Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you go

For 6 large bagels (or about 30 mini ones)

• 500g bread flour or high-gluten flour (1 lb / 4 cups, plus extra for work surface)
• 8g active dry yeast (2¼ tsp) or 1 cube fresh yeast
• 20g sugar (1 generous tbsp)
• 300ml warm water (1¼ cups, possibly more)
• 8g fine salt (1 generous tsp)
• 1 egg (optional)

For topping (choose one or mix)

• Poppy seeds
• Caraway seeds
• Flaky sea salt
• Fresh minced garlic
• Fresh sliced onion
• Fried onion
• Sesame seeds

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

Like most breads, bagels freeze very well, so you can double this recipe and take them out whenever you want. In mini version, you can always have some in the freezer and pull them out for an impromptu appetizer.

The egg is optional - I’ve included photos showing what the dough looks like with and without it.

Preparing the bagel dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the crumbled yeast in 120ml (½ cup) warm water with the sugar. Don’t mix and let rest for five minutes until the mixture foams.

2. Add to the foamed mixture the flour, egg if using, salt and remaining water. Mix well. You should get a slightly moist but firm dough. If you add the egg, you’ll need to add a bit more flour so the dough can form a ball.

3. On a floured work surface (or still in the mixer), knead the dough for about ten minutes - it will become smooth and elastic. Lightly oil your hands (or use a brush) to coat the dough. Cover and let rise for one hour (or until doubled in volume) in the turned-off oven to avoid drafts.

Here’s what the dough looks like before rising

And here it is after rising (version without egg)

Here’s the dough after rising (version with egg)

4. Once the time has elapsed, degas the dough (knead it briefly by hand) then let rest another 10 minutes (or skip if you’re in a hurry).

5. On the floured work surface, gently divide the dough into 6 pieces (you can use a scale but it’s not necessary). Form into balls then (attention, great tip: with a floured finger) make a hole in the center of each ball. The hole should be quite wide (at least 5-6cm / 2-2½ inches) so it doesn’t close up during proofing - the dough is elastic, you’ll see the hole shrink. Place them on an oiled baking sheet (so they don’t stick) and let rise one last time for about ten minutes.

6. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil then lower the heat and poach the bagels (the number will depend on the size of your pot). Cook for 1 minute then turn with a skimmer or large spoon and leave another 30 seconds to 1 minute then remove with the skimmer and place back on the oiled sheet.

7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) on convection. Once you’ve poached all the bagels, sprinkle with seeds of your choice (you’ll notice there’s no egg at this stage - it’s completely unnecessary to brush them with egg, the seeds will stick thanks to the boiling).

8. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the middle/lower part of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, watching until they have a nice golden color.

In mini bagel version

Let cool, fill and enjoy!

Tips and variations

• I made this bagel recipe with and without the egg. Without the egg I found the dough easier to work with (well, the mixer did the work), it really formed into a dough ball after five minutes of kneading with nice elasticity without adding flour. However, after rising, both doughs are identical. Taste-wise, the version without egg is slightly less airy - you choose what you prefer.
• For a brunch, appetizer or buffet, you can make them in mini version (between 25 and 30g / 1 oz each) - you’ll need to reduce the baking time to 10-12 minutes.