Bread Machine Bagel Recipe | Bread Machine Recipes (2024)

I think you’ll really like this bread machine bagel recipe. The bagels are chewy and delicious. They’re so much better than store-bought bagels.

Updated on January 2, 2024 – Published on August 30, 2021

Featured Comment

I have never rated a recipe before but I HAD to rate this after trying it! By far the best bagels I’ve ever had, and I was so sure I’d mess it up having 0 experience, but the instructions were so easy to follow I don’t think it’s possible to mess it up! Never buying bagels again. ~ Chelsea

I’ve wanted to make bagels for a long time. However, I was reluctant to try it. Why? One of the steps of making bagels is to boil them.

But, like a lot of other things, once I’d done it I thought, “Well, that wasn’t such a big deal!”

I will say that making bagels takes a lot of room. You need to shape the dough, boil the bagels, drain the bagels and then put them on a baking sheet. It’s a good idea to look at your workspace before you start and plan where you’re going to do each step.

Why Are Bagels Boiled?

Bagels and pretzels are boiled because it sets the crust before they go into the oven. The longer the boil, the thicker and chewier the crust.

It seems strange to put dough into boiling water. The water doesn’t penetrate the dough very far because the starch on the exterior of the dough gels and forms a barrier.

Freezing Extra Bagels

We’ve been splitting and then freezing our extra bagels. To thaw them, we heat them up in the toaster.

Bread Machine Bagel Instructions

This recipe is for a two-pound bread machine.Use the dough setting.

Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first. With my Zojirushi bread machine, I add the liquids first.

Use the dough setting.

Check the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. You’ll want the dough to form a smooth, round ball. If the dough is too dry, add liquid a teaspoon at a time until the dough balls up. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks as expected.

Here’s how the dough looked in my bread machine. I didn’t need to make any adjustments.

When the cycle is done, remove the dough from the machine and let it rest on a lightly floured surface.

While the dough is resting, bring 3 quarts (12 cups) of water to a medium boil in a large pot. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar. The sugar helps to make the bagel crust a little crisper.

This is also a great time to make the egg wash so you have that ready when needed. Beat the egg white and the water together. Then put it aside for later.

Divide the dough into 10 equal sections. I use my bench scraper to help divide the dough. Roll each piece into a ball.

Here’s a photo of the dough balls on my pastry mat.

Flatten balls. (I use the bench scraper for this too.) Poke a hole in the middle of each dough ball with your thumb. To get the final bagel shape, I kind of roll the dough away from the hole. Whatever method works for you is fine.

Cover bagels with a clean towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (Greasing the baking sheet would work fine too.) Then you’re ready to boil the bagels!

I boil 2 or 3 of them at a time. I use a slotted (flat) spatula to move the bagels to boiling water. Boil for them for 30 seconds each side for a total of a minute. Then move them to a wire rack with a paper towel underneath.

Once all the bagels have been boiled, move them to the baking sheet. Apply the egg wash with a pastry brush.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes until browned.

Bread Machine Bagel Ingredients

Again, this recipe is for a two-pound bread machine usingthe dough setting.

1 ¼ cup water
3 ¾ cups bread flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1  teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

Egg Wash Glaze

1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water