New York Style Bagels

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This homemade New York Style Bagel recipe transform basic pantry ingredients into deliciously chewy freshly made New York bagels. They are so good that you’ll be impressed with yourself and totally satisfied after you take a nice bite out of one of these freshly made chewy bagels.

Yes, it takes a bit of effort to make these bagels, but it’s worth it. There are absolutely no good bagel places close to my home. That’s why I’m really happy that this recipe works so well. So if you love bagels like I do, simply give it a try.

Tools & Equipment

• 2 large rimmed baking sheets
• 2 plates
• Bench scraper
• Dutch Oven or large pot
• Kitchen towel
• Liquid measuring cup
• Parchment paper
• Pastry brush
• Plastic wrap
• Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
• Slotted spoon
• Stand mixer fitted with the dough hook
• Whisk
• Wire rack

Recipe Tips

Flour: I used bread flour to get the best most chewy bagels. You can also get good results with all-purpose flour. Just make sure you use a brand with a relatively high protein content.

Size of the Bagels: If you like slightly smaller bagels, which is more traditional, you can make 13 instead of 12 bagels and weigh portions of 110g instead of 120g.

Shaping the Bagels: Do not add flour to your work surface as the friction with the work surface will help to stretch the dough. If you prefer, you can poke your thumb into the ball of dough to make a hole and then use your hands to shape a ring, but the wrapping and rolling method creates more of a classic bagel look.

Ingredients for New York Style Bagels

• Bread flour
• Dry yeast
• Barley malt syrup
• Salt
• Water

Directions – How to Make New York Style Bagels

Make the Dough

Pour 120ml water (40-43°C/105-110°F) into a liquid measuring cup. Whisk in barley malt syrup and dry yeast until both dissolve. Let sit until the mixture foams, for about 5 minutes.  In the bowl of a stand mixer combine bread flour and salt, then make a well in the center. Pour in yeast mixture and the remaining water.

Mix with a silicone spatula, until the dough is shaggy. Attach dough hook to the mixer and mix on low speed, for about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-low and continue kneading, for about 5-8 minutes. 

Transfer the dough to the work surface and knead by hand for another minute, then shape into a ball, dust lightly with flour and place it in a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic and let the dough proof at room temperature until doubled in size, for 1-2 hours.

Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto your work surface. Cut into 12 equal pieces of 120g each and pre-shape the pieces into tight balls. Cover the dough balls with a damp towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment and brush lightly with oil. Roll out one ball a a time into a 23cm/9-inch-long rope. Wrap the rope around one hand, overlapping the ends by 2-5cm/1-2-inch along the inside of your hand. Then roll the dough under your hand back and forth to seal together the ends. Stretch the dough to even out the thickness until you have a ring with  about 10cm/4-inches across. 

Place the bagels on the baking sheet, arranging 6 to a sheet and spacing evenly. Cover with plastic, followed by a damp towel to create a sealed, moist environment to proof. Transfer the baking sheets to the fridge and chill at least for 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Boiling & Baking

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F. Fill a Dutch Oven halfway with water and bring to a boil over a high heat. Stir in baking powder and barley malt syrup. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and skim the foam from the surface. Place a wire rack next to the Dutch Oven. If topping the bagels, spread your toppings on separate plates and place them next to the wire rack.

Carefully place 2 bagels in a single layer in the Dutch Oven. Boil for 1 minute, flipping halfway through. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the bagels to a wire rack and repeat the process with the remaining bagels. 

Place a boiled bagel on one of the plates with the topping and toss so that the topping adheres to the moist surface of the dough. Arrange coated bagels flat side down on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining boiled bagels. 

Place in the oven and bake until the bagels are golden brown, for about 18-20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through. While the first sheet of bagels is in the oven, repeat the boiling and coating with the second batch and bake when the first batch is done. Let the bagels cool completely on a wire rack. 

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Storage: Bagels are best eaten on the day you bake them. You can store leftover bagels at room temperature in a paper bag for up to 3 days.

Freezing Instructions: You can freeze bagels very well. Place the bagels in a ziploc bag and freeze them for up to 2 months. Let frozen bagels thaw on the counter for a couple of hours before you want to eat them. Reheat in the oven at 180°C/350°F for about 5 minutes.

My Summary for New York Style Bagels

Difficulty: Intermediate.
Taste & Texture: These bagels taste delicious, just like the ones I’ve had in the really good bakeries in New York City. The crumb of these bagels is dense and chewy, but still tender and easy to bite through.
Time: Making the dough takes about 40 minutes. The dough then has to proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Shaping the bagels takes about 20 minutes. After shaping the bagels needs to proof in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Boiling the bagels takes about 30 minutes and baking time is about 18-20 minutes per baking sheet.

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