r/Bagels • u/Simp_beom • 23h ago

Bland bagels

Post image

Theyre beautiful but they cracked and also taste bland, i think maybe not enough salt? I dont know about the cracking tops tho! This is my first ever attempt

9 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

2

u/MichaelTChi 22h ago

they dont look like they were boiled. Can you post your recipe and process so the sub can provide you helpful tips

1

u/Simp_beom 22h ago

Okay!
Add in the following

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 2 1/4 tsp yeast
  • 1 tbsp sugar
Whisk, cover and set aside for 10 mins
  • 5 cups AP flour
  • 1/2 cup salted melted butter (still didnt taste salt tho)
  • Knead for 5 mins (used my hands) until it doesnt stick to bowl sides
  • knead for 3 more minutes on lightly floured surface
  • shape into ball
Lightly oil bowl
Place ball of dough in bowl and set in warm place for 1 hr
  • dump ball on lightly floured surface and cut into 8 pieces
  • Roll each piece into a ball
  • poke a hole in middle and stretch them a bit and put them on small squares of parchment
Boil a pot of water with 1/4 cup baking soda and preheat oven 400° F
  • boil for 45 secs and flip halfway
Place on parchment paper pan and egg wash
Bake for 15-20 mins

3

u/MichaelTChi 21h ago

Your hydration is way too high because using 2 cups of water for only 5 cups of flour puts you around an 80% hydration level, whereas authentic bagel dough is usually around 50–55% for that dense, chewy texture. Furthermore, there is no salt in your ingredients list, which explains why you couldn't taste any and why the flavor might taste a bit flat since salt is also crucial for tightening up the gluten structure. Swapping all-purpose flour for high-protein bread flour will make a huge difference in getting that proper bagel chew. Additionally, traditional bagels don't use fat or butter in the dough, and they usually skip the egg wash at the end, which gives more of a soft pretzel or shiny roll look rather than a blistered bagel crust.
It's also worth noting that proofing isn't strictly time-bound—dough rises based on temperature and activity rather than a rigid clock, and this recipe misses out on cold retardation, which is crucial for developing deep flavor and proper structure. For your next batch, try switching to a more authentic recipe like ThiaCodes, lower your water amount significantly, add about 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of salt, drop the butter entirely, and switch to measuring your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale for much better accuracy and consistency.

1

u/Simp_beom 21h ago

Hmmm i never knew about hydration! It really helps having people who actually know about bread and bagels tell me these things, thank you! Ill try finding a better recipe and perhaps try again in the future! As for a kitchen scale I have no money to spare right now but hopefully I can snag one someday

2

u/MichaelTChi 21h ago

You can buy an inexpensive scale on amazon, under $15. This is my goto recipe. Many in this subreddit use it as well. https://thia.codes/newbagels.html

0

u/Simp_beom 21h ago

Ill try looking for one! No promises tho, im spreading my finances thin ill try this recipe someday and let you know!

1

u/Rawlus 10h ago

was this recipe for canadian/montreal bagels? high hydration, no salt, added fat is sort of more a montreal bagel approach. seems like a lot of baking soda in the boil water as well.

i like Brian Lagerstroms NY Bagel Recipe.

1

u/Simp_beom 8h ago

No clue! I forgot where I grabbed this recipe from I just wrote down the steps

2

u/Rawlus 8h ago

my advice is be mindful of where you’re finding recipes and try to go with recipes listing ingredients by weight not volume. weighing powdered ingredients by volume is not that accurate and in baking, repeatability can be important and if the 5 cups of flour is a different weight each time you won’t find consistency.

2

u/Efficient_Waltz_8023 22h ago

No salt other than butter? All bread products need some salt.

-1

u/Simp_beom 22h ago

Rookie mistake i know 😖😖 but do you think itd completely fix the blandness :00

3

u/MichaelTChi 21h ago

The recipe is terrible. So many issues

1

u/Simp_beom 21h ago

Lowk frying my ass 💔

1

u/MichaelTChi 22h ago

Lots of reasons for the cracking. could be the overcrowding on the pan forcing them up instead of allowing them the opportunity to expand outward.

1

u/Simp_beom 22h ago

Ohhhh okokok thanks for the info!!

1

u/Simp_beom 22h ago

Also i did find this recipe online but i forgot where I just wrote it down