Easy Rye Bagels

4.91 from 11 votes

Published by Rebecca Eisenberg ⁠— June 7, 2021 (updated September 22, 2026) — 21 Comments

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Everything you love about nutty, earthy deli-style rye bread in the form of deliciously easy rye bagels. Made with a blend of rye flour and bread flour with loads of caraway seeds, these rye bagels are perfect for serving up rye bagel Reubens and BLTs, though they're also great toasted with my fresh homemade cream cheese.

an overhead shot of rye bagels on a sheet pan. two halves of a corned beef bagel sandwich are facing upward on the tray. — Just like my deli-style rye sandwich bread, my rye bagel recipe takes just a few hours to make and uses a simple caraway seed tea to infuse the dough with flavor.

My rye bagel recipe uses a blend of medium organic rye flour and bread flour, but the rye flavor (or what we usually think of as "rye" flavor) mostly comes from the caraway seeds mixed into the dough.

As a rule, I generally avoid making recipes that call for speciality flours. But when I found a bag of King Arthur Baking's new medium organic rye flour at my local grocery store and saw that it was readily available online, I decided that it was accessible enough to finally start working on a rye bagel recipe.

Most bagel shop rye bagel recipes are marbled or full-on pumpernickel bagels. (Fun fact: pumpernickel flour is basically just the whole-wheat version of rye flour.)

I wanted my rye bagel recipe to be simpler than that. I wanted to take everything I love about classic, deli-style seeded rye bread and transform it into bagels.

all of the rye bagel ingredients measured out and labeled. — *See recipe card (at the end of the blog post) for quantities*

My rye bagel recipe uses a blend of high-protein/high-gluten bread flour and a medium rye flour, which has a relatively low gluten/low protein content. My goal was to use as much rye flour as I could while still preserving that perfect chewy bagel texture.

Bread flour, with its higher protein content, is the flour traditionally used in bagel recipes because it results in chewier bagels. Though many of my own bagel recipes use all-purpose flour to make them more beginner-friendly, there are some cases where bread flour really is necessary.

Because rye flour is a low-gluten flour, these rye bagels really do need to be paired with a high-gluten flour. I tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, and the rye bagels just didn't hold their shape as well as when I used bread flour.

a rye bagel BLT sits on a small wooden cutting board

How to Make Rye Bagels

I always start by making the caraway seed tea so it can cool in the fridge while I measure everything else out. It's super important that the tea has time to drop below 110°F so that it's safe to use without killing the yeast.

caraway seeds in hot water in a clear glass measuring cup. — The caraway seed tea infuses the rye bagels with so much flavor.

Once the caraway seed tea is cool enough, I add it to the dry ingredients and mix until it's absorbed, then knead the dough until it is smooth.

the bagel dough after mixing but before kneading in the bowl of a stand mixer is shaggy and slightly torn looking. — Mixed

smooth kneaded rye bagel dough with a dough hook in a mixer bowl. — Kneaded

Then I cover the dough and let it rise for an hour in a warm spot until just about doubled in size

How to Shape a Bagel

Divide the dough into equal portions. If you're combining a few pieces together to make a portion, stack the smaller pieces on top of the bigger pieces.

Tuck the edges up so the dough is smooth against the counter with a seam pinched together on top. Repeat until the dough ball feels fairly tight. Don't tear the dough, just stretch it.

Then, flip the dough over so the seam side is down against the counter. Cup your hand around the dough and slide it toward you. The dough will take on an oval shape. Rotate it 90 degrees and repeat to turn the oval into a round circle.

animated gif: pieces of dough stacked on top of each other with the smaller pieces on top of the bigger ones — step 1: stack dough

animated gif: the edges of the bagel dough being tucked up hiding the smaller pieces in the center — step 1: stack dough

Alternately, after flipping the dough over, cup your hand around it with your pinki flush against an unfloured counter and your thumb and forefinger making an O- or C-like shape above the dough. Move your hand in quick circles without picking your pinkie off the counter, and the dough will quickly shape itself into a nice smooth ball.

Because rye flour doesn't have a lot of gluten in it, I find that the dough balls need about 10-15 minutes of rest time to get used to this new shape under a damp paper towel before I poke the holes through them.

eight balls of rye bagel dough on a sheet pan partially covered with a damp paper towel.

Basically, I wait for the seam on the bottom to have mostly sealed back together before I stretch the bagels. If the seam hasn't completely sealed back together, that's okay, but the smoother the seam is the better.

To poke the bagel holes, I dust the top and bottom of the dough balls lightly with flour and stick a thumb through the bottom seam of the dough. Then I slide my other thumb in and gently squeeze and stretch, rotating the dough through my hands until the bagel hole is at least twice as wide as the sides of the bagel.

[gif] a thumb pokes a hole through the bottom of a round ball of dough — step 4: poke a hole

[gif] two thumbs through the hole in the bagel dough rotating it and gentle stretching it — step 4: poke a hole

I usually repeat the stretching process before boiling to keep the hole from closing up in the oven.

Boiling and Baking Bagels

Boiling is a crucial step in the bagel-making process. The hot water kickstarts yeast activity, allowing the bagels to begin expanding while also gelatinizing the starches in the crust. This is what gives bagels their characteristic shiny, thin, chewy crusts and is a step that cannot be skipped. If they aren't boiled, they aren't bagels!

These rye bagels are best boiled for 90 seconds per side. I use a wire spider to flip the bagels and transfer them out of the water to avoid splashing boiling water everywhere.

