Bread Machine Bagel Recipe
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 March 7, 2025 – Published on August 30, 2021
Featured Comment
Oh my gosh! Just made these today exactly as the recipe said. The BEST homemade bagels I’ve ever made. I tried a different recipe in the past, but these are, by far, so much better! Super easy. Honestly, better than store bought. Done buying them! ~ Julie
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.
Before I worked up the courage to boil bagels, I used this no-boil recipe.
The texture was different than traditional bagels, but the flavor was good. The Man of the House and I split them, added cream cheese and had a lovely breakfast.
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 using the 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
Bread Machine Bagel Recipe
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup (295.7 ml) water
- 3 ¾ cups (468.8 g) bread flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1  teaspoons (1 teaspoons) salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
Egg Wash Glaze
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tablespoon water
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.
