New York Style Whole Wheat Bagels

There’s nothing better than freshly baked bagels and coffee for breakfast. Except homemade bagels. Except homemade “whole wheat” bagels! I know it seems like homemade bagels are a lot of work and very hard to accomplish but I can tell you they’re not.

New York style bagels are chewy, doughy and soft with a thick and shiny exterior. They are boiled before baking, giving them the texture and the exterior they are so well known for. They’re great with some cream cheese but I often eat them with some butter, tomatoes and cucumber with coffee in the morning.

If you want to make bagels a bit more nutritious and add more fiber, whole wheat bagels work great. I use white whole wheat flour for this purpose because traditional whole wheat flour can be dense and has a very distinct wheat flavor that not everyone likes.

On the other hand, white whole wheat flour is made from white wheat berries. These are milder and sweeter in flavor compared to the red wheat berries. White whole wheat flour has plenty of fiber because the entire berry along with the husk are milled. This makes it a great substitute for all purpose flour in baking recipes.

I love how my entire house smells like a bakery when I make bagels. Make these on a weekend and everyone will love having a homemade bagel for breakfast on dreary Monday mornings! They’re easier than you think and without all the chemicals in store-bought bagels. You’ll soon be addicted to these gorgeous, fiber filled bagels!

Ingredients: (Makes 8 bagels)

3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (replace with all purpose flour if you’re making regular bagels)
2 tsp yeast
1 ½ tbsp granulated white sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 ½ tsp salt

1) Take 1/2 cup of warm water and mix in yeast and white sugar. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until frothy.

2)  In a large bowl mix together salt and flour. Pour in the yeast water as well as the remaining water and mix well. You may need to add a little more or less, depending on the kind of flour you use and the temperature where you live. The dough to be stiff but not dry.

3) Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and knead the dough till it is elastic and smooth, approximately 10 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and let it rest for about an hour to hour and a half, until it has doubled in size.

4) After an hour, punch the dough out and again let it rest for 10 minutes.

5) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add brown sugar to the water.

6) Divide the dough in 8 equal pieces and roll them out to smooth balls. With a floured finger, punch a hole in the center of the dough. Stretch out the hole to an inch or two to create the bagel shape.

7) Once all bagels are shaped, cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for another 10 minutes.

8) Once the water has started boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Gently lower the bagels, one by one, into the boiling water. Boil for one minute on each side. If you like chewier bagels, boil for about 2 minutes each side. The bagels should be puffy once they’ve been boiled.

9) If you would be topping your bagels, lay out the toppings on a tray. Remove the bagel from the pot of water and straight onto the toppings. Lay the bagel, topping side up, on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

10) Bake till golden brown, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing.