Homemade Bagels (Authentic Jewish Recipe)

Combine the bubbly yeast mixture will all remaining ingreidients for the bagel dough and knead on the lowest setting of your stand mixer for 5 minutes, then another 10 minutes on the second setting until you end up with a smooth, firm dough.

Cover airtight using plastic wrap or a lid and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and lightly flour the top of the dough. Knead for a quick 30 seconds, then portion the dough into 9 equal parts (100 g or 3.5 oz each).

On a clean surface (the dough will still be barely sticky), roll each dough piece into 20 to 25 cm long strings (about 10 inches), then fold over the ends and press together, forming a ring.

Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and cover with a clean linen towel.  Let rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

You can optionally complete the previous steps the night before baking bagels (making this a super quick process the next morning). Cover them with a clean linen towel and put them in your fridge.

Preheat the oven to 230℃ or 445℉. In a large pot, bring 2 liters/quarts of water to a boil, then add some salt. Boil the bagels for 2 minutes on each side before carefully removing them with a skimmer and transferring back to the baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

Before baking, brush each bagel with an egg white whisked together with equal amount of cold water. Optionally roll your bagels in any choice of topping (I used pumpkin seeds and poppy seeds this time).

Bake for a total of 20 minutes. After 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 200℃ or 390℉ for the remaining 15 minutes of baking. The tops should be starting to turn golden.

It's best to enjoy bagels warm and up to 5 hours after baking. When storing, I slice them in half, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer, so they're ready to pop in the toaster whenever I want an authentic bagel.