These Whole Wheat Bagels are perfectly dense and chewy and packed with the goodness of whole wheat! They’re easy to make with no special equipment or ingredients, and no refined sugar! 
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Homemade bagels are one of my favourite breads to make at home for my family. We can’t get bagels at bakeries or supermarkets where we live (bagels aren’t really a thing here in Europe), so my only option is to make them at home! These Whole Wheat Bagels are a healthier, fibre-packed version of my favourite New York Style Bagel recipe and I just know you’re going to love them as much as we do!
And if you’re already feeling intimidated by the though of making your own bagels from scratch at home, don’t be! These homemade bagels aren’t nearly as hard to make as they might seem, especially if you follow my tips and tricks below. These whole wheat bagels are perfectly dense and chewy with that perfect, shiny, classic bagel crust – they toast up so nicely, and top them with cream cheese, butter, or jam and you’ll be in homemade bagel heaven!!
Ingredients for Easy Homemade Whole Wheat Bagels
To make homemade whole wheat Bagels you’ll need:
-
- water
- liquid honey
- yeast
- whole wheat flour
- all purpose flour
- salt
- an egg
That’s it! This bagel recipe is made with basic, simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!
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How to Make Homemade Bagels
Making homemade bagels is actually very simple and easy enough for beginning bakers. Follow my simple tips below for the perfect homemade bagels!
- Make the dough. Making bagel dough is SO easy. Simply combine the flours, water, honey, yeast and salt and knead the dough for about 2 minutes. Let the dough rise for about an hour.
- Shape the bagels. Punch the dough down and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll them into balls and make a hole in the middle of each one with your fingers.
- Boil in honey water. Add honey to lightly boiling water and boil each bagel for about 1 and a half to 2 minutes per side. Boiling the bagels is what gives them that perfectly chewy texture, so don’t skip this step!!
- Brush with egg wash. Place the bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the tops with egg wash.
- Bake to perfection. Bake for about 15-18 minutes and enjoy!
Looking for more delicious bagel recipes? Try these New York Style Bagels, these Everything Bagels, or these Cinnamon Raisin Bagels!
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I hope you love this homemade bagel recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite bagel and cream cheese combination? I’d love to know!
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Whole Wheat Bagels
Recipe: Ingredients
For the bagels:
- 2 1/4 cups warm water
- 4 teaspoons liquid honey
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast or use instant yeast
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
For boiling:
- 10 cups water
- 1/4 cup liquid honey
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
Recipe: Instructions
- Add the water, honey and yeast to a liquid measuring cup and set aside for the yeast to begin to grow (about 5 minutes).
- Measure the flours and salt into a large bowl and whisk together.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix together well with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until a rough dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead for about 10-15 turns until the dough forms a ball and isn't too sticky.
- Add the dough ball back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap, letting it rise for about 60-90 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto your work surface (flour the work surface a little bit, but this dough is a bit on the dry side to don't add too much flour!)
- Add the water and honey to a pot and let it come to a low boil, turning the heat to medium after it boils to maintain a very gentle boil.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- As you wait for the water to boil, divide the dough into 12 pieces (as evenly sized as possible). Roll each piece into a ball with a smooth surface.
- To form a bagel shape, press your middle and ring finger (together) into the centre of one ball to make a hole right through the middle. Move your fingers gently in a circular motion to make the hole a little bit bigger.
- Then, holding the bagel with your thumbs inside the hole, pick it up off the work surface and stretch it gently to make the hole bigger. The goal is to make the hole a little bigger than you actually want it, as the dough will shrink back slightly during baking.
- Let the bagels you've formed sit on the work surface for about 5 minutes before gently lowering them into the boiling honey water 1 or 2 at a time.
- Let the bagels boil for about 1 and a half to 2 minutes per side. Don't skip this step! This is what gives bagels their chewy texture and perfect crust and baking them without boiling will not give you the same result.
- After boiling, place the bagels on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (6 bagels per large baking sheet).
- Whisk the egg and water together and brush the mixture lightly over the tops of the bagels.
- Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the bagels cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy with some cream cheese or butter, toasted, or however you like!
Recipe: Notes
Overnight Instructions:Â
Make the dough as directed and rise for one hour at room temperature. Place the bowl in the fridge overnight and in the morning let the dough rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before forming the bagels, boiling, and baking as directed in the recipe.ÂOptions:
Add sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coarse sea salt or sugar, or any other desired topping after brushing the bagels with egg wash (before baking).ÂCan I use 5 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour instead of part all purpose and part whole wheat?
I don't recommend this. Adding part all purpose flour helps these bagels to rise better and contributes to a more chewy texture.ÂRecipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.