Sharing is caring!

This easy fresh milled whole grain bagel recipe is proof that you can make deliciously chewy bagels at home with just a few simple ingredients!

Today I am going to be walking you through all of the steps for making these delicious homemade bagels, once you finish reading this post, I am confident you will feel ready to tackle making these amazing bagels.

Why You Will Love These Bagels

• Like most bread recipes, the ingredients are minimal and if you do much baking, you probably already have them on hand!
• These fresh milled whole grain bagels are delicious plain, toasted with butter or cream cheese and our favorite way to eat them? As breakfast sandwiches with eggs and bacon!
• Homemade bagels freeze wonderfully. So if you want to make a double or triple batch, slice the bagels and freeze them – they are perfect for that!
• This recipe is for a basic, plain bagel, but you can dress up this recipe in all sorts of ways. I will list some variations below.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Breakfast Bagel Recipe

One of my favorite ways to eat homemade bagels is with eggs and bacon(or ham). In just a few minutes you can dry up an egg, heat up a slice of ham in the same pan or cook a piece of bacon or two. Add those to your toasted bagel and you have a delicious and very filling breakfast. If you are into cheese – you can add that as well!

Let’s Chat Fresh Milled Bagel Ingredients

Warm Water – making sure you use warm water is always important in yeasted breads. The warm water helps to activate the yeast. Make sure it’s not too hot though, you can kill the yeast that way. 

Olive Oil – I like to use cold pressed olive oil. I buy mine in bulk from azure standard for all of my breads.

Honey – I like to use honey whenever possible in place of white sugar. I buy raw honey in bulk from azure standard as well. 

Salt – as always, I like to use Redmond’s real salt, it’s my favorite and has been for 12 years now. I keep big bags of it on hand. 

Vital Wheat Gluten – this is an optional ingredient and just helps to give a better rise and end result to the recipe.

Sunflower Lecithin – another optional ingredient, lecithin is an emulsifier and dough conditioner. Helps with the overall end result in fresh milled, yeasted bread applications. 

Fresh Milled Flour – I like to use hard white flour in this recipe, but you could blend hard red and hard white. I bet spelt would be a great choice in this recipe if you prefer to use an ancient grain. (See notes for all purpose recipe conversion) Check out my post here to learn why I mill my grains at home.

Instant Dry Yeast – I always use this brand and keep big bags of it in my fridge so I always have it on hand. It’s always active and I never have issues with it not rising my bakes. Love it and have been using it for 12 years. 

What Are Whole Grain Bagels Made From?

The main ingredients in fresh milled whole grain bagels is flour, water, olive oil and honey. There are a few additional ingredients, but those are the main component of fresh milled bagels. 

Can Bagels Be Whole Grain?

Absolutely and they are much better that way. Not only are bagels made from whole grains healthier for you, they have a better flavor profile.

What Is The Healthiest Type Of Bagel To Eat?

The healthiest type of bagel to eat is one made with whole grains and the least amount of refined sugar as possible. Grains are naturally high in carbohydrates so you don’t need the added sugars. 

How Long Do I Boil The Bagels For?

I have found that 2 minutes of boiling on each side is just the right amount. This gives the bagels that wonderful chewiness that we all know and love about bagels. 

How To Shape Bagels

Some people think that the bagels get their shape by being rolled into a long “snake” and then tucked in to form the circle. But the best way to shape bagels is to start by creating what looks like a dinner roll. Tuck the tops underneath the dough to create a nice smooth top. Then take your thumb and gently press into the center of the dough to create the hole. After that, I like to place both of my pointer fingers in the hole and swirl the bagel around gently stretching the hole to just the right size. Makes perfect bagels every time. 

Bagel Water Bath

You may be wondering why anyone would put raw dough into boiling water – well there are two main reasons for this. 

1. When you boil the bagels it gives them that classic bagel shine that we love. The shine is the result of the dough’s starched gelatinizing which makes the shiny coating and perfect crust. 
2. Boiling the bagels cooks the outer parts of the dough, so that means the bagels will hold their shape in the oven.

Fresh Milled Bagel Variations

• Cinnamon Raisin Bagels – add cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins to your dough. 
• Everything Bagels – when the bagels are wet, fresh out of the boiling water, dip them in everything bagel seasoning before baking in the oven. 
• Cinnamon Sugar Bagels – mix 1 tsp. cinnamon and 3 tsp. cane sugar. Dip the wet bagels into the mixture before baking.
• Chocolate Chip Bagels – add chocolate chips to your fresh milled bagel dough. 
• Poppy Seed Bagels – when the bagels are wet, sprinkle poppy seeds on top before baking.
• Blueberry Bagels – mix dried blueberries into your bagel dough before kneading. 

How To Make Fresh Milled Whole Grain Bagels

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey(1/4 cup for dough and 1/4 cup for boiling)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 cups fresh milled hard white flour(**see notes for all purpose)
• 2 tbsp. instant yeast
• 2 tsp. vital wheat gluten(optional)
• 1 tsp. sunflower lecithin(optional)
• 1 egg for egg wash(optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine warm water, oil, 1/4 cup honey and salt. Mix well. Add 3 cups of flour and mix well. 
2. Add vital wheat gluten and lecithin if using, and yeast. Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until a nice stiff dough forms. Somewhere around 5 cups total flour. You want the dough to bulk up and pull away from the sides of the bowl. 
3. Knead dough with dough hook or by hand until smooth and elastic and passes the window pane test. 
4. Cover dough and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can turn the oven on very low, around 150 degrees F. and place the dough in, uncovered which will speed the rise time.
5. Once the dough has risen, get a nice big pot of water boiling with 1/4 cup honey or sugar mixed in. Also, prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
6. Turn dough onto pastry mat or clean counter. Press the dough into a uniform, circular disc. Using a bench knife or something similar, cut the dough in half, then the halves in half and on like that until you have 8 even sections of dough.
7. Take each section of dough and create a ball of dough, then tuck the tops under to make the tops nice and smooth, like you would with a dinner roll. Using your thumb, press a hole through the middle of the ball of dough and widen the hole by swirling your index fingers inside of hole you just made. Place the formed bagel onto the parchment paper and continue with all of the dough pieces. 
8. Once all have been formed, allow the dough to rise for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. 
9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
10. I like to place a paper towel on the counter and a baking rack above it to place the wet bagels to allow them to drip dry after they go in the boiling water. 
11. Once the dough has risen and the honey water is boiling, grab a slotted spoon or something similar. Carefully place bagels 3-4 at a time, depending on the size of your pot, into the boiling honey water. Boil for 2 minutes on each side, gently turning with the slotted spoon each time. After both sides have been boiled, using the slotted spoon pick up the bagels and allow them to drip before placing them on the baking rack to finish dripping dry. 
12. Continue for all bagels. 
13. If you wish to add cinnamon sugar or everything bagel seasoning, you can dip them now while they are wet. Otherwise, place the bagels on the lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. 
14. If you want your bagels to be shiny, you can add an egg wash before baking. I don’t typically do this though.
15. These bagels can be made in large batches and frozen for future use. I like to slice the bagels before freezing to make defrosting them easier. 

**Notes – to use all purpose flour in this recipe, start with 3 cups of flour and slowly add more as needed until a nice stiff dough forms. All purpose flour absorbs water differently then whole grains. 

We love these bagels toasted with butter or cream cheese and we have even turned them into breakfast sandwiches with eggs and bacon. I love how versatile these fresh milled whole grain bagels are.