Surprisingly easy to do, these delicious bagels have a golden crust and a tender interior that’s perfect for loading up with your favourite toppings. Choose your own adventure with crispy streaky bacon and scrambled eggs, or horseradish crème fraîche, chopped cornichons and smoked salmon for a classic breakfast or lunch.
Prep: 1-2 hours
Cook: 10 to 30 mins
Serves: 7 bagels
By Matt TebbuttFrom Saturday Kitchen Recipes
The bagels are made from refined flour and contain sugar from the honey and caster sugar used for poaching, making them energy-dense.
Estimated nutrition (per bagel): kcal ~240–270, fat ~2–3g, saturated fat ~0.5–1g, carbs ~48–54g, sugars ~5–7g, fibre ~2–3g, protein ~8–10g.
Ingredients
- 14g/½oz dried yeast
- 7g runny honey
- 465g/1lb strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
- 7g fine salt
- Oil, for greasing
- 60g/2¼oz caster sugar
- 1 free-range egg white
- 50g/1¾oz white sesame seeds
- Crispy streaky bacon and scrambled eggs, to serve
- Horseradish crème fraîche, chopped cornichons and smoked salmon, to serve
- 270ml/10fl oz warm water
- 4 litres/7 pints water
Customise
- Use poppy seeds instead of sesame seeds for a different topping on your homemade bagels.
- Use onion flakes instead of sesame seeds for a savoury, aromatic bagels topping.
Method
Make the bagels (1.5 hrs)
- Mix the yeast with 270ml/10fl oz warm water and the honey in a large bowl.
- Stir in the flour and salt until a dough is formed. Knead well for 10 minutes on a clean, lightly floured work surface.
- Leave to prove, covered, for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into 7 equal balls. Roll the balls into rounds and use your finger to make a decent-sized hole in the middle.
- Place onto an oiled tray then cover and prove for another 15 minutes.
Cook the bagels (15 mins)
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
- Bring 4 litres/7 pints water and the sugar to a simmer in a large pan. Poach the bagels on both sides for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and brush the bagels with the egg white. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds.
- Place on a baking tray and bake for 10–15 minutes until golden.
Serve
- Serve with the bacon and eggs or crème fraîche and smoked salmon.