This Rye Bagels (with caraway seeds!) recipe makes a fantastic, very classic bagel. Making bagels are easier than you may think - I'll show you how!

Today’s rye bagel recipe is a bit different from my other bagel recipes, in that it requires 3 different kinds of flour (more on than in a bit), and was actually designed around a style of bread. (Rye bread, obviously!)

Sure, I have a recipe for Pumpernickel bagels - containing cocoa powder, and topped with a mixture of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes, and more - but I tend to think of those as their own thing.

This recipe, though, was developed when I was craving both fresh bagels AND Winnipeg rye bread.

I didn’t have any cracked rye on hand, though, so they’re not Winnipeg style. They’re slit on the top to LOOK Winnipeg style, though . “Any port in a storm”, right?

Anyway, this is still a relatively simple recipe, and a great way for first time bagel makers to turn out a good bagel.

Just follow the directions, don’t substitute any of the flours or their measurements/proportions, and you’ll be happy with the results!

Homemade Rye Bagels

If you’ve never made bagels before, you can check out my post How to Make Bagels, to get a bit of a foundation, and some ideas of where to go with it.

From there, I’ve got recipes for Jalapeno Cheddar Beer Bagels,
Pumpernickel Bagels with “Everything” Topping, Seeded Whole Wheat Flax Bagels, and Smoky Cheese Bagels, Roasted Red Pepper Bagels even a recipe for Marble Rye Bagels- something for everyone!

This is a great all-purpose bagel. Toast it up and slather it with peanut butter, dress it up with cream cheese and smoked salmon, or use it to make fantastic bagel sandwiches with your choice of fillings.

Deli meats are an easy go-to, but my Montreal Smoked Meat or Smoked Chicken Salad are *fantastic options as well!

In this recipe, I used milk instead of warm water to add a little extra richness, and used honey in the boil.

This not only adds a little sweetness, but also encourages a bit of caramelization during the baking. This gives you a darker browning, and a bit more crisp/crunch to the bagel crust.

Ingredients

Unlike most of my bagel recipes - which tend to use only one kind of bread flour - this one uses 3 different kinds of flour:

All Purpose flour
Rye Flour or Dark Rye Flour
Whole Wheat Flour

I find that this gives the BEST overall combination of texture and flavour, and each of these should be readily available in almost any grocery store.

In addition to the flours, you will need:

Milk
Honey (Can sub packed brown sugar)
Active Dry Yeast
Caraway Seeds
Salt
Vegetable Oil
1 Large Egg

How to Make Rye Bagels

Full recipe follows in the recipe card at the end of this post, this is the pictorial walk through, with some additional tips

Dough

First thing you’ve got to do? Yeast time!

Measure warm milk into microwave safe bowl. Stir in honey and yeast, allow to stand for 10 minutes – it should get very bubbly.

In a large bowl, combine flours, caraway seeds and salt. Pour in yeast mixture and oil, stir well to combine.

Dump dough out onto a floured surface, knead until soft and elastic, 5-10 minutes.

Alternatively, mix in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook for 5-7 minutes - that’s how I do it!

Once dough is fully kneaded, place the smooth ball of dough in a lightly greased (I use pan spray) bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a lightly damp kitchen towel.

(You’ll want to prevent it from drying out, for best results!)

Place bowl in a warm place and allow to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.

Form the Bagels

Once dough has doubled, punch it down, then divide the lump of dough out into equal pieces - do this on a clean, dry work surface.

We divided the dough into 6 equally sized balls, for a large bagel. You can divide into 8 for medium-large bagels, or 10- 12 for smaller bagels.

There are two main ways of forming bagels – with roll each lump of dough into a thick “snake” and secure the ends together...

...or roll each lump into a smooth, tight ball before poking an index finger though. Once you have the center hole made, stretch the ring of dough out a bit to enlarge the hole.

Personally, I prefer the latter.

Once you have all of your bagels formed, set the shaped bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to rise for another 30 minutes.

Boil & Bake the Bagels

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. If you’d like, scatter a little bit of corn meal across each.

In a large pot, combine water and honey, bring to a boil over medium heat. I like to lay a sheet of parchment paper out across the other half of the stove, as my work surface.

Turn heat down a little, allowing water to simmer rather than continue to boil.

2 or 3 at a time, drop your bagels into the gently boiling water, allow to cook for 1 minute, then flip each and allow to cook for another minute.

Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the water - allowing each to drain well - place on the prepared sheet pan,, allow to cool slightly.

Repeat with remaining bagels.

Whisk egg together with 1 tablespoon of water, brush this egg wash over the tops and sides of each bagel.

If you'd like, use a very sharp knife to cut some slashes in the top of each bagel.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes (for 6), 37 Minutes (for 8). or 35 minutes (if you're making 10-12), until golden brown - you’re looking for a medium-dark colour, with this recipe..

Serve hot, or allow to cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve toasted, with cream cheese.

A Note on the Nutritional Content

The sugars content information shows as higher than it actually is - the recipe software counts all of the ¼ cup of honey in the boil, though it's not actually all taken up by the bagels!

More Bagel Recipes

Looking for more fantastic bagels to make? Here are some great options!

Banana Nut Bagels
Blueberry Bagels
Chai Bagels
Everything Bagels
Garden Veggie Bagels
Gluten-Free Bagels
How to Make Bagels
Jalapeno Cheddar Beer Bagels
Marble Rye Bagels
Mini Bagels
Montreal Bagels
Pumpernickel Everything Bagels
Rainbow Bagels
Red Velvet Bagels
Roasted Garlic Asiago Bagels
Roasted Red Pepper Bagels
Seeded Whole Wheat Flax Bagels
Smoky Cheese Bagels

... and a few seasonal / holiday options, too:

Christmas Bagels
Gingerbread Bagels
Heart Shaped Bagels
Hot Cross Bagels
Maple Pumpkin Spice Bagels
Paska Bagels

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below!

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5 from 1 vote

Rye Bagels with Caraway Seeds

This Rye Bagels (with caraway seeds!) recipe makes a fantastic, very classic bagel. Making bagels are easier than you may think - I'll show you!

Prep Time40

Cook Time40

Rise Time1 30

Total Time2 50

Course: Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine: British, German, Polish

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Large Bagels

Calories: 317kcal

Author: Marie Porter

Equipment

Baking Sheet

Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Dough

1 ¼ cup Warm - Not Hot - Milk
⅓ cup Honey
4 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
1 ⅓ All Purpose flour
1 ¼ cup Rye Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 tablespoon Caraway Seeds
2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Assembly

3 L Hot Water
¼ cup Honey
1 Large Egg
1 tablespoon Water

Instructions

Measure warm milk into microwave safe bowl. Stir in honey and yeast, allow to stand for 10 minutes – it should get very bubbly.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, caraway seeds and salt. Pour in yeast mixture and oil, stir well to combine.
Dump dough out onto a floured surface, knead until soft and elastic, 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 5-7 minutes - that’s how I do it!
Once dough is nice and smooth, place it in a lightly greased (I use pan spray) bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
Place bowl in a warm place and allow to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.
Once dough has doubled, punch it down, then divide it out. We divided the dough into 6 equally sized balls, for a large bagel. You can divide into 8 for medium-large bagels, or 10- 12 for smaller bagels.
There are two main ways of forming bagels – with roll each lump of dough into a thick “snake” and secure the ends together, or roll each lump into a smooth ball before poking a finger though. Once you have a hole made, stretch the ring of dough out a bit to enlarge the hole. Personally, I prefer the latter.
Once you have all of your bagels formed, set them on a baking sheet to rise for another 30 minutes.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large pot, combine water and honey, bring to a boil. I like to lay a sheet of parchment paper out across the other half of the stove, as my work surface.
Turn heat down a little, allowing water to simmer rather than continue to boil. 2 or 3 at a time, drop your bagels into the simmering water, allow to cook for 1 minute, then flip each and allow to cook for another minute. Drain well, place on the parchment lined work surface, allow to cool slightly.
Whisk egg together with 1 tablespoon of water, brush over the tops and sides of each bagel.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes (for 6), 37 Minutes (for 8). or 35 minutes (if you're making 10-12), until golden brown.

Notes

Note: The sugars content information shows as higher than it actually is - the recipe software counts all of the ¼ cup of honey in the boil, though it's not actually all taken up by the bagels!

Nutrition