How to make wholemeal bagels
Our Wholemeal Bagels are a real crowd-pleaser, and a wonderful addition to any weekend brunch.
This bagel recipe is for confident bakers, made with Allinson's wholemeal dough.
Fans of New York baking classics like wholemeal bagels can also try our Pretzels recipe, or if you're looking for a wholemeal loaf with a twist try our wholegrain apricot loaf recipe, because is there anything better than waking up to freshly baked bread?
Method
Step 1:
MIX
Mix the flours, yeast and salt in a big bowl. Mix together the melted butter, sugar and water, then mix in with a cutlery knife.Step 2:
KNEAD Tip onto a lightly flour dusted surface and knead for 10 minutes (or use the dough hook attachment on your mixer).
Step 3:
RISE
Lightly grease the mixing bowl with some oil. Put the dough back in, cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size – about 2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.Step 4:
SHAPE
Knock back the dough by gently kneading just 5 times to get the air out. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and grease the parchment. Cut the dough into 9 even pieces (use a weighing scales if you like). Roll each piece into a ball and sit on the sheets – they’ll need room between them for growing.Step 5:
PROVE
Cover the dough again with a clean tea towel and leave to prove until doubled in size again. Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas mark 7) and fill a large saucepan with water.Step 6:
POACH Bring the pan to the boil, then lower the heat to gently simmering and stir in the bicarbonate of soda, honey and 1 tsp salt (careful – it will bubble up!). Use a floured finger to push a hole through the centre of each dough ball and pick it up. Stretch the hole by gently swirling the bagel around on your finger a little, then drop into the pan. Do 2 bagels at a time, poaching for 2 minutes and turning over halfway. Use a slotted spoon to return the bagels to the baking trays. Poach all the bagels, keeping the water at a gentle simmer.
Step 7:
BAKE Brush the bagels with beaten egg or oil and sprinkle with some seeds. Bake for 15 minutes until brown and crisp. Cool, then enjoy toasted.
Step 8:
Why not try using Allinson Country Grain flour instead seeds in your cupboard for snacking? Knead an extra handful into the dough before dividing and shaping
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 400g Allinson's very strong wholemeal bread flour
- 100g Allinson's Strong White Bread Flour
- 7g Allinson's Easy Bake Yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 50g Butter or vegan butter (unsalted, melted)
- 1 tbsp Billington's Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar
- 300ml Warm water
- 400g Allinson's very strong wholemeal bread flour
For the Poaching
- 1 tbsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 2000ml Water
- 1 tbsp Honey
For the Topping
- Handful Linseeds
- Handful Sesame seeds
- 1 Beaten egg (use oil instead if vegan)
Utensils
- Bowl
- Tea towel
- 2x Baking sheet
- Baking parchment
- Large saucepan
- Pastry brush
Recipe Reviews
Am I missing something?
Step 6 ".... stir in the bicarbonate of soda, honey and 1 tsp salt ..... "
No honey shown on the ingredients list.
How much should be added please?
1tbsp of honey is required for the poaching stages. Apologies for the typo, this has now been amended. Thanks for letting us know.
Was so fool proof and saved this down for my next bake of bagels 🥯 reduced the whole meal flour tho to suit my tastbuds
I found this recipe after my favourite bagels were discontinued. I decided to try making them about 6 months ago and have been making them ever since! The recipe is absolutely spot on and failsafe. I double the recipe to make 18 and freeze them. I then defrost them each morning for breakfast, toasted with butter and honey. Delicious! They've also become a fan favourite with family.
Just eaten one, so so good. What a discover this site is! I wish I could have put up a photo. My dough made for 90g per bagel, and made 9 as it says. Dense and doughy with a slight sheen crust, just how I like my bread.
I followed the recipe but used my bread maker to knead and prove dough. They turned out great, first time I’ve made bagels so will use this recipe again.
So hard to find wholemeal bagels in the shops! I've made my own and this means no preservatives etc. Thought it would be hard, but actually really fun and not hard at all!
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 400g Allinson's very strong wholemeal bread flour
- 100g Allinson's Strong White Bread Flour
- 7g Allinson's Easy Bake Yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 50g Butter or vegan butter (unsalted, melted)
- 1 tbsp Billington's Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar
- 300ml Warm water
- 400g Allinson's very strong wholemeal bread flour
For the Poaching
- 1 tbsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 2000ml Water
- 1 tbsp Honey
For the Topping
- Handful Linseeds
- Handful Sesame seeds
- 1 Beaten egg (use oil instead if vegan)
Utensils
- Bowl
- Tea towel
- 2x Baking sheet
- Baking parchment
- Large saucepan
- Pastry brush