Homemade Sesame Bagels
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Indulge in freshly baked Homemade Sesame Bagels this weekend! These soft and chewy bagels are baked to perfection and topped with sesame seeds for a delicious breakfast any day of the week.
If you love making homemade breakfast as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other favorite recipes like my Everything Bagel Turkey Sausages, Honey Almond Coconut Granola, or my Baked Donuts with Chocolate Fudge Glaze.
Table of Contents
I love making homemade bagels because I know I can indulge without guilt. There's only one brand of bagels I will buy because they have no seed oils in them and they are Alvarado Street Bakery. They are organic and use sprouted wheat and no seed oils! Which is so hard to find in bread in general, let alone bagels, even organic ones! So, if I'm not buying these, then I'm making my own.
Plus, they don't have all the flavors. So, while their cinnamon raisin bagels are in my freezer at all times, if I'm craving sesame bagels then I make my own! You will love this simple recipe for Homemade Sesame Bagels because they are completely organic and free of seed oils.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy: You will love these Homemade Sesame Bagels because they are so easy to make! They only require a few simple ingredients and they rise up to perfection in just a few hours. I use a mix of all purpose flour and bread flour for a perfectly chewy homemade bagel!
Easily Adaptable: I top these bagels with sesame seeds, but you could use poppy seeds or even an everything bagel spice mix if you want to make different varieties. It's incredibly easy to switch it up with whatever you have on hand.
Eat with Everything: Enjoy these Homemade Sesame Bagels with cream cheese, butter, or peanut butter. Or use them to make a delicious bagel sandwich with egg, bacon, and avocado!
Ingredients
Red Star Organic Instant Yeast
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour (use code MIMIORGANIC15 for 15% off your order!)
King Arthur Organic Bread Flour
Costco Kirkland Organic Coconut Oil
Terrasoul Organic Hulled Sesame Seeds
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Tools Needed
Baking Sheet Half Sheet Pan (use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off my favorite stainless steel sustainable bakeware!)
Parchment Paper (get my favorite nontoxic parchment paper and get 10% off with MIMIBAKES)
Large Pot
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the warm water and yeast. Stir to dissolve completely.
Add the bread flour, all purpose flour, honey, and sea salt to the mixing bowl and mix on low. Once the dough comes together, mix for 2 minutes on low or until smooth.
Grease a medium bowl with the coconut oil. Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until it has doubled in size. It helps to keep it in a warm place.
Step 2
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper with coconut oil. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Divide the dough evenly into eight pieces, about 97 grams each.
Form the pieces of dough into round balls, smooth the tops by pulling and tucking the dough into the bottom of the ball. They should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Place them on the prepared parchment paper. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough feels springy. If you live in a dry climate, you can cover this with plastic wrap instead, but be sure to grease it.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 4
Make a hole in the center of each ball of dough by pressing your finger into it. The holes should be much bigger than you would think because the dough will rise and expand when baking, about 2-inches in diameter.
Step 5
To make the poaching liquid: Add the 4 quarts water to an 8-quart pot. Bring the water to a boil, then stir in the 2 teaspoons cane sugar and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. When the water is boiling, drop the bagels into the water, make sure you don’t overcrowd the pot. Boil for 25 seconds on each side.
Remove the bagels from the boiling water and place back on the parchment paper. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds.
Step 6
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions.)
Baker's Tips
- Always be sure to let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, no matter how long it takes. I give a time for reference, but always look for visual signs whenever making bread.
- If you live in a dry climate, you can cover the second rise with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. If you do this, be sure to grease the plastic wrap so it doesn’t stick to the tops of the dough.
- If you don’t have coconut oil, you can also use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- If you need to bake a little longer, you can do that! Bake until lightly golden brown on the bottoms.
- Be sure to store bagels in an airtight container so they retain their soft and chewy texture. You can use a big Ziploc bag or Tupperware. You can even store bagels in the freezer to make them last even longer!
Variations
- Plain: Leave off sesame seeds.
- Poppy Seed: Add poppy seeds on top in place of sesame seeds.
- Everything: Add organic everything bagel spice on top in place of sesame seeds.
- Pumpkin Chia Seed: Add a mixture of pumpkin seeds and chia seeds on top in addition or in place of sesame seeds for added nutrients.
FAQ's
Yes! This is a really basic bagel recipe, so if you want to add poppy seeds or everything spice mix on top instead, you can easily do that! You can even add shredded cheese for cheesy bagels.
I love serving these with plain butter! Cream cheese is also classic, of course. Try some of my flavored cream cheese recipes like Dill Cream Cheese Spread, Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread, or Cinnamon Honey Cream Cheese Spread, as these would all be delicious with sesame bagels!
Make sure to store homemade bagels in an airtight container so they stay soft and chewy. You can store at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for up to a week. If you want to freeze them (this is what I do usually!) just freeze in a zip bag or tupperware for up to a month. You can easily thaw or just toast frozen as well.
Craving More?
Homemade Sesame Bagels
Ingredients
Dough
- 9 grams instant yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 284 grams bread flour
- 160 grams all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Poaching Liquid
- 4 quarts water
- 2 teaspoons cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Topping
Instructions
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the warm water and yeast. Stir to dissolve completely.
- Add the bread flour, all purpose flour, honey, and sea salt to the mixing bowl and mix on low. Once the dough comes together, mix for 2 minutes on low or until smooth.
- Grease a medium bowl with the coconut oil. Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until it has doubled in size. It helps to keep it in a warm place.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper with coconut oil. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Divide the dough evenly into eight pieces, about 97 grams each.
- Form the pieces of dough into round balls, smooth the tops by pulling and tucking the dough into the bottom of the ball. They should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Place them on the prepared parchment paper. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough feels springy. If you live in a dry climate, you can cover this with plastic wrap instead, but be sure to grease it.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Make a hole in the center of each ball of dough by pressing your finger into it. The holes should be much bigger than you would think because the dough will rise and expand when baking, about 2-inches in diameter.
- To make the poaching liquid: Add the 4 quarts water to an 8-quart pot. Bring the water to a boil, then stir in the 2 teaspoons cane sugar and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. When the water is boiling, drop the bagels into the water, make sure you don’t overcrowd the pot. Boil for 25 seconds on each side.
- Remove the bagels from the boiling water and place back on the parchment paper. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days, or you can freeze.
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