This easy homemade rosemary bagel recipe is a game-changer, proving that you can make bagels at home with a few basic ingredients. You’ll fall in love with their chewy and soft texture, and even more so with the fresh rosemary throughout and the flaky sea salt on top. It's a small batch recipe that makes 6 perfect bagels.
Proof Yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a bread hook attachment, add yeast, brown sugar, and water. Stir on low until combined; let sit about 5 minutes until foamy.
Mixing: Once the yeast has proofed, add the properly measured flour, rosemary, and salt to the mixing bowl with the yeast. Stir on the lowest setting of your mixer until the ingredients start to combine. Then, increase the speed to 2-3. As the dough comes together, allow the bread hook to knead the dough for 3-6 minutes. A smooth ball will have formed, and it should have "cleaned" the bowl. The dough will feel tacky, but should not be stubbornly sticky. If it is excessively sticking to your hands, add 1 TBSP of flour at a time until fully incorporated.
First Rise: Transfer the kneaded dough to a clean mixing bowl. Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm environment to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 ½ hours (time may vary depending on the yeast you used - instant yeast will likely rise quicker, and active will likely take longer - and the temperature of your home).
Once the dough has doubled in size and is puffy and soft on top, deflate it and transfer to an unfloured countertop workspace. Use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into equally weighted sections (it's ok if they're not perfectly exact!).
Shaping Part 1: Take one section at a time and form it into a ball. Do so by pulling the edges of each section down, gathering at the bottom, into a somewhat upside-down teardrop shape. You'll notice the top is beginning to look more like a ball when you do this. Once this teardrop/semi-ball shape is formed, place the bottom directly on the countertop. Make your hand into a claw shape, like a C with your fingers spread apart, and place it over the ball. Quickly move your hand around in a circular motion, bringing the ball with you, allowing the counter to also pull the dough, creating tension across the surface. Once the ball has formed, continue on with the rest of the sections. Let the dough balls rest, covered with a damp towel for 10-15 minutes before proceeding to shaping.
While the dough balls rest, prepare the baking sheet by placing a piece of parchment paper on the bottom, then spraying it with oil. This ensures the bagels will not stick when you remove them the next day.
Shaping Part 2: To form the bagels, take one of the rested dough balls and place your thumbs in the center and poke a hole, then pull out to stretch the dough into a bagel shape. Continue gently stretching the dough until you've reached around a 4-inch diameter. Place the shaped bagel on the prepared baking sheet and continue until all bagels are formed.
Cover the bagels with plastic wrap and then a damp towel. Place in the fridge and let them slowly ferment and rise in the fridge overnight (12-18 hours).
The next morning: Remove the bagels from the fridge approximately 1 hour before baking to allow them to come to room temperature. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 500°F and prepare the water for boiling.
The Boil: Add the water to a large stockpot and stir in the honey. Bring to a full boil before adding the bagels (remember, make sure the bagels are at room temperature at this point). Add a couple of bagels at a time, depending on how much your pot has room for, being sure to not overcrowd the pan. Keep the water at a full boil, and boil on each side for 30 seconds to 45 seconds (around 1 minute total). Continue until all bagels have been boiled, letting the water return to a boil before adding the next batch.
Once you remove the boiled bagels from the stockpot using a strainer, transfer them to a cooling rack and sprinkle them with sea salt flakes immediately.
Replace the old parchment paper with a new sheet and transfer the boiled bagels to the newly prepared baking sheet. Place the bagels in the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 450°F. Bake the bagels for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. You may want to rotate the pan halfway through, depending on your oven.
Let the bagels sit for at least 15 minutes before slicing (torture, I know!). This will ensure the crumb is set and they aren't a mess when you cut into them. Spread on your favorite bagel toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Yeast: you can use either instant active yeast or active dry yeast for this recipe. The rise time may vary slightly (shorter for instant yeast).
Bread Flour: The original recipe called for 3 1/4 cups of flour. However, the reality was more because of the inaccuracy of measuring flour using volume. I highly encourage you to weigh the flour.
Honey: you can also use malt barley syrup, molasses, or baking soda.
Same Day Baking: The flavor won't be as developed, but if you must bake them the same day, let the formed bagels rise in a warm area for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size. Following the rest of the directions as written.
Storage: Store bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days; do note the salt will soften. Want to freeze them? Slice the bagels, wrap, and freeze them in a sealed container, then pop the slices in the toaster when you're ready to enjoy.