Super Easy Plain Bagel Recipe
Homemade simple bagels can be made with ease and yield delicious results. Their crunchy exterior coupled with their distinctive taste makes them an excellent choice for a breakfast or brunch item, particularly served with cream cheese.
Easy Homemade Plain Bagels
Since I am a chef by profession, one of the things that I have always enjoyed doing was baking bread at home. Homemade bagels have been a favorite; they are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and ideal as a breakfast food, sandwich filling, or even eaten as it is fresh out of the oven. Today, I will be showing you my quick way to make bakery-style plain bagels right at home.
Are you looking for an exciting kitchen experience for this upcoming weekend? If yes, I suggest trying out this quick bagel recipe. The ingredients list is minimal, and the method is surprisingly straightforward once you have gone through the process of making them.
I find making them at home to be an entertaining and relaxing activity since the entire exercise involves shaping the dough and boiling it before placing it in the oven. Once done, they are best served warm as either a breakfast bagel or in the form of a simple bagel sandwich.
Why You Will Love This Bagel Recipe
- Firstly, it is quite easy to prepare, even for someone who does not know how to make bagels.
- The bagels will be chewy on the inside and crispy outside.
- They require just a few ingredients.
- Feel free to add seeds or any spice you prefer to your bagels.
- Homemade fresh bagels taste better compared to store-bought bagels.
Key Ingredients for Easy Plain Bagel Recipe
Bread flour – I use only bread flour in my bagel recipes because it has more proteins than all-purpose flour. The bagels will be chewier and have better structure due to the increased amount of gluten formed during mixing and kneading.
Instant yeast – I love using instant yeast because it’s quick, reliable, and easy to work with. It gives the dough a beautiful, even rise without any fuss, so you get consistent bagels every time.
Warm water – The water should be at room temperature but not too hot to kill the yeast. This type of water will activate the yeast and provide a good dough consistency.
Sugar – Only a little amount of sugar is needed to give the yeast enough food and make bagels brown and crispy on the outside. Also, sugar slightly sweetens the bagels’ taste.
Salt – Salt is essential for flavor—it enhances all the other ingredients and helps control the yeast, ensuring the dough rises evenly and tastes well-rounded.
How to make Easy Plain Bagels (Step-by-Step)
Take a look at the step-by-step photos below for a visual guide to the process. You’ll find the complete written recipe along with helpful tips in the recipe card further down the page.
Make the dough – Mix warm water, instant yeast, and maple syrup or honey in a bowl and let it sit until foamy. Add bread flour and salt, then knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (photos 1- 4).
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and let them rest briefly. Shape each piece into a bagel, place on a baking sheet, and cover. Let them rise briefly or refrigerate overnight. Before baking, bring to room temperature if chilled and preheat the oven to 450°F (photos 5-8).
Poach and bake – Bring water and maple syrup or honey to a boil in a large pot. Boil the bagels for 1 minute per side, then place them on a baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Bake until lightly golden brown (photos 9- 12).
Bagels are best the day they are baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Toast before serving for the best texture.
From my kitchen (Chef’s Notes)
Consistency is key: Make sure all bagels are roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
Water temperature: The water should be warm, not hot, to properly activate the yeast.
Boiling is essential: Don’t skip the boiling step—it’s what gives bagels that chewy, authentic texture.
Storage tip: Bagels keep for 1–2 days at room temperature in an airtight container. You can also freeze them for later use.
This simple bagel recipe is an example of that kind of baking experience where doing it all from scratch yourself gives a tremendous feeling of satisfaction. The process, from shaping to boiling to baking, teaches you a lot about dough without becoming too complex.
I appreciate the fact that, after making it twice or three times, you get into a flow. You no longer have to think about the process itself, but understand the feel of the dough and its behavior. It becomes a process you will enjoy repeating in the future.
Should you have liked this one, you may be interested in trying my French baguette or the no-knead Dutch oven bread recipes.
FAQ
This problem is most often caused by under-proofing, meaning that the dough has not been given sufficient time to ferment and prove properly. Inactive yeast is another cause of this problem. Whenever you use dry yeast, you should always allow the yeast to bloom in some warm water mixed with a little sugar first.
Your bagels should have a golden crust, be light when lifted off the rack, and have a dark brown underside—if your bagels are pale or soft at the bottom, they aren’t quite ready yet.
Allow the bagels to cool down and store them in an airtight bag at room temperature, avoiding exposure to heat or air.
In case you wish to save them for more than a few days, cut them into two halves and freeze in a freezer bag. This will allow you to directly bake them out of the freezer when needed.
Behind the Scenes
Just freshly baked, they are impossible to resist. When they bake and turn that beautiful golden color, that is what I wait for every time. I always try to let them sit for a few moments to cool down, but truth be told, one just has to be opened hot.
More Bread Recipes
Check out these other delicious bread recipes you might enjoy:
Super Easy Plain Bagel Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, combine the 3/4 cup warm water , 1 tsp instant yeast, and 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey. Stir well, then proof for 5-10 minutes or until foamy.
- Add the 2 1/4 cup bread flour and 1 tsp sea salt to the yeast mixture and mix until well combined.
- Knead the dough with your hands for 5-7 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add some more flour. If the dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water.
- Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a clean bowl, lightly oiled with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot for 60-90 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.
- Turn the dough onto a clean surface and divide evenly into 4 pieces.
- Let the dough balls rest for 10 minutes, then shape a hole in the center of each ball.
- Place each Bagel onto a baking sheet and cover with a towel. Refrigerate overnight or let them rise for 20 minutes in a warm spot, if you want to bake them the same day. (If you refrigerate the bagels, follow these steps: Remove the bagels from the fridge in the next morning and let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour.)
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a large pot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil and add the 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- Place 2 bagels in the water, and boil for 1 minute on each side. Remove them and place on baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
- Brush each bagel with the egg wash.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Notes
- Use bread flour if possible: Bread flour gives bagels their classic chewy texture because it has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour will still work but the bagels may be slightly softer.
- Don’t skip the boiling step: Boiling the bagels before baking is what creates the signature chewy crust. Even a short boil of 30–60 seconds per side makes a big difference.
- Water temperature matters: Use lukewarm water (about 35–40°C / 95–104°F). Water that is too hot can kill the yeast, while water that is too cold will slow down the dough rising.
- Adjust flour if needed: Bagel dough should be firm and slightly stiff. If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
- Shaping tip: To create an even bagel shape, roll the dough into a tight ball first, then poke a hole in the center and gently stretch it to form a ring.
- Overnight proofing option: For deeper flavor, place the shaped bagels in the refrigerator overnight after shaping. Bake them the next day.
- Storage: Bagels are best the day they are baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Toast before serving for the best texture.
Thanks so much for making this recipe!