High Altitude Homemade Bagels
Chewy homemade bagels with a variety of toppings, perfect for toasting and spreading with cream cheese, butter or jam, or sandwiching with bacon and eggs.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook
- Baking Sheet + Parchment Paper
- Large Saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) instant/rapid-rise yeast
- 1 ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount
- 1 ½ tbsp honey or granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups hot water, between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit
- water, for boiling
- 1 large egg, for egg wash
- various bagel toppings
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast and salt. Add the honey/sugar and the 1 1/2 cups hot water. Use a spoon to stir everything together into a rough, shaggy dough.
- Use the dough hook to knead the dough on medium low speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, wrap around the dough hook and slap against the sides of the bowl, but may stick a little at the bottom of the bowl.Baker's Note: You may need slightly more/less flour or water, depending on the humidity or dryness of your climate. If the dough seems too wet, add a little more flour, several tablespoons at a time. If the dough is too stiff, dry or crumbly, add more hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Gather the dough into a ball, and place into a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place to rise until doubled. This may take about 45-90 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen, and the brand/freshness of yeast. My dough was ready after 45 minutes.Baker's Note: If your oven has a "bread proof" setting, use that and let the dough rise inside the oven.
Shape the Bagels
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, lightly flour the top of the dough, and gently press the air out of the dough. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 equal portions for large bagels. (For smaller bagels, you can cut the dough into 10-12 portions.)
- Shape each portion of dough into a smooth, round bun. Do this by cupping the dough in one hand and using your other hand to pinch the dough together so that it's pinched on the bottom, and smooth and taut on top.
- Dip a finger in flour, and poke a hole in the center of the buns. Then use your hands to gently stretch the bagels and widen the hole in the center to about 1 - 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You'll need to make the hole larger than you think it should be, since it will close up as the bagels bake.
- Place the bagels on the baking sheet, spaced 3 inches apart, and let them rest for 20 minutes.
Boil the Bagels
- Fill a large saucepan (10-12 inches in diameter) half full of water, and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to a steady simmer.
- Working with batches of 3-4 bagels at a time, gently lower the bagels into the simmering water. Boil the bagels for at least 30 seconds, and up to 2 minutes, flipping them halfway through.Baker's Note: The longer you boil the bagels, the more dense and chewy their texture will be. For a lighter, less chewy texture, boil for 30-60 seconds. For extra chewy, New York style bagels, boil for 2 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon or a kitchen spider to remove the bagels from the water, and place them back onto the baking sheet. They will have a sort of gelatinous appearance and feel after boiling.
Add Toppings and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 425 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Use a pastry brush to brush the beaten egg over the bagels.
- Generously sprinkle the bagels with your desired toppings.
- Bake the bagels for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- When the bagels are cool enough to handle, split them with a sharp serrated knife. Toast the bagels and assemble with your favorite fillings.
Notes
Store leftover bagels in an airtight container or freezer bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. Leftover bagels are best split and toasted.
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