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Blueberry Bagel Recipe: How to Make Homemade Bagels

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Feb 8, 2023 • 5 min read

Bagels are a beloved brunch staple. Making bagels at home and adding blueberries to the dough makes them even better. Pair fresh blueberry bagels with butter or flavored cream cheese for a show-stopping breakfast or a flavorful, portable meal for any time of day. Read ahead to learn how to make blueberry bagels.

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What Is a Blueberry Bagel?

Blueberry bagels are dense, ring-shaped breads made from a yeasted, enriched dough studded with fresh blueberries, which gets briefly boiled, then baked to achieve a chewy texture and shiny crust. A blueberry bagel is a great option for those who prefer sweet bagels.

The name “bagel” comes from the Yiddish word “beygel,” which comes from the Middle High German word “böugel,” meaning “ring” or “bracelet.” The exact origins of the bagel are unknown. Still, it first appeared in central Europe (some say Poland in the late seventeenth century) and was brought to the United States by European Jewish immigrants in the late nineteenth century.

How to Shape Bagels

Once you’ve rolled your bagel dough into a loose ball, there are two main methods for shaping bagels. You can either poke a hole in the ball or roll it into a log:

  • Use the hole method. Poke a hole through the center of the dough ball. Hold the ball with both thumbs inside the hole and rotate to gently stretch until it is roughly two inches in diameter.
  • Try the log method. On a clean, un-floured work surface, roll the ball into slightly tapered 8- to 11-inch logs, then moisten the ends. Hold one end in your palm and bring the dough around your hand to meet, overlapping by about 1½ to 2 inches. Close your hand to squeeze together the overlapping ends, press the seam into your work surface and roll the dough back and forth a few times. Take the dough off your hand, squeezing it to even out thickness, if needed.

4 Tips for Making Blueberry Bagels

Serve blueberry bagels with blueberry cream cheese to turn up the blueberry flavor. Or, add a handful of dried blueberries to the dough before shaping. Here’s what else to know:

  1. 1. Create that iconic bagel flavor. Barley malt syrup gives bagels their distinctive sweetness. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute honey or use one teaspoon of diastatic malt powder per tablespoon of barley malt syrup.
  2. 2. Ensure a bright crust. To get an extra-shiny crust, brush the bagels with an egg wash just before baking, or add sugar to the boiling water.
  3. 3. Properly cook the bagels. Boiling is important to form the bagel’s shape, preventing it from rising too high and closing the hole in the center. However, you don’t need to boil for very long—about sixty seconds should be enough.
  4. 4. Add seeds or other flavoring additions. While these bagels skew a little sweeter than usual, add seeds, spices, or seasoning (or even cheese) to make it savory. Blueberry everything bagels could be an exciting flavor combination. (Here’s how to make everything bagel seasoning.) You could also add ground cinnamon for an unusual take on a sweet cinnamon raisin bagel.

How to Store Blueberry Bagels

Store fully cooked, cooled bagels at room temperature in a paper or plastic bag, or freeze them right away. You can toast bagels directly from frozen, so cutting them in half before freezing is a great idea. If you opt to freeze your bagels, place them in a freezer bag and press all the air out to prevent freezer burn.

Homemade Blueberry Bagel Recipe

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makes

6–8 bagels

prep time

15 min

total time

40 min

cook time

25 min

Ingredients

For the dough:

For the poaching liquid:

Note: The total time does not include 13 hours and 30 minutes of inactive time.

Make the dough:

  1. 1

    Stir the malt syrup, yeast, and salt into the lukewarm water.

  2. 2

    In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour and malt syrup mixture.

  3. 3

    Stir the mixture until it’s fully blended and forms a stiff ball, about 3 minutes.

  4. 4

    If the flour isn’t fully hydrated, add a little more water.

  5. 5

    Rest the dough for 5 minutes.

  6. 6

    Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is stiff but workable, about 3 minutes. If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more flour.

  7. 7

    Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Shape the bagels:

  1. 1

    Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly oil.

  2. 2

    Divide the dough into 6–8 equal pieces, about 4 ounces each.

  3. 3

    Working on a clean, un-floured surface, cup your hand to roll each chunk of dough into a loose ball.

  4. 4

    Shape the bagels using your preferred method. You can poke a hole through the center of the ball and hold the ball, with both thumbs inside the hole. Rotate to gently stretch until the hole is roughly two inches in diameter. Alternatively, roll the ball into a slightly tapered 8- to 11-inch log, then moisten the ends. Hold one end in your palm and bring the dough around your hand to meet, overlapping by about 2 inches. Close your hand to squeeze together the overlapping ends, press the seam into your work surface and roll the dough back and forth a few times. Take the dough off your hand, squeezing it to even out the thickness, if needed.

  5. 5

    Transfer the shaped bagels to a parchment-lined sheet pan and lightly brush with oil.

  6. 6

    Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours or up to 2 days.

Make the poaching liquid, boil, and bake the bagels:

  1. 1

    Remove the bagels from the fridge 60–90 minutes before baking.

  2. 2

    Heat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

  3. 3

    Check if the bagels are ready by placing one in a bowl of cold water. If it floats, your bagels are ready to go. If it sinks, shake it off and let the bagels rest another 15–20 minutes, then test again.

  4. 4

    Fill a large pot with 3–4 inches of water (2–3 quarts). Cover the pot, bring the water to a boil, and lower it to a simmer. Stir in malt syrup, baking soda, and salt.

  5. 5

    Working in two or three batches, use a slotted spoon to gently lower as many bagels into the pot as you can fit comfortably.

  6. 6

    After 15 seconds, bagels should float to the surface. Flip the bagels and continue to poach until puffed, about 30–60 seconds, then transfer the boiled bagels back to the lightly oiled sheet pan, flat-side down.

  7. 7

    Once you have boiled all the bagels, transfer the pan to the oven and immediately lower the heat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

  8. 8

    Bake the bagels for 8 minutes, then check their bottoms: If they look like they’re getting too dark, place another pan underneath the baking sheet to insulate. Rotate the bagel pan and bake until golden brown, about 7–12 more minutes.

  9. 9

    Cool the bagels on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

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