After the bagels have been boiled, arrange them on a lined sheet pan and brush them with an egg wash before popping them in the oven to bake.

rye bagels after boiling arranged on a sheet pan.

rye bagels on a sheet pan after being baked.

Practical Tips and Recipe Notes

If you have an electric kettle with heat settings, use the lowest temp possible to make the caraway seed tea. If you can't set the temperature on your kettle, you can either stop the kettle before the water is boiling or use very very hot tap water. My electric kettle's lowest temp is 160°F so that's what I use for the tea. It takes about 10 minutes in the fridge to get the temperature down between 90°-110°F, the ideal temp for use in this dough.
I haven't tested this recipe with dark rye flour or white rye flour. If that's all you can find, just know you'll likely have to adjust the amount of water the recipe calls for — sprinkle an extra ½ tablespoon of water onto the dry flour bits in the bowl, giving the mixer plenty of time (at least a minute) after each addition to incorporate before deciding if you need to add more.

💭 Have More Baking Questions?

I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:

Ingredient swaps and FAQs
Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques

See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!

half of a rye bagel reuben dripping with russian dressing sits on a small wooden cutting board

💭 Have More Bagel Questions?

I've rounded up answers to common bagel questions and how-to guides, including:

How to knead bagel dough by hand and what it should feel like
Why bagels are always boiled
Step-by-step guides for bagel shaping and baking techniques

See my bagel-making 101 guide for more!

📖 Recipe

an overhead shot of rye bagels with a small bowl of caraway seeds

Easy Rye Bagels with Caraway Seeds

Servings bagels

Author Rebecca Eisenberg

Everything you love about nutty, earthy deli-style rye bread in the form of deliciously chewy bagels. Made with an organic medium rye flour and caraway seeds makes them perfect for serving up rye bagel Reubens and BLTs, though they're also great toasted with a shmear of cream cheese.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 20

Resting time 1 40

Total Time 2 45

Recipe Notes

Heat the water for the caraway tea FIRST, then measure it. That way you don't lose any water to evaporation while it heats.
Water boils at 212°F, so you'll need to let the tea cool a bit longer if you're starting with boiling water. If the tea is over 110°F when you add it to the dry ingredients, you risk killing the yeast and have sad bagels. If you're not sure what temperature your tea is, you can use an instant read thermometer to check it.
Bagels stale quickly and are best eaten same day. They can be stored in a paper bag inside a plastic bag at room temperature or in a large resealable bag along with a paper towel to absorb moisture.
Do not refrigerate bagels. To extend the shelf life of your rye bagels, freeze them within 24 hours of baking. Sometimes I like to slice my bagels almost all the way through before freezing to make them easier to defrost later.
To amp up the caraway flavor, sometimes I toast the seeds in a dry skillet before making the tea. I found the caraway seed tea on its own was enough, so didn't include this as a mandatory step in the recipe, but it's an option if you want it!

Ingredients

300 grams water
14 grams caraway seeds (2 tablespoons)
350 grams bread flour
150 grams King Arthur Baking Organic Rye Flour
25 grams sugar
4 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
6 grams instant yeast

Instructions

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Make the caraway tea. Heat water in an electric kettle or on the stove until it reaches a low simmer (160°F). Pour 300 grams water over the caraway seeds and let steep in the fridge 8-10 minutes until lukewarm to the touch (90°-110°F).
Combine dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine bread flour, rye flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
Add the caraway tea. Pour the caraway tea and caraway seeds into the middle of the dry ingredients. Run the mixer on low-medium speed (KitchenAid speed 2) pausing occasionally to push the dry ingredients into the center of the bowl with a spatula. If the dough hasn't come together with no dry bits left in the bottom of the bowl after 5 minutes, sprinkle additional 1 teaspoon water onto the dry bits and let the mixer run for another 60-90 seconds. Repeat again only if needed.

If you live somewhere very humid, hold back about a ¼ cup of the tea when you add it to the dry ingredients. Let the dough mix for a few minutes. Add the tea 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together if it needs it.

Knead. Once the dough has mostly come together on the dough hook with minimal dry flour in the bottom of the bowl increase the speed to medium (KitchenAid speed 3) and knead for 5 minutes until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is smooth and slightly tacky to the touch. If the dough feels sticky, dust in more flour and keep kneading.
Rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise 1 hour until just about doubled in size. Use the fingerprint test to determine if the dough is ready.
Punch down. Punch the dough down in the bowl to knock any large air bubbles out of it. Cover and let rest an additional 10 minutes.
Divide and shape. Use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. On a clean, unfloured counter, shape each one into a ball: Stack any smaller pieces on top of the biggest piece. Gently flatten the dough, then tucking the edges up, flip the dough over and cup your hand around it in a claw shape. Keep your pinkie on the counter and move in tight circular motions to build tension on the top of the dough and smoosh the edges together underneath.
If that doesn't work for you: Cup your hand around the dough and, with your pinkie on the counter, pull your hand straight toward your body. The dough will tighten up into an oval shape. Rotate 90° and repeat to pull the oval into a circle shape.
Rest. Cover the dough balls with a damp paper towel and let them rest 10 minutes. Rye flour is low in gluten so needs a bit of time for the seams on the bottom to close up. Depending on the temperature and humidity in your kitchen, you may need to let them rest an additional 5-10 minutes here.
Preheat the oven and water bath. While the bagels rest, preheat oven to 425°F. Fill a wide, straight-sided skillet