Easy Homemade Bagels

32

PREP TIME

20 min

TOTAL TIME

50 min

Makes

8

Easy Homemade Bagels

(Production: Sun Ngo. Photography: Christie Vuong. Food styling: Eshun Mott. Prop styling: Christine Hanlo.)

A foolproof way to BYOB—bake your own bagels—with one simple dough hack.


Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup everything bagel seasoning mix , sesame seeds or poppy seeds
  • 600-g pkg cold store-bought pizza dough
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Position rack in centre of oven and preheat to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, then lightly spray with oil. Pour bagel seasoning into a small bowl. Set a clean tea towel (or some paper towels) on a rack.
  2. Place dough on a cutting board. Cut into 8 equal portions. Fold each portion into a ball. (Pizza dough shouldn’t be sticky, but lightly oil your fingers, if desired.)

    A person's hand placing dough balls on a cutting board, the first step of making homemade bagels.

    (Production: Sun Ngo. Photography: Christie Vuong. Food styling: Eshun Mott. Prop styling: Christine Hanlo.)

  3. Working with 1 ball at a time, poke your thumb through centre of ball, then slowly stretch the dough out until it forms a 4-inch-wide ring. Lay on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls. (It’s okay if rings look a little messy.) Set aside.

    A photo of a person's hands poking a hole into a ball of dough to make homemade bagels.

    (Production: Sun Ngo. Photography: Christie Vuong. Food styling: Eshun Mott. Prop styling: Christine Hanlo.)

  4. Combine 4 cups water, honey and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add bagels, 1 or 2 at a time, and boil for 1 min per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to towel and let dry. Repeat with remaining bagels.

    A person removing her homemade bagels from a saucepan of water with a slotted spoon.

    (Production: Sun Ngo. Photography: Christie Vuong. Food styling: Eshun Mott. Prop styling: Christine Hanlo.)

  5. Sprinkle both sides of dried bagels with seasoning, then return to prepared sheet.

    A photo of a person's hands covering homemade bagel in a mixture of sesame and poppy seeds

    (Production: Sun Ngo. Photography: Christie Vuong. Food styling: Eshun Mott. Prop styling: Christine Hanlo.)

  6. Bake until bagels are deep- golden, 20 to 25 min. Serve warm with cream cheese.

    A person ripping apart a homemade bagel over a plate beside a tray with five freshly baked bagels

    (Production: Sun Ngo. Photography: Christie Vuong. Food styling: Eshun Mott. Prop styling: Christine Hanlo.)

Kitchen tip

Using cold pizza dough straight from the fridge will yield a denser, chewier bagel. If you let the dough come to room temperature before baking, the bagels will have a more breadlike texture.