Making homemade blueberry bagels is so much easier than you might think! Packed with a combination of two kinds of blueberries and plenty of hands-off time, you can make these bagels the night before and bake the day of your brunch for fresh, warm, chewy bagels with an undeniably irresistible crust.

I know, bagels seem like a “oh, I’m not bothering with that, it’s difficult” bake. But let me tell you, they are not nearly as complicated as they seem! Plus, seriously, the worst bagel you can make at home is still 100x better than the bagged bagels at the grocery store. You seriously have nothing to lose!
Why do I love this recipe?
- The two kinds of blueberries create a great combination of textures and flavors.
- You can do all the prep work the day before an event and bake the day of!
- Make these bagels anytime of year, even if blueberries aren’t in season!
I’m going to talk you through the details of what makes a bagel (and what makes a great bagel) and how to make these amazing subtly-sweet blueberry bagels.
Ingredients
Bagels are a rather standard bread dough by ingredients, it’s really the baking and proofing that makes them unique. So, what is in our blueberry bagels?
- Bread flour. Or high-gluten flour also works. We want to avoid all-purpose flours because they just don’t have the protein structure to make a really chewy bagel.
- Instant yeast. Yeast will give our dough a rise.
- Cinnamon. Technically optional for blueberry bagels, but the cinnamon gives a rounded flavor to the berries.
- Barley malt syrup. This is our bagel-specific ingredient. It gives us a sweetness, but also that deep golden, chewy crust. It’s worth the effort to look for at your local store, or it is available easily online. Barley malt syrup is the traditional ingredient used in NY-style bagels, but in a pinch, brown sugar can be substituted.
- Dried & frozen blueberries. This is my favorite combination of blueberries in a bagel. The dried berries are a bit sweeter and really flavorful, while the frozen berries release a bit of juice as you knead. Fresh berries will crush more as your work the dough and will not release as much flavor.
I tested this recipe several times with, frankly, mixed results. Ranging from wrinkly, flat bagels to a sloppy pile of purple goo – I finally hit the nail on the head with this variation. Because of the extra liquid in the berries, the recipe needed to be adjusted just right!
What makes a great bagel?
A quintessential bagel is dense and chewy with a shiny outer crust. But how do we achieve this?
Lean Dough
Bagels are considered a “lean” dough which means is doesn’t contain any extra fats, eggs, oils, etc. It also has a very low hydration amount meaning there’s little water in comparison to the amount of flour.
This makes the bagels sturdy and really easy to work with as you knead. The dough should be very smooth and elastic as you work with it, and you shouldn’t need to add any flour to your work surface.
The dough is ready when you can stretch it enough to see light through. This is the windowpane test.
Kneading & Shaping
This is one of the few times I prefer to knead by hand instead of the mixer. Why? For one, this dough is stiff and my mixer motor sounded sad. But two, you can preserve more of the blueberry swirls when kneading by hand. It can still be done in a mixer, but I recommend by hand. It’s a good workout!
I mentioned before, this is dough has very little hydration, so it’s easy to work with. You might notice that there’s not quite enough water at first, but keep kneading for a bit longer than you would before adding more water. The frozen berries will eventually start to run.
If you need to adjust while kneading, feel free to add a sprinkle of water or a dusting of flour to achieve a smooth, elastic dough, but keep things to a minimum!
When shaping each individual bagel, creating a tight ball initially is key. I begin by slicing my dough into 8 equal-ish wedges. With each wedge, I bring all the corners into the center and really pinch the seam shut well. I then place the seam counter-side down and begin to swirl the dough with my hand cupped over top (watch the recipe video, it’s helpful for explaining!)
It’s a little tricky to master, but as long as you have a nice, compact dough ball, you are good to go!
The bagel center is easy, just poke a hole in the middle and stretch things out!
Limited Rising
With most breads, you let the dough rise to double its size twice during the process. But, with bagels, we want to limit that. Letting the dough rise creates lots of air bubbles, and that’s not really something that we want in a bagel. Bagels have a “closed texture” or very minimal amount of air bubbles when baked.
In order to achieve this closed texture, we reduce the typical amount of rising time. We do let the dough rise initially until the dough has gotten puffy – maybe not quite doubled in size, but puffy.
We then really just let the dough rest for a few minutes while we shape the dough. This is mostly to make it easier to stretch the inner hole. When the gluten has a few minutes to relax, it shapes easier.
Finally, we let the dough rise in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Because it is in the fridge, the yeast is slowed down and doesn’t rise like it does at room temperature. This long rise serves a few purposes:
- It lets the flavors develop.
- It prevents the bagels from overproofing and flattening out.
