread Machine Method here.
If an egg bagel is preferred, reduced water to 3/4 cup and add 1 egg at room temperature.
Review & Comments
Sadie | •
These are good bagels, the recipe is straightforward, and you don’t have to plan ahead, but the bagels weren’t as good as ones I’ve made with a longer fermentation. I made them 3 times, tweaking the recipe slightly each time. The best outcome was increasing the salt to 1 1/2 tsp, adding barley malt syrup to the dough, and adding molasses, baking soda and salt to the water bath. The bagels were moist with a bit of a chew, but they lacked flavour despite the additional salt and malt syrup. They looked great. I divided the dough into 6 portions about 105 grams each. I used Platinum yeast for the first two batches, and regular yeast (2 tsp) for the final batch, which was the best one.
Hazel | •
Can I substitute with the platinum sourdough yeast in this recipe?
Hi Hazel,
Yes you can. The substitution would be 1:1.
Happy Baking!
Debbie Juli | •
I thought that Malt Barley was an important ingredient to create a real NY bagel.
I only see sugar added, why and how much malt barley (powdered or liquid) should be added?
Thanks
Hi Debbie,
You can certainly substitute in malt for the sugar in this recipe. Sugar was chosen as it is a common pantry item for most home bakers and will provide added sweetness similar to malt.
Happy Baking!
Karen | •
Can I substitute Active Dry Yeast for the Platinum Yeast?
Hi Karen,
Yes you can 1:1. The biggest difference you will see is a slower rise time compared to using the platinum yeast.
Happy Baking!
Andy | •
I’ve been making great bagels for nearly 50 years, using the Tassajara Bread Book recipe. Never put sugar in the boiling water, and have no idea why you would. What does it do ? Increase boiling point same as a little salt ? Why use sugar ?
Hi Andy,
It is in there to slightly sweeten the dough. You can omit if you would like.
Happy Baking!
Paula | •
I have made these bagels over & over…they never disappoint! I’ve even added cinnamon, brown sugar & raisin for a wonderful Cinnamon Raisin bagel!
Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Kristel | •
Made these today and they were wonderful. Chewy exterior and soft on the inside as they should be. I made nine slightly larger bagels instead of the twelve recommended. I needed a teaspoon of water or so to get the right consistency. This recipe will be made over and over!
Linda | •
If I can’t find bread flour but have all purpose can I still make these with success, and should I make any adjustments?
Hi Linda,
Bagels really are best when using bread flour. Although if you can find King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, that has a high protein content that is similar to bread flour. In a pinch, you can use other brand AP flour, keeping in mind that you may need less liquids (start with 1/4 cup less, and add back in as needed) and less kneading. Keep an eye on your dough so it doesn’t rise too much (https://redstaryeast.com/yeast-baking-lessons/baking-steps-guide/). Also, the final volume may not be as big as if you use bread flour, and the texture won’t be as chewy. They’ll still taste good, though! 🙂
Happy baking!
Carol
Al Smith | •
Great success! Made poppyseed and loaded with lox and capers. Sliced and froze all but two for quick trips to toaster later. ????
Lizzy | •
Just a quick question. KitchenAid’s website states that 2 minutes of kneading on speed 2 will account for 10-12 minutes of kneading by hand. They state not to knead for more than 2 minutes in the stand mixer. Can you elaborate on if we should still be kneading for this long in a stand mixer? Or stick with the 2 minutes?
Hi Lizzy,
There are many factors to consider when kneading a dough and how long to knead- including the recipe/ingredients, size of the dough, strength of mixer, etc. There really is not a standard ‘time’ that should be standard for all doughs. The best way to determine when your dough is kneaded enough is to check the dough for the gluten window (https://redstaryeast.com/yeast-baking-lessons/baking-steps-guide/kneading/).
I hope you will find this information helpful.
Happy baking!
Carol
B @ Desigrub | •
I made Japanese style bagels based on these recipe. The recipe is at http://desigrub.com/2012/08/furikake-bagels/ Great if you could link to us!