Homemade Fresh-Milled Bagels

There’s something deeply grounding about making bagels from scratch — slowing down, using simple ingredients, and choosing to nourish your body well.

I love making bagels with freshly milled hard wheat because it’s fuller in flavor and keeps all the fiber, B vitamins, and natural enzymes that are stripped away in refined flour. For me, this isn’t just about better bread — it’s about feeding our bodies with the real, whole foods God designed to nourish us.

These bagels are hearty, slightly dense, and chewy — just how a bagel should be.

⸻

Bagel Dough Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

    •    3 cups hard wheat berries, freshly milled into flour

(I usually use all hard red wheat for its hearty, classic bagel flavor. If I want the flavor a little lighter—especially for sweet or spiced bagels—I’ll do 2 cups hard red wheat and 1 cup hard white wheat. Both are hard wheats and both work beautifully.)

    •    2 tablespoons sunflower lecithin

Wet Ingredients

    •    1 cup hot water

    •    2 teaspoons salt (stir into the hot water to dissolve)

    •    ½ cup additional water (for a total of 1½ cups water)

    •    ⅓ cup organic olive oil

    •    ⅓ cup honey

    •    1 egg (optional)

(For bagels, I typically leave the egg out because I prefer a denser, chewier texture.)

Yeast

    •    1 tablespoon active dry yeast

⸻

Make the Dough

I make this dough in my bread machine, but you can also knead it by hand or with a stand mixer.

    1.    Add all ingredients to your bread machine according to your machine’s instructions.

    2.    Run the dough cycle and allow the dough to fully mix, knead, and complete its first rise.

⸻

Shape + Second Rise

    1.    Remove the dough from the machine and divide into equal pieces (about 4 oz each).

    2.    Shape into bagels by poking a hole in the center and gently stretching it out.

    3.    Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    4.    Cover and let rise for 30–45 minutes, until soft, puffy, and nearly doubled in size.

⸻

Boil the Bagels

Boiling is what gives bagels their signature chewy crust.

Boiling Water Add-Ins

    •    Water

    •    A drizzle of honey

    •    A pinch of salt

Optional:

    •    Add 1–2 tablespoons baking soda for a darker, chewier crust.

    1.    Bring the water to a gentle boil.

    2.    Boil each bagel for 30 seconds per side.

    3.    Remove and place back on the baking sheet.

⸻

Bake

    1.    Brush the boiled bagels with egg whites for a glossy finish.

    2.    Bake at 400°F for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown on top.

    3.    Let cool before slicing (if you can wait).

⸻

Serving + Storing

These bagels freeze beautifully and make the best breakfast sandwiches. I usually leave half of my batch on the countertop in a ziplock bag and they disappear within 5 days! They’re also delicious simply toasted with butter, cream cheese, or a drizzle of honey.

⸻

Optional: Turn These into Everything Bagels

If you want to make everything bagels, here’s what to add:

    •    Mix 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning into the dough halfway through the kneading cycle

    •    After boiling, brush with egg whites and sprinkle additional everything seasoning on top before baking

Same base recipe — just with that extra savory goodness.

There’s something really special about making food this way — caring for our bodies, our homes, and the people we love with intention.