- It creates the characteristic “blistered” texture on the crust.
- Do all the work the day before and bake in the morning in time for breakfast.
A traditional bagel has a series of teeny tiny bubbles on the surface of the crust. It’s not strictly required to have this blistered texture, but it’s like a “tick of the box” for the perfect bagel. The slow fermentation (or proofing) combined with the right boiling technique gives us blisters.
Blueberry Cream Cheese
Make a quick homemade cream cheese with the below steps:
-
Heat 1/4 cup (30g) of frozen blueberries in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to release juices
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Stir into 8oz block (226g) of softened cream cheese
Boiling Bagels
This is where things go off the rails a bit from a traditional bread. Bagels are really one of the few bakery items that are cooked twice.
Boiling the bagels before baking in a hot oven provides us that craveable shiny, hearty, chewy crust that you really need to sink your teeth into.
When you boil the bagels, you are setting the outside into a glutenous texture. You will notice when you remove them from the water, the bagels are a little sticky. That’s our gluten working for us.
We are not trying to cook the bagels through completely, we are just setting the crust. A longer boil gives more hearty crust. I find 45 seconds on each side to be a good amount, but if you want a less crust, you can reduce to 20 seconds on each side.
Frequently Asked Questions
There could be a few reasons, but likely they are over-proofed or over-boiled. They will still taste great, but with bagels it is better to proof for less rather than more. The other culprit could be too much liquid from your blueberries. Use whole, frozen blueberries so they don’t release too much juice while kneading.
To create a true NY-style bagel, this ingredient makes a difference, for sure. It is worth buying online if you cannot find in stores. If you cannot find it, substitute dark brown sugar to replicate the properties as close as possible.
I prefer using frozen blueberries so they keep their shape a bit more while kneading. I actually froze my fresh blueberries in a single layer before adding to the dough. Plus, it makes these bagels accessible any time of year.
Nope! They will hydrate enough as they sit in the dough, no need to rehydrate the dried berries.
Bagels are definitely best the day of baking. If you want to keep them an extra day, definitely slice and toast. They can also be stored in the freezer and thawed before slicing and toasting.
Homemade Blueberry Bagels
Equipment
- 5+ qt pot
- Silicone baking sheet optional
Ingredients
- 480 g bread flour
- 7 g instant yeast 1 package
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup or packed brown sugar
- 140 g dried bluberries
- 100 g frozen blueberries
- 1 cup warm water, 95°-105°F plus 2 tablespoons (optional)
Water Bath
- 12 cups water
- 2 tablespoons barley malt syrup or packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Stir together flour, yeast, cinnamon, salt, barley malt syrup and blueberries in a large bowl to mix by hand (preferred) or bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with hook attachment.480 g bread flour, 7 g instant yeast, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup, 140 g dried bluberries, 100 g frozen blueberries
- Add 1 cup of warm water. Begin kneading by hand or on low speed of a stand-mixer. Dough should not be wet or sticky, but if it is too tight to work with, add 1-2 additional tablespoons if needed. Keep in mind, the berries will begin to release juice as you knead, if you have added too much water, add a sprinkle of flour to prevent a sticky dough.1 cup warm water, 95°-105°F
- Continue to knead dough until smooth and elastic and dough passes the "window-pane test" (the dough can be stretched thin enough to see light through). This will take 12-15 minutes with the mixer, and 15-20 minutes by hand.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Dough may not be doubled in size, but will be puffy and hold a dent when pressed.
- Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball, pinching any seams closed as needed. Place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Cover sheet lightly with a clean kitchen towel rest for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, create bagel shape by poking a finger through the center of the dough balls. Stretch to approximately 1" hole. Return to baking sheet and repeat with remaining 7 dough balls. Cover tightly and chill overnight or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Prepare water bath by placing all ingredients in a large pot (a shallow wide Dutch oven works well). Bring to a soft boil.12 cups water, 2 tablespoons barley malt syrup, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Remove bagels from fridge and immediately begin the boiling process. Place as many cold bagels as will fit comfortably in the boiling water, allowing for puffing while boiling. Boil for 45 seconds, flip and boil for another 45 seconds. Remove from the water with a skimmer or slotted spoon and return to baking sheet.
- Continue with remaining bagels until all are boiled, keeping water at a soft boil throughout.
- Transfer sheet pan to preheated oven and bake until golden brown, 18-20 minutes.
- Allow to cool on wire rack.
Notes
- Bagels are best the day of baking. Leftover bagels can be stored in an airtight container and sliced and toasted.
- Baked bagels can be frozen in a freezer-safe container. Thaw, slice and toast when ready to eat.
- Recipe for blueberry cream cheese can be found in post.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.