The Best Bagel Recipes to Make at Home
Bagel-shop bagels come down to a stiff dough, a cold night in the fridge, a quick boil and a little malt. These 30 bagel recipes take you from a same-day yogurt batch to New York-style, sourdough, everything, cinnamon raisin and bialys. Pick the one that fits your weekend, then freeze the extras.
Start With These Six
One bagel from each section, from an overnight New York classic to bialys. If you only make one batch, start top left.
Overnight New York-Style Bagels
Six ingredients and a night in the fridge. Non-diastatic malt powder goes in the dough and another two tablespoons go in the water bath, which is where that deep golden, toasty crust comes from.
Sourdough New York-Style Everything Bagels
Two days of sourdough, malt syrup in the dough and the boil, and a homemade everything blend with sea salt flakes. Make those flakes Flake Spring Salt and they stay crunchy on top.
Everything Bagels
Malt syrup in the dough, a quarter cup more in the soda bath, and a house everything blend finished with flaky salt. Non-Diastatic Malt Powder stands in for the syrup, minus the sticky jar.
Double Chocolate Chip Bagels
Chocolate chips two ways in a high-gluten dough, with non-diastatic malt in both the dough and the bath. She calls for non-diastatic on purpose, for malt flavor and golden color without active enzymes.
2-Hour Sourdough Discard Bagels
Got discard hanging out in the fridge? Instant yeast does the heavy lifting and the starter brings a little tang, so these go from bowl to boil in under two hours. Stir a spoonful of Non-Diastatic Malt Powder into the...
Bialys
The bagel's unboiled cousin: a chewy round pressed into a well and filled with soft onion and poppy seeds. Best the day you bake them.
Classic and New York-Style Bagels
Stiff dough, a cold night in the fridge and malt in the dough, the boil or both. These are the chewy, blistered bagels people line up for.
Overnight New York-Style Bagels
Six ingredients and a night in the fridge. Non-diastatic malt powder goes in the dough and another two tablespoons go in the water bath, which is where that deep golden, toasty crust comes from.
Homemade Boiled Bagels
A stiff 56% hydration dough, an overnight rest and a float test, with a good explainer on why bagel dough feels firm. It calls for barley malt syrup; Non-Diastatic Malt Powder is the dry swap.
Easy Homemade Bagels
Written for a first batch, with a cold proof that flexes from 8 to 24 hours. Malt powder is optional, and grated Asiago sits on the topping list next to sesame and poppy.
Overnight Bagels
Bread flour cut with a little all-purpose gives a chewy but tender crumb. Barley malt syrup goes in both the dough and the bath, and the shaped bagels proof overnight before a quick float test.
Big-Batch Homemade Bagels
A dozen shiny, mahogany bagels from one bowl, boiled in a malt and baking soda bath. Top them with sesame, caraway or dried garlic, or keep it simple with a pinch of Flake Spring Salt.
Soft and Chewy Bagels
A softer, sandwich-ready bagel built for lox and cream cheese. A small dose of Diastatic Malt Powder feeds the yeast, and the post shows how rolling the ropes thinner buys you more crust.
Malt is the bagel-shop secret
Non-Diastatic Malt Powder is one ingredient, malted barley flour, and it brings the toasty flavor and deep golden crust bagel shops are known for. Mix 1-2 teaspoons per cup of flour into the dough, stir a spoonful into the boil, or reach for it in place of sticky barley malt syrup. Non-GMO sourced.
Sourdough Bagels
Starter in place of most or all of the yeast, plus a long cold proof for the tang. Plan a day ahead, because the starter sets the schedule.
Sourdough New York-Style Everything Bagels
Two days of sourdough, malt syrup in the dough and the boil, and a homemade everything blend with sea salt flakes. Make those flakes Flake Spring Salt and they stay crunchy on top.
Overnight Sourdough Bagels
Mix before bed, shape in the morning and eat them by lunch. The bread flour dough takes an optional 25 grams of non-diastatic malt powder for toasty flavor and a deeper golden crust.
New York-Style Sourdough Bagels
Barley malt powder gets bloomed in water into a quick syrup before it meets the dough, and a little semolina adds bite. Vegan, cold-proofed and seeded right to the edges.
Sourdough Bagels
Active starter does the heavy lifting, with an optional half teaspoon of instant yeast to keep the day on schedule. Barley malt syrup or honey sweetens both the dough and the soda boil.
Sourdough Whole Wheat Bagels
Whole wheat and all-purpose flour, with starter plus a little yeast for a same-day bake. Diastatic Malt Powder in the dough gives the whole grain a stronger rise, and more goes in the boil.
Pumpernickel Sourdough Bagels
Rye flour, molasses and caraway bring the deli flavor, and 25 grams of black cocoa takes the color deep and dark. Glossy, nearly black and made for a thick schmear.
Everything and Seeded Bagels
Sesame, poppy, onion, garlic and a crunchy salt. Top them right after the boil, while the surface is still tacky, and the seeds stay put.
Everything Bagels
Malt syrup in the dough, a quarter cup more in the soda bath, and a house everything blend finished with flaky salt. Non-Diastatic Malt Powder stands in for the syrup, minus the sticky jar.
Everything Bagels From Scratch
Big, craggy and loaded with toasted onion and garlic. An egg white wash before the topping keeps every seed in place, and malt syrup in the bath darkens the crust.
Sesame Bagels
Black and white sesame on every inch, a splash of olive oil in the dough and barley malt syrup for flavor. Worth reading for the notes on choosing a high-protein flour.
