Bagels(Breadmaker)

Real homemade bagels with the chew, the shine, and the slightly crisp crust, all made easier by letting the bread machine handle the kneading. The dough cycle does the hard work of mixing and a quick knead, then you cut things short at 20 minutes (instead of running the full cycle) so you can shape, boil, and bake while the gluten is still active.

The boil step is what separates a real bagel from a bagel-shaped roll. Thirty seconds in barely-simmering water gelatinizes the surface starches, sealing the crust and giving the finished bagel its signature chewy bite and shiny exterior. A blast of 550°F (290°C) heat for just 8 minutes finishes the job with that crackly outer shell.

Use the small, medium, or large quantities depending on how many bagels you need. The technique is identical across all three.

Pro Tips

• Use bread flour, not all-purpose. The higher protein gives bagels their characteristic chew. All-purpose flour produces a softer, roll-like result.
• A teaspoon of barley malt syrup added to the boiling water gives the deepest, most authentic bagel flavor and golden crust color.
• Wet your fingertip and seal the rope ends thoroughly when forming the ring. Weak seals split open during boiling.
• Don’t over-proof the second rise. Fifteen to twenty minutes is plenty. Over-risen bagels collapse in the boiling water.
• Top before baking with sesame, poppy, dried minced onion, garlic, or coarse salt. Press toppings firmly into the wet boiled surface so they stick.

Variations

• Swap honey for maple syrup or molasses for slightly different sweetness profiles.
• Add 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten to push the chew even further.
• Make cinnamon-raisin bagels by kneading in ½ cup raisins and 2 teaspoons cinnamon at the end of the bread machine cycle.