Homemade Classic Bagels

The process moves fast so make sure you have everything set up and ready to go. I messed up on the lowering of temperature thing but they still came out perfect!

Trying out this recipe right now. Just wondering, what's the reason for the semola on the baking tray before putting the bagels in the waterbath, isn't it just going to get washed away?

B - July 10, 2025, 3:54 p.m.

Well, I know now.. so they don't stick to the parchment paper and turn into a floating tire when you try to pick it up 😂

I used 00 flour instead of breadflour, they turned out nicely but they kind of reminded me of a pretzel bun more than a bagel.

PUL Team - July 10, 2025, 7:15 p.m.

Hey B, hehe yes, the cornmeal is there to keep the bagels from sticking. We use cornmeal because it’s coarse enough to help the dough lift easily without melting into the dough like flour sometimes can. So glad yours still turned out. The pretzel-bun vibe sounds like a fun twist ☺️

I've never had a bagel before, so I didn't know what to expect. I also tried everything bagel seasoning with them. The process was pretty straightforward, I just made the holes a bit too big. Let me tell you, the bagels came out amazing. They were chewy, had a nice crust and the everything bagel seasoning pairs with it so well. Will definitely make them again. 🙂

PUL Team - June 25, 2025, 5:37 p.m.

Oh we're smiling from ear to ear reading this, S! Happy baking 🤗

What a fun project and really not that hard! It just needs time and patience and boom 💥 you have bagels 🥯 for the week 😋

Never had a bagel before, let alone cooked them, so I had to give it a try. I shaped 8 bagels, and they already looked bigger than the ones in the picture. During the second proof, they got a little bigger (as expected), but it was still manageable. After boiling, they became enormous, and there was no way they’d fit on one baking tray. I was worried about leaving one tray out while the other baked, so I put both in at the same time. Thankfully, the bagels didn’t expand any more in the oven, or I might’ve had a mini heart attack. I wasn’t sure if using the fan would be better, so I stuck to the top-bottom setting. I swapped the trays halfway through. After baking for 20 minutes, they turned out great. Genuinely worth it! Also, it was a fun experience doing it with my son, who took one tiny bite, said he didn’t like it, and asked for toast with butter.

PUL Team - June 20, 2025, 8:34 p.m.

Aw we’re glad they turned out great in the end, Julija :D If they puffed up a lot after boiling, it could be from over-proofing (which can happen if it's also quite warm where you are) or a long boil time. Slightly shortening the second proof or boiling for just 30 to 45 seconds per side might help 🫶✨

I've been looking for a good bagle recipe for a long time now and will definetly give it a try!

I'd like to take sourdough starter instead of the instant yeast. Do you have any experienxe, how much to use?

And could I use Pizza flour instead of bread flour? It's much more accessible for me..

PUL Team - June 20, 2025, 2:33 p.m.

So glad you’re excited to try it, Rike! We haven’t tested this recipe with a sourdough starter, so we can’t say for certain how it would turn out. If you do give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes! As for the pizza flour, we haven’t tried that either, but we expect that if it’s a finely milled “00” style flour, the bagels might turn out softer and less chewy than when using bread flour. Bread flour is higher in protein, which gives bagels their classic dense and chewy texture. That said, pizza flour should still work... it’ll just yield a slightly different (but hopefully still delicious!) result. 🫶✨