Sea Salt and Poppy Seed Bagels
A Nordic spin with an egg in the dough, honey in the boil and a crust of sesame, black poppy and sea salt flakes. Flake Spring Salt gives that topping its crunch.
Onion Bagels
Dried onion in the dough and on top, baked on preheated cast iron for a crisp bottom. The dough is all-purpose, so the stone-milled All-Purpose Flour we stock drops right in.
Salt Bagels
An overnight dough, a baking soda boil and a heavy coat of coarse sea salt. Serve them with chive cream cheese and smoked salmon, deli style.
Sweet Bagels
Cinnamon raisin, chocolate chip, blueberry and pumpkin. Same boil, same chew, a little more going on inside.
Double Chocolate Chip Bagels
Chocolate chips two ways in a high-gluten dough, with non-diastatic malt in both the dough and the bath. She calls for non-diastatic on purpose, for malt flavor and golden color without active enzymes.
Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Four teaspoons of cinnamon plus a little allspice, so the spice actually shows up. Boil in baking soda, barley malt extract or both, depending on how dark you like the crust.
Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Soaked raisins and a cinnamon-sugar swirl in a starter dough with a touch of whole wheat. Trade that whole wheat for KAMUT Flour if you want a buttery, nutty note.
Japanese-Style Chocolate Bagels
A cocoa dough written in baker's percentages, with yeast amounts for same-day or overnight. Stuff them with butter and chocolate, cream cheese or chips.
Blueberry Bagels
Blueberries twice: dried ones in the dough and fresh ones folded in, so there is fruit in every bite. Brown sugar in the boil gives the crust a little extra color.
Pumpkin Bagels
Pumpkin puree and pie spice in the dough, a cinnamon-sugar butter finish and a honey-pecan cream cheese on top. Fall breakfast, handled.
Quick and Easy Bagel Recipes
No overnight rest required. A yogurt dough, a one-rise yeasted dough and a sourdough discard batch, all ready the same day.
2-Hour Sourdough Discard Bagels
Got discard hanging out in the fridge? Instant yeast does the heavy lifting and the starter brings a little tang, so these go from bowl to boil in under two hours. Stir a spoonful of Non-Diastatic Malt Powder into the...
2-Ingredient Greek Yogurt Bagels
Self-rising flour plus thick Greek yogurt, with no yeast and no boil, done in under 40 minutes. Her notes on picking the right yogurt save you from a sticky dough.
Same-Day Homemade Bagels
One hour-long rise and a 10-minute rest, so breakfast doesn't wait for tomorrow. Barley malt syrup goes in the yeast water and the boil; Non-Diastatic Malt Powder does the same malty job, dry.
Bagel Cousins
Bialys skip the boil, Montreal bagels swap malt for honey, and the minis come stuffed with cream cheese.
Bialys
The bagel's unboiled cousin: a chewy round pressed into a well and filled with soft onion and poppy seeds. Best the day you bake them.
Montreal-Style Bagels
Thinner, sweeter and denser than New York bagels, with egg and honey in the dough and a honey-water boil. A 500-degree oven stands in for the wood fire.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Everything Bagel Minis
Yeasted dough wrapped around cubes of cream cheese, poached in malt syrup water, then egg-washed and rolled in everything seasoning. Party food that eats like brunch.
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The Scoop on our Non-Diastatic Malt Powder
The secret behind bagel-shop bagels: toasty malt flavor and a deep golden crust from one ingredient, 100% malted barley flour. It's non-diastatic, so it's here for flavor and color - perfect for bagels, soft pretzels and pizza dough.
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We've Got Answers
Why do you boil bagels?
The boil sets the crust before the bagel ever sees the oven. Hot water cooks the starch on the surface into a thin skin, which gives you the chewy bite and shiny finish and keeps the bagel from puffing up like a dinner roll. Thirty to sixty seconds a side is typical; a longer boil makes a thicker, chewier crust.
What makes bagels shiny and golden?
Shine comes from the boil, because that cooked-starch skin bakes up glossy. Color comes from what you put in the water. Barley malt syrup or a spoonful of non-diastatic malt powder gives the deep golden-brown, toasty crust of a bagel shop, baking soda pushes it darker and more pretzel-like, and an egg wash before the seeds adds extra gloss.
Should I use bread flour or all-purpose flour for bagels?
Bread flour is the classic pick. Its higher protein builds the dense, chewy crumb New York-style bagels are known for, and most recipes here call for it. All-purpose works too and makes a slightly softer bagel that plenty of people prefer. If you swap, hold back a splash of water, since all-purpose flour absorbs a little less.
Do bagels need an overnight proof in the fridge?
No, but they taste better with one. A cold rest of 12 to 24 hours slows the yeast down and builds the tangy, malty flavor and blistered crust of a shop bagel. Same-day recipes still make good bagels. To check that shaped bagels are ready to boil, drop one in a bowl of water: if it floats within a few seconds, go.
Can you freeze homemade bagels?
Yes, and it is the best way to keep them. Let them cool completely, slice them, then freeze in an airtight bag for up to three months. Toast them straight from frozen. Bagels go stale fast on the counter, so freeze anything you won't eat on day one.
Diastatic or non-diastatic malt powder for bagels?
If your recipe calls for barley malt syrup, non-diastatic is the match. Its enzymes are switched off, so it adds malty flavor and golden color only and works as a dry swap in the dough or the boil. Diastatic malt has active enzymes that feed the yeast for a stronger rise, which helps in whole wheat and sourdough bagels. Use about a teaspoon of diastatic per 3 cups of flour, since more can make the crumb gummy.
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