My son and I love bagels (that heart is no accident)! When my son first tasted these homemade bagels, he freaked out. “How are they so good?! I’m in heaven!!!” he exclaimed. Little did I know I’d never be allowed to buy bagels again! 😆
I’d been wanting to try making Montreal-style bagels for awhile but never had the need—it was easy enough to buy them package-free by bringing a cloth bag to my favorite bagel shop. But last weekend I had a craving for bagels and didn’t feel like driving an hour (roundtrip) to pick them up. I already had all the ingredients on hand for this bagel recipe (purchased package free at Bulk Barn and Épicerie Loco). For just 30 extra minutes, I could have some fresh out of my own oven 😋. They were such a hit that my son made me promise we’d make another dozen today 🙂 Five of the bagels have already disappeared 🤔 …
Warning: Only attempt this recipe if you plan on making them every weekend. Consider yourself warned! 😂
Montreal bagel recipe
Adapted from My Second Breakfast
Makes 12 bagels
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water
5 tbsp cane sugar
3 tbsp canola oil
3 tsp active dry yeast
2 eggs (one is optional)
1 tbsp maple syrup
4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)
1/3 cup honey
Directions
- Using a standing mixer, whisk together warm water, sugar, oil, yeast, one egg and syrup. Combine until the yeast dissolves. Add salt.
- Switch to a dough hook attachment and slowly add the flour to make a shaggy, soft dough. Knead the dough on slowest speed for about 12 minutes.
- Once your dough is firm and smooth, remove bowl from mixer and cover with a plate. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal parts. Roll each piece into a 8-10 inch tube, then press together ends to make a bagel shape. Make sure that the ends are firmly stuck together so they don’t come apart when you boil them. Let the shaped dough rise for 30 minutes.
- About 10 minutes before your dough is finished rising, fill a large pot 16 cups of water and stir in the honey. Bring to a boil.
- Preheat oven to 425F and grease a cookie sheet with sunflower oil.
- If you’re making sesame or poppy seed bagels, whisk the second egg in a small bowl and pour your seeds on a small plate.
- Once water is at a rolling boil, place three bagels at a time in the pot and cook on each side for 45 seconds. Remove and let dry on a clean dish towel.
- If you’re making plain bagels, transfer the boiled bagels directly to the greased cookie sheet. For sesame and poppy seed bagels, dip the bagels in the egg wash then coat both sides with seeds. To prevent the bagels from sticking, cover the bagels with as many seeds as possible before transferring to the cookie sheet.
- Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes, then flip and bake an additional 6-8 minutes. Bagels should be a light golden brown on both sides.
- Cool the bagels on a cooling rack for a few minutes. They’re delicious fresh out of the oven! Freeze the rest immediately after they’re done cooling to preserve their freshness and texture.
