why would anybody every eat anything besides breakfast food?
-Leslie Knope
I was never really a breakfast food lover growing up. It was more of an obligatory bowl of cereal with a side of OJ. Pancakes, eggs, waffles…none of it does it for me.
But as I have aged, I have grown to have an occasional craving for a savory breakfast treat which is where my love for everything bagels has come into play.
As weird as this is about to sound, is there any breakfast treat more versatile than a bagel? You can smoother it with butter, lather it in cream cheese, add eggs and bacon for a breakfast sandwich & just eat it plain.
Can you tell, I love bagels? They are my go to morning flight treat to myself, especially Everything bagels.
Did I mention there are only 7 ingredients total for this recipe? It is SO EASY TO MAKE!
My birthday was Thursday and turning 28 is serious business, so clearly homemade bagels had to be made in order to celebrate.
Things I learned while making my first batch of homemade bagels?
- Patience really is a virtue. You have to give your dough time to proof. While that hour and a half of preparation is agonizing, it is well worth it for fluffy bagels. PLUS they are incredibly easy to make!
- Warm bagels straight out of the oven are better than soft pretzels. No lie, I waited all of 5 minutes after taking those suckers out of the oven before I was smearing on cream cheese for a bite.
- Even if your man says he doesn’t love all the flavors on top of Everything Bagels, when you turn your back on the homemade version, he will eat half a bagel then blame it on the dogs.
When you cook bagel dough in sugar water, your house will instantly smell like Auntie Anne’s!
Apply an egg white wash first to the bagels to help the seasoning stick to your bagels. It also gives your plain bagels a pretty shine to them.
You can add several different toppings to your bagel before it goes into the oven. As a suggestion though, I would apply an egg white wash first before adding the various toppings on to help them stick to your bagel.
Bagel Topping Ideas:
- Everything Bagel Seasoning (from Trader Joes)
- Blueberries
- Asiago Cheese
- Parmesan and Garlic
- Sesame Seeds
- Raisins
Eat them hot, toast them the next day, smoother them with whatever spread you want, just ENJOY!
- 1 tbsp active yeast (1.5 Packets)
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 8 cups water
- 1.5 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
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Into a stand mixer add the flour, yeast, salt and water.
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Attach the dough hook onto mixer. Secure mixer and set it to the 2nd slowest setting.
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Let dough mix for 8-10 minutes. When dough becomes firm and soft it is done.
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Lightly grease a large bowl (I used PAM baking spray) and place dough into bowl. Cover with cellophane. Let proof for 1 hour.
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Once dough has risen, take out of bowl and place on clean surface.
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Cut dough into 8 equal pieces and form into balls. Move dough balls onto cooking sheet and cover again for 15-20 minutes for a 2nd proof.
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During 2nd proof, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
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Also add water and sugars into a deeply lined sauce pan, bring to a boil.
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When dough is done with 2nd proof, take a ball and flatten with hands. Use your thumbs to poke hole in middle of dough to form bagel shape.
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Once water is boiling, add in 3-4 bagels at a time. Cook for 2 minutes on each side then place onto baking sheet. (this may take a few batches to complete)
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When all 8 bagels on baking sheet, add toppings. *see notes for ideas
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Bake bagels for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
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Allow bagels to cool on drying rack when finished. Serve immediately or store for up to 4 days in airtight container. ENJOY!
These look amazing! Do you know if you can freeze these after they are made?
Yes of course! Make sure they are completely cooled before storing them & I found it helpful to cut them in half to store them (it helps dethaw faster)!