Breads

Serving

New York-Style Bagels

Name: New York-Style Bagels
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Breads
Ingredients: 500 g bread flour; 300 ml warm water; 7 g instant yeast; 25 g sugar, divided; 10 g salt; 3 liters water; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for wash; Everything bagel seasoning or sesame seeds, optional

Dense, chewy boiled-and-baked bagels with a shiny crust, just like a classic New York deli.

150 minutes

Serves 8

Breakfast

53 min prep

83 min cook

Contains common allergens

Egg Sesame Wheat

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Instructions

9 steps

1
Whisk warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar; let stand 5 minutes until foamy.
2
Add flour, remaining sugar, and salt; knead 10 minutes until very stiff and smooth.
3
Cover and rise 1 hour until roughly doubled.
4
Divide dough into 8 pieces, shape into balls, then poke a hole through the center and stretch to form a ring.
5
Rest shaped bagels on a floured tray 15 minutes.
6
Bring 3 liters water and honey to a boil; boil bagels 1 minute per side, working in batches.
7
Transfer boiled bagels to a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with egg white wash, and top with seasoning if using.
8
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and bake 20-22 minutes until deeply golden and glossy.
9
Cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before slicing.

New York-Style Bagels — plated and served — Serving moment. How New York-Style Bagels looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

66/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 70

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 51

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 58

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

260

Calories

7 g

Protein

55 g

Carbs

1 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

New York-style bagels grew out of Jewish bakery traditions brought to the city by Eastern European immigrants, where boiling the shaped dough before baking became the defining move. The boil sets the crust early, giving the bagel its chew and shine instead of the soft, bread-roll texture you get from baking alone.

Listahan note

This version keeps the formula direct: strong flour, a stiff dough, a honeyed boil, and a hot bake. The priority is texture, so the kneading, shaping, boiling, and cooling steps matter as much as the ingredient list.

Technique cues

The dough should feel firmer than pizza dough or sandwich bread dough. That stiffness is what helps the bagels hold their ring shape and bake up dense instead of puffy.
Stretch the center hole wider than you think you need. The dough expands during resting, boiling, and baking, so a small hole can close up in the oven.
Let the bagels cool before slicing. Cutting too soon compresses the crumb and makes the interior feel gummy instead of chewy.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Set up the parchment, topping bowl, egg wash, and cooling rack while the shaped bagels rest; once boiling starts, the steps move quickly.
Make-ahead: Shape the bagels, cover the tray, and refrigerate overnight; boil and bake straight from cold after the oven and pot are ready.
Leftover move: Toast day-old bagels well and use them for egg sandwiches, smoked salmon plates, or crisp bagel chips.
Cleanup rhythm: Scrape flour from the counter before it gets wet, then soak the boiling pot after the honey water cools so the sticky film lifts easily.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

500 g bread flour

Chewy structure

Purpose: Bread flour has the strength needed for a dense, elastic bagel crumb.

Handling: Knead until the dough turns smooth and tight, not just until the flour disappears.

Adaptation: All-purpose flour can work in a pinch, but the bagels will usually be softer and less springy.

7 g instant yeast

Leavening

Purpose: Instant yeast gives the stiff dough enough lift without making the bagels airy like rolls.

Handling: Foam it with warm water and a little sugar so you can see that it is active before mixing the full dough.

Adaptation: Active dry yeast can be used in the same amount if it is fully dissolved in the warm water first.

25 g sugar, divided

Fermentation support

Purpose: Sugar helps wake the yeast and gives the crust a little color in the oven.

Handling: Use only the first teaspoon in the yeast mixture, then mix the rest into the dough with the flour and salt.

Adaptation: Light brown sugar gives a slightly deeper flavor, while white sugar keeps the taste cleaner.

2 tablespoons honey

Boil seasoning

Purpose: Honey in the boiling water helps the outside set glossy and lightly browned.

Handling: Stir it into the water before adding bagels so it disperses evenly.

Adaptation: Barley malt syrup gives a more traditional bakery note, while maple syrup adds a softer sweetness.

1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for wash

Shiny finish

Purpose: The egg white wash helps toppings cling and gives the baked crust a polished look.

Handling: Brush after boiling, while the surface is tacky but not dripping wet.

Adaptation: A plain water brush gives less shine but still helps seeds stick if applied right before topping.

Everything bagel seasoning or sesame seeds, optional

Crust topping

Purpose: Toppings add the savory, toasted surface flavor people expect from deli-style bagels.

Handling: Sprinkle generously right after the egg white wash so the seasoning anchors to the crust.

Adaptation: Poppy seeds, coarse salt, dried onion, or a single seed topping keep the flavor more focused.

Technique notes

Knead the full 10 minutes unless the dough becomes completely smooth sooner. A short knead leaves weak dough that can wrinkle or slump in the boil.
Boil in small batches so the water stays at a lively simmer. Crowding lowers the temperature and can make the crust duller.
Bake until the color is deeper than a dinner roll. Pale bagels usually mean the crust has not developed enough chew or toasted flavor.

Ingredient swaps

Malt-shop direction: Replace the honey in the boil with barley malt syrup for a more old-school bagel-shop flavor.
Seeded crust path: Use sesame seeds only and press them lightly after brushing so they toast evenly and do not fall off as much.
No-wash finish: Skip the egg white wash and brush with water instead; the crust will be less glossy, but the bagels will still bake properly.
Smaller bagel option: Divide the dough into 10 pieces instead of 8, then start checking the bake a few minutes earlier.

Serve alongside

Scallion cream cheese
Smoked salmon with capers and red onion
Cucumber-tomato salad
Soft scrambled eggs
Hot drip coffee
Iced black tea
Fresh orange juice

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

For the fridge, seal cooled bagels tightly; chilling firms the crumb, so plan to toast them before serving.
Reheat by splitting and toasting until the cut sides are crisp and the center softens.
Freeze sliced bagels in a sealed bag, then toast from frozen or thaw briefly on the counter before toasting.

Equipment

Stand mixer with dough hook
Large pot for boiling
Parchment-lined baking sheet
Wire cooling rack

Make this household-aware

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