New York Style Bagels From Scratch(Oven and Air Fryer Methods)
When I make New York style bagels at home I always prepare them from scratch. In my opinion no store-bought bagel can’t beat a homemade one. The whole process of baking bread is so satisfying for me. I love every step, but I mostly love the end result.
My family wants me to make homemade bagels at least two times a month. They enjoy them toasted for breakfast, brunch or just as a midday sandwich. This is a recipe that will go well with any sweet or savory spread since the classic New York bagels have a plain taste. You can make yourself a classic combination of peanut butter and jelly bagel or spread some cream cheese and top it with smoked salmon. I like my bagel with avocado and cream cheese.
Equipment for the New York Style Bagels
- Measuring spoons and cups are essential for any baking recipe.
- You can use a stand mixer like this one, or knead by hand.
- I used a wide and shallow cooking pot for the water bath. It was similar to this one.
- You are also going to need a large slotted spoon to scoop the bagels form the boiling water.
- I used two air fryers to test this recipe. One of them is a classic air fryer with a top burner only. The other one is more like a toaster oven and it has burners on top and bottom.
- You also need oven mitts to protect your hands from the high temperatures.
- Finally, you are going to need some cooling racks to prevent the bagels from getting soggy bottoms after baking.
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How To Measure Ingredients?
To make the dough for the bagels you need to differentiate between wet and dry measuring cups. We measure liquids in pitchers like these. For the dry ingredients we use measuring cups and spoons like these.
When you measure flour always scoop more than you need in your cup and use a knife to level it off. If you have a scale, use it, because measuring ingredients by weight is always more accurate.
One cup of flour contains exactly 4 oz or 120 grams of all-purpose flour.
Helpful Tips About Making The Dough
Use ingredients at room temperature for this recipe. This will help with yeast activation and proofing. I usually warm up the water I use for 30 seconds in the microwave oven.
Some people bloom the yeast by adding it in the lukewarm water with some sugar. Then they wait for the yeast to dissolve and become bubbly on top. I don’t do that step and I never had a bad result. In my opinion the yeast will have enough time to bloom once you make the dough and proof it for an hour.
It is very important to add the flour gradually until you have soft and stretchy dough. If the dough is sticking to your hands and you cannot form it to a ball, then you need more flour.
When you make the dough, you might need more or less flour. It depends on the type and the brand of flour that you use. I used organic, all purpose flour from Costco for this recipe.
Keep the salt away from the yeast! I always add the salt after I added at least one cup of flour. I never sprinkle salt directly over the yeast. This is very important because salt kills yeast, which can stop the fermentation process and the dough won’t rise.
Proofing And Baking of the New York Style bagels
In this recipe you need to proof the dough for 45 to 60 minutes directly in the mixing bowl. I cover the bowl with a towel or a plastic wrap.
When you proof dough keep it away from vents and drafts. Rapid change in temperature can deflate the dough.
Baking time might be different depending on the air fryer, oven or the altitude. I usually check my bagels after 15 minutes of baking. Total baking time should be about 20-25 minutes. Please, use your own judgment when baking anything. Don’t rely blinedly on the baking times provided in the recipe.
New York Style Bagels
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 3 cups bread flour or high-protein all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp molasses brown sugar or honey
Toppings
- Asiago cheese, sesame, poppy seeds or everything bagel seasoning optional
Instructions
To prepare the dough
- Warm up a glass and a half of water for 30 seconds in the microwave. The water should be slightly warm but not hot.
- Add the water, sugar and yeast in a deep bowl. Then add two cups of the flour and a teaspoon of salt.
- Start stirring or mixing on low until you have a wet and sticky dough. Gradually add more flour and continue mixing until you have soft and elastic dough that doesn't stick to your fingers or to the sides and the bottom of the bowl. If it sticks continue adding flour and mixing. You might need between 3-4 cups depending on the flour.
- When the dough is ready, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or towel and proof it for one hour. I usually start making my water bath when my dough has been proofing for 45 minutes. It takes time for the water to boil.
To shape the bagels
- When the dough is double in size punch it down and divide it to 8 balls (about 4 oz each). If the dough is too sticky you are going to need to dust the dough and your fingers with some flour.
- Use your thumb to poke a hole in the middle of each dough ball. Carefully stretch out the hole to make it bigger. The hole in the middle should be wider than an actual bagel (about 2 inches). Place the shaped dough bagels on a piece of parchment paper.
To prepare a water bath
- Add water in a wide cooking pot and bring to boil.
- When the water is boiling reduce it to simmer and add a tablespoon of molasses (brown sugar or honey).
- Preheat an oven or a toaster oven to 420F. Preheat an air fryer to 355F.
- Dip each bagel in the simmering water. Boil for 30-40 seconds per side. Use a slotted spoon to flip them over and take them out of the water bath. Do not boil more than three bagels at a time.
- Return the boiled bagels on the parchment paper and add the desired toppings when they are still wet to ensure better sticking. You can add Asiago cheese, sesame, poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning or anything you prefer. Of course you can also leave them plain.
Baking in an oven or a toaster oven
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 420F. Check occasionally. Read the notes about baking.
Baking in an air fryer
- Since the air fryer has only one burner that is closer to the bangles we have to lower the temperature to 355F and bake for about 20 minutes. Bottoms of the bagels might be a little pale. You can flip them over and bake for 5 more minutes to ensure even baking.
- Cool off bagels on a cooling rack. You can serve them warm or store them for 2-3 days in a bread box. If you store them for more than one day you might have to toast them before serving. They get stale fast.
Notes
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