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Chewy, buttery, salty, and tender in the middle; pretzel bagels are the perfect utility bread. Eat them plain or use it for a sandwich, they’re about to be your favorite.
You’re going to LOVE this Pretzel Bagel Recipe
The crossover you’ve been waiting for is FINALLY here! These pretzel bagels are the best of both worlds. Chewy, buttery, salty, tender in the middle – there is nothing you won’t like about these. I typically make these solely for the purpose of making a sandwich on it for lunch (divine), but you have to promise me that you’ll also toast this and butter + add cinnamon and sugar. Or even with some Smoked Cream Cheese. Yum.
Tips for making delicious Pretzel Bagels
- Add baking soda to your water before boiling your bagels. This will help give it the appropriate pretzel texture.
- Get an extra large cookie sheet + silicone mat so you can bake all of your bagels at once.
- Use a spider strainer to retrieve your bagels from the boiling water to make it easier to get the water to drip off of the bagels more quickly.
What you’ll need to make homemade Pretzel Bagels
- Warm water (105°F -113°F)
- Dry active yeast – Can use instant yeast here, if you’d like.
- Brown sugar, packed – – Most bagel places use barley malt in their bagels but that isn’t something that is super available so we are using brown sugar as a great substitute.
- Bread flour – USE BREAD FLOUR. I am usually an ‘all-purpose is fine’ queen but the bread flour really does make such a difference. The extra protein in the flour makes the bagels stay soft for days and gives it the perfect bagel texture.
- Salt
- Egg wash: 1 egg white + 1 tbsp water, whisked together
- Coarse sea salt
- Baking soda – Adding this to the water will help seal the deal on the pretzel taste and texture.
How to make Pretzel Bagels at home
- In a small bowl, mix warm water, dry active yeast, and brown sugar. Stir and set aside to allow the mixture to become bubbly and foamy.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 4 1/2 cups of bread flour and salt.
- Add the foamy yeast mixture to the flour mixture. If your yeast mixture is not foamy, it’s not active and you’ll need to throw it out and start it again.
- If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes, adding up to an additional 3 tablespoons of flour as needed to keep the dough soft yet workable.
- If kneading by hand, mix the wet and dry ingredients until a rough dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, using a push, turn, and fold technique. Add an extra 2-3 tablespoons of bread flour as necessary.
- After kneading, let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a tight ball. Then, press your thumb into the center of each ball, gently stretching and rotating the dough around your thumb to form a bagel shape. Place on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet.
- Cover the bagels with plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes.
Baking your Bagels
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) after the bagels have risen.
- Boil about 4 inches of water in a large pot. Once boiling, add the baking soda to the water and stir.
- Carefully place the bagels in the water, working in batches. Boil each bagel for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
- Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet.
- While boiling the next batch of bagels, brush the first batch with an egg wash mixture and then sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.
- After boiling all the bagels and brushing with the egg wash, place them in the preheated 425°F (220°C) oven. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until they turn golden brown.
- Once baked, remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. This allows them to set and makes them easier to cut.
- For storage, place the cooled bagels in a zip-top bag and keep them at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
How to store your Pretzel Bagels
Place the cooled bagels in a zip-top bag and keep them at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
How do I shape homemade bagels?
Form each piece of dough into a tight ball. Press your thumb into the center of each ball, squeezing and rotating the dough around your thumb to create the bagel shape. Place on a parchment or silicone-lined 3/4 cookie sheet.
Other Bagels to Check Out
Pretzel Bagel Recipe
Chewy, buttery, salty, and tender in the middle; pretzel bagels are the perfect utility bread. Eat them plain or use it for a sandwich, they’re about to be your favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water (105°F -113°F)
- 1 1/2 tbsp dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp brown sugar, packed
- 4 1/2 – 4 3/4 cups bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- egg wash: 1 egg white + 1 tbsp water, whisked together
- coarse sea salt
- 3 tbsp baking soda
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix warm water, dry active yeast, and brown sugar. Stir and set aside to allow the mixture to become bubbly and foamy.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 4 1/2 cups of bread flour and salt.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture.
- If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes, adding up to an additional 3 tablespoons of flour as needed to keep the dough soft yet workable.
- If kneading by hand, mix the wet and dry ingredients until a rough dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, using a push, turn, and fold technique. Add an extra 2-3 tablespoons of bread flour as necessary.
- After kneading, let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a tight ball. Then, press your thumb into the center of each ball, gently stretching and rotating the dough around your thumb to form a bagel shape. Place on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet.
- Cover the bagels with plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) after the bagels have risen.
- Boil about 4 inches of water in a large pot. Once boiling, add the baking soda to the water and stir.
- Carefully place the bagels in the water, working in batches. Boil each bagel for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
- Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet.
- While boiling the next batch of bagels, brush the first batch with an egg wash mixture and then sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.
- After boiling all the bagels and brushing with the egg wash, place them in the preheated 425°F (220°C) oven. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until they turn golden brown.
- Once baked, remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. This allows them to set and makes them easier to cut.
- For storage, place the cooled bagels in a zip-top bag and keep them at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1404mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
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