topic Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here? in Recipes

Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Flatbush — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 07:42:27 GMT

I am looking to make some Brooklyn N.Y. type bagels i.e. large, firm on the outside, soft and chewy inside.

I am wondering about the best flour to use for taste and shape.

Oh, I also love the salt bagels, so is kosher salt used for the topping?

Thanks for any suggestions

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Desertdi — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 10:03:25 GMT

@Flatbush wrote:
I am looking to make some Brooklyn N.Y. type bagels i.e. large, firm on the outside, soft and chewy inside.
I am wondering about the best flour to use for taste and shape.
Oh, I also love the salt bagels, so is kosher salt used for the topping?
Thanks for any suggestions

@Flatbush

Supposedly, it's "all in the water" they use in NY, and can't be duplicated. di

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

We rescue cats — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:39:07 GMT

Failed bagel baker here!!! One of my best buddies owned 4 sandwich shops in out area, she always had fresh baked bread for the sandwiches. She taught me to make biscotti....and then we tackled bagels. We could have used them for target practice but I'm not sure the buckshot would have penetrated them!

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

gardenman — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:42:14 GMT

In general, with bagels, you want a high-gluten bread flour. The water bath in simmering water (plus added stuff, typically malt powder or malt syrup) is the wildcard in the outcome. How long in the water bath? What temperature? How much malt powder/syrup? How big are your bagels compared to those in the recipe you're following?

I've never had a salt bagel, so I can't say for sure what they use, but pretzel salt, or something like Maldon flake salt, would make sense. Both are commonly used in bakeries.

The good news is you won't go too far wrong as long as you start with a decent recipe. (I tend to lean towards King Arthur recipes for something new.) Even a bad bagel is better than no bagel. Will they be perfect on your first try? Probably not, but you live and learn. Figure out what you want to change the next time and see if that gives you a better result.

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

on the bay — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:58:43 GMT

@Flatbush,

You are brave

I've never heard of anyone trying to make bagels, I mean in their home kitchen. Best of luck to you!

I've had NY bagels from my aunt and cousin but you know the ones I like the best, even better?

Bagel Bin.

My other aunt taught me how to make challah. Gosh that is so good. I haven't made it for years.

It's fun but time consuming to make. The saffron is very expensive. The diamond of spices!

p.s.-just yesterday my daughter and I were talking about salt. I told her I always hated the taste of salt. She said she uses kosher salt and hates the Morton salt because it tastes like chemicals to her. I was eating a great soup she made with kosher salt and I've got to say it was so good. So I would go with the kosher salt and you can't go wrong!

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

wagirl — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:11:41 GMT

I've made bagels before, in the bread maker --the dough that is and then the hand shaping and the boiling in water and then the baking--and all without NY water--they turned out pretty good--but not authentic as I am near Seattle--a far cry from the best. but passable.I used bread flour.

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Flatbush — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:36:52 GMT

@Desertdi

Yes, I have already thought of this special water.

As I remember, it comes from the Catskill mountains.

So, I will have to try and carry on w/o it.

Bummer, huh...

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Flatbush — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:43:00 GMT

@We rescue cats

Well, biscotti is good too, but it ain't a Bagel.

I have got to find a way.

I've had so many friends tell me about places that sold N.Y. Bagels.

But alas, none ever met the standard.

I gotta try, no matter what hard times may befall me...sigh

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Flatbush — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:09:06 GMT

@gardenman

Let me tell you what I learned on line

One important ingredient is ...

Get this:

WHEAT GLUTEN Additive, AKA SEITAN

I thought oh, I got this.

So off I went....to 6 stores ( in one day ) and Amazon on line as well.

One of the stores sold Japanese food and spices etc and one was Middle Eastern. No luck.

I found flour that was called this, but I want the additive for white flour to make the perfect flour for the face sized Bagels.

The recipe looks correct and notes details, i.e. one minute,then two minutes in simmering water not boiling etc.

I just might have to use King Arthur Bread flour, and some malt but ...

Thanks for the reply.You were on the right track.

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Flatbush — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:22:45 GMT

@wagirl

Here you are!

Yes bread flour seems to be the only way I can go with for now.

Where is the latest news on your new place?

Did I miss it?

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

gardenman — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 11:14:16 GMT

Check out the Bob's Red Mill section in your grocery store for "Vital Wheat Gluten Flour ." You can also find vital wheat gluten from Bob's and other makers at Amazon. I've got a bag of Bob's in my cupboard now that I use with my rye bread.

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

wagirl — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 12:59:16 GMT

@Flatbush --Hi there!! Been sharing tidbits here and there --YESSSSS!!!!!! I am in my new place and still have box towers everywhere--moved on Jan 28th--was a long day but it got done--then went back to the old place to finish with the stuff that was not packed --that is another story🫤 and to clean up, hand over keys and say goodbye. Am having issues with trying to figure out where to put stuff--and then finding stuff that needs to be stored--Have a storage unit elsewhere and just got a small one here at the apts. Then had to stop to go find a new chiro as my body was not happy. So do I like this place?? Not sure yet--chaos is king here. My DD is delighted tho--she is on a bus only 5-ish minutes to her job--takes 10 minutes to get to a stop--

So--back at it today----thanks for asking----

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Flatbush — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 08:33:39 GMT

@gardenman wrote:
Check out the Bob's Red Mill section in your grocery store for "Vital Wheat Gluten Flour ." You can also find vital wheat gluten from Bob's and other makers at Amazon. I've got a bag of Bob's in my cupboard now that I use with my rye bread.

@gardenman

Yes, but that appears to be the flour. I wanted the additive, but I may have to settle for this or bread flour.

Thanks for checking.

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

gardenman — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:28:09 GMT

@Flatbush wrote:
@gardenman wrote:
Check out the Bob's Red Mill section in your grocery store for "Vital Wheat Gluten Flour ." You can also find vital wheat gluten from Bob's and other makers at Amazon. I've got a bag of Bob's in my cupboard now that I use with my rye bread.
@gardenman
Yes, but that appears to be the flour. I wanted the additive, but I may have to settle for this or bread flour.
Thanks for checking.

They say "flour" but it is truly just the vital wheat gluten and not really flour. I don't know why Bob's adds "flour," maybe to keep from being sued by gluten intolerant people, but it's just vital wheat gluten and not really flour as we know and use flour. It's just an additive and not something you'd ever use as a flour.

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Flatbush — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 04:52:53 GMT

@gardenman

OH, THANKS!... for giving me this information. I will use this now.

Weird that they called it flour and set me off track.

Thanks again!

Re: Any BAGEL BAKERS here?

Flatbush — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:19:45 GMT

@gardenman wrote:
@Flatbush wrote:
@gardenman wrote:
Check out the Bob's Red Mill section in your grocery store for "Vital Wheat Gluten Flour ." You can also find vital wheat gluten from Bob's and other makers at Amazon. I've got a bag of Bob's in my cupboard now that I use with my rye bread.
@gardenman
Yes, but that appears to be the flour. I wanted the additive, but I may have to settle for this or bread flour.
Thanks for checking.
They say "flour" but it is truly just the vital wheat gluten and not really flour. I don't know why Bob's adds "flour," maybe to keep from being sued by gluten intolerant people, but it's just vital wheat gluten and not really flour as we know and use flour. It's just an additive and not something you'd ever use as a flour.

@gardenman

So glad that I finally found it at Rarph's, a local chain grocery store.

Thanks for all your help and every one else who posted about the Bagels.