Homemade New York Bagel Recipe

Who’s in the mood for some carbs 🙌? Did you know that you can easily make New York style bagels using a very simple recipe/technique that will leave you wondering what took you so long? I honestly had no idea you could even make bagels at home until I came across this Homemade New York Bagel Recipe on Pinterest and tried it myself. Not only did I have fun making them, they turned out exactly like I remember.

I will never forget the first time I had a New York Bagel in New York City. It was probably one of the best experiences of my life. There I was on 9th Avenue waiting for my husband to grab us a couple bagels and a side of cream cheese from a street vendor while we waited in line to see Emeril Lagasse Live. We didn’t want to lose our spot in line (we were first) and I was 4 months pregnant and very hungry 😂. Man, that bagel was gone in 10 seconds flat.

How do the Bagels Taste?

Bagels have become a staple at our house, but our daughter never really cared for the frozen kind, or even the one’s you get at restaurants because they had either weird texture, or too sweet of a flavor. I actually agree with her, and I just figured there’s nothing I can do about it. Well, now I know there is something I can do about it. I can make these bagels because not only do they taste just like that New York City Bagel I had on 9th Avenue, the texture is spot on. Good bye to sweet bagels forever.

Before I get to my experience with this homemade bagel recipe, I thought I better share what I did with our first batch of fresh New York bagels. Aside from smothering them with cream cheese, I also made “Chicken Bagel Sandwiches” using my Chicken Loretta chicken, a little salted lettuce, and mayonnaise and pepper. These sandwiches where so incredible in every aspect.

Is it difficult to Make Homemade New York Bagels?

The recipe I used (find exact recipe source at the end of my post) made the bagel making process extremely simple. Here’s a few things that I think are important to note before you make your first batch of homemade bagels:

How Long Does it Take to Make Homemade Bagels?

You’ll need a total of about 3 hours from start to finish if it’s your first time making bagels. I’m sure this time will decrease by about 30 minutes, but you know how it goes when you are doing something for the very first time, and making bagels is no exception.

You will need a stand mixer to knead the dough for approximately 20 minutes. Be prepared for your stand mixer to get heated 🔥 . This dough is thick, and it really gave our Kitchen Aid Mixer motor a workout. If you don’t feel comfortable using your mixer for this reason, you’ll have to knead your dough by hand, or what I might do next time is split it up 1/2 and 1/2.

What Type of Flour Should I Use?

The original recipe calls for “bread flour”, but mentions that all purpose flour is okay to use. I used good quality all purpose flour and my bagels turned out fantastic.

You’ll also need a warm environment to place the dough so it can rise. I used our master bathroom after my husband took a shower and I turned on the heat lamp for the dough to sit under. These bagels are worth the spa treatment, trust me.

This recipe makes 8 bagels, but they were quite large. Next time, I am going to split this batch into 10 smaller bagels to cut the calories, carbs, and help them last us longer.

Should I Add Toppings?

Another important tip I learned while making these gorgeous bagels for the first time has to do with the toppings. I went a little overboard with my favorite topping because I was kind of feeling like a professional bagel baker 👩‍🍳. In all honesty, I think I should have stuck to plain bagels for the first batch. I ended up putting too much topping on, and they were salty. Whoopsie.

I couldn’t get over how yummy these bagels looked in the oven. They just looked so plump and perfect. Just like a New York bagel but in Michigan! I seriously thought about opening up a bagel business for about 30 seconds 😆.

Here’s the view from the “Upside Down”, oh my, nice and golden brown…

How Should I Store My Bagels

Here’s my last little tip, and then you can pin this for later, and read the full recipe. When it comes to storing bagels my first thought is to freeze them immediately. I actually finished my bagels late at night and they were still warm, so I wrapped the bagels individually in parchment paper, and stored them in an air-tight container until morning. They were all gone by the following afternoon, but if I had any left over I definitely would have froze them in a freezer bag with the paper. Defrosting is easy in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds for each bagel.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL HOMEMADE NEW YORK BAGEL RECIPE SOURCE