Homemade Bagels (Yes, Even in New Jersey)

Living in New Jersey, I’ve had the pleasure of truly enjoying a really good bagel. We have an amazing bagel place right down the street, so the obvious question is… why would I need to make homemade bagels?

Sometimes I just don’t want to get out of my pajamas.

And honestly? I wanted the challenge. Could I even come close to a true Jersey bagel?

I think I did.

Why I Love This Recipe

This was a challenge for me because I had never made homemade bagels before. I love bagels. My whole family loves bagels. So trying this recipe just felt right.

As with many recipes in this cookbook, it’s forgiving, which is especially appealing to a first-time bagel maker. The dough comes together beautifully, and the author gives helpful pointers on getting it to the correct texture, which made a huge difference.

The smell of bagels filled the house, and once they finally cooled, my husband immediately made himself an egg bagel sandwich. This is absolutely a recipe I’ll stick with. Having homemade bagels in your kitchen just feels like a major flex.

And when you live in New Jersey, that’s really saying something.

Recipe Credit

This recipe comes from Sally’s Baking 101 by Sally McKenney and can also be found on her website, Sally’s Baking Addiction.

She also includes recommendations for different bagel varieties. I kept it classic with an egg wash and everything bagel seasoning, though I’ll branch out to others in my next iterations. Her recipes are consistently reliable, and this one is no exception.

Sally’s Baking 101 cookbook open to the homemade bagel recipe with stand mixer and ingredients arranged on the counter

Notes From My Kitchen

I searched for barley malt syrup and couldn’t find it locally, so I followed her recommendation to substitute brown sugar. It worked perfectly.
I did need to add about 2 additional tablespoons of flour to get the dough to the right consistency. I also rolled by hand a bit longer, which she notes may be necessary depending on things like humidity and flour measurement.
She mentioned the shaping would be easier than expected, and she was right. That said, I tried piecing some dough together to keep all the bagels the same size, and it affected the smoothness of a few. Next time, I’ll portion more carefully from the start.
I would also shape them slightly wider. Mine baked up beautifully, but a wider base makes for a better bagel sandwich.