2 Hour New York Style Bagels

I don’t make bagels as often as I make English muffins, because Hubs prefers English muffins, they make a larger batch, and bagels can be a little fussy (needing to proof overnight).

But every once in a while, you just need a good bagel.

I went posting around the interwebs for a faster recipe and came across this lovely 2-hour version. The bagels were perfect! There may be a (very) slight texture or flavor difference between these and the more time consuming version, but without a side by side taste test, no one would ever know. And these are miles better than the packaged grocery store version!

I kept these ones plain, so I could let the toppings speak for themselves (more on that in my next post).

Now that I have a fast bagel recipe, I foresee a lot more bagels being made in the future!

Recipe Note:

*3 ½ cups bread flour can replace the all purpose flour and vital wheat gluten.

*Depending on the humidity where you live, you may need to a slightly more water or flour to the recipe. If the dough is too dry (won’t stick together), add water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

2 Hour New York Style Bagels

Adapted from Sophisticated Gourmet

3 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¼ cup vital wheat gluten

2 tsp instant yeast

1 ½ tsp sugar

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ¼ cup water

1 tsp brown sugar

Place the flour, gluten, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle to mix. Add the water. Mix with the paddle until combined, then switch to the dough hook and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be firm and satiny.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in a warm, draft free area for 1 hour or until doubled in size (I use the proof setting on my oven and it works beautifully).

Punch down the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degree F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Also fill a wide skillet or stock pot with water and heat to boiling. Add the brown sugar to the boiling water.

Divide the dough into 2 1/2 -3 ounce pieces (there should be 8-9, depending on size). Pinch any loose edges tightly on the bottom and roll on the countertop to form a nice round ball. Use your finger to poke a hole in the center, gently stretching it to about 2 inches in diameter. Place the formed bagel on the prepared baking sheet.

Once all bagels are formed, allow them to rest for 10 minutes.

Once the bagels have rested, add them to the boiling water, adding as many bagels as possible without overcrowding the pan. Boil for 1 minute, then flip and boil for an additional minute.

Immediately, remove the bagels from the water and return to the prepared baking sheet (add any desired toppings (cheese or spice mixes) now).

Once all of the bagels have been boiled, place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool before serving.

Once cooled, I like to place my bagels in a freezer bag and freeze them to keep them fresher. Simply microwave for 30 seconds before enjoying.

Make 9 bagels.

Now that you have bagels, check out these delicious bagel sandwiches!