- Easy bagel recipe for beginner bakers
- I lost weight by eating a sandwich at lunch
- Pictures show key stages of this easy bagel recipe
In my last post I explained why eating white bread helped me lose weight.
While this blog is about weight loss and NOT a recipe blog, I want to share this easy bagel recipe because I LOVE it.
This easy bagel recipe is also significant because over the 10 years I struggled to lose weight, I thought a bagel filled with tuna, egg, or peanut butter was too many calories and would blow my diet. Now I know eating a hearty sandwich at lunch helps you reach and maintain a healthy weight naturally.
I hope you’ll try this recipe and make these bagels part of your balanced lunch.
Where I got this easy bagel recipe
When I was in university, there was a little bakery called The Chinese Laundry Cafe. It was the sort of place you’d go to on a first date. They were known for their cheese cake. But I loved their bagels.
Near graduation I went to this restaurant early one morning and begged the chef for her recipe. After a little persuasion she let me write it down.
That happened 20 years ago (OMG!) and the Chinese Laundry Cafe has since closed. So I don’t feel badly about sharing this recipe. In fact, I think it’s selfish if I don’t!
Easy bagel recipe
The secret to these bagels is that once the dough is knotted, they’re dropped into boiling water and honey before being baked. It’s the same principle as frying a donut except this easy bagel recipe is healthy.
This easy bagel recipe follows. Then there are photos so you’ll know what to expect.
Easy Bagel Recipe
As an advocate of balanced meals made of whole foods, I love these bagels because they’re made of natural ingredients.
Yield: 2 dozen
Whisk together & let stand ½ hour:
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
5 tablespoons yeast
Then whisk in:
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup honey
3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
8 eggs
Stir in 2 cups at a time & knead until smooth:
4 ½ cups whole wheat flour
8 ½ cups white flour
Leave in clean, greased bowl (I use vegetable oil) to rise for 1 hour. Then:
- punch down & kneed lightly
- divide in half
- cut each half into 12 strips
- roll up and twist into bagel shape
- rest on greased baking sheets (I use vegetable oil)
- boil 4 at a time in large, covered pot of water & ½ cup honey, for 1 minute each side
- place bagels back on sheets
- brush with beaten egg & sprinkle with poppy seeds
- bake 400F for about 15 minutes, until top and bottom are well browned
Set aside the bagels you’ll eat over the next day or two. Freeze the rest after they’ve cooled.
Easy bagel recipe WARNING!
These bagels are SO good the last time I made them my cat whose head was smaller than the bagel, stole one. I didn’t realize until I found part of it downstairs, under my desk! Please note: He’s never taken food before or since!
Here’s his mug shot, guilty as charged:
Easy bagel recipe in pictures
Water, sugar & yeast whisked together:
1/2 hour later:
Oil, honey, water, salt and eggs added:
Adding flour:
Kneading dough:
Clean, greased bowl for dough to rise:
Dough has risen:
Dividing dough in half and cutting into strips:
Twisting dough into knotted bagels:
Bagels ready to boil (it was hot so they didn’t hold their shape very well; the 2 bagels in the bottom right corner are the best examples):
Boiling bagels in honey water:
Brushing bagels with beaten egg:
Sprinkling poppy seeds:
Ready to bake:
Ta-dah! Bagels have browned and are ready to eat:
Check out my Instagram @the10principles for more pics and videos of this easy bagel recipe, including how to knot the bagels.
EVERYBODY can make this easy bagel recipe!
I’m no cook. So if I can follow this easy bagel recipe, you can too! Put on your apron and turn your kitchen into a bagel bakery. Try something new. Make Today Count!
Next Steps
Do you graze on diet food all day? Count calories? Overeat processed foods? Go on and off diets? Drink skim milk and/or diet coke? All these choices make it HARDER to lose weight. Want to break these bad habits and lose weight? Sign up for my newsletter (below) and you’ll receive one of the best strategies I learned—one that helped me reach and maintain a healthy weight 18 years ago.
Build healthy eating and exercise habits. A healthy weight will follow.
Do you Wanna Know an easy bagel recipe?
These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
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These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
You'll also be subscribed to my newsletter. Don’t like it? Unsubscribe in one click
Sharing what I learned makes the 10 years I STRUGGLED worth it
Please share this easy bagel recipe with your friends and family.
What’s your favourite kind of bread?
Hi Kelly, These ARE delicious! I’ve made them twice now. Time intensive, but well worth it. Thank you so much for sharing!
Very delicious toasted with butter and/or with sandwich or toppings. By the way, I normally purchase extra-large size eggs, and found that 6 extra-large eggs (instead of 8) worked fine for me. Thanks again for your inspirational information!
There’s a point when I’m kneading the dough that I wonder if it will be sticky forever, then suddenly it becomes dough! I’m so glad you like these bagels and took a risk to try a new recipe Kathy. And thank you for the egg tip! I will definitely try 6 large eggs next time. I also want to try grated cheese in the dough. Thank you so much for sharing your experience! 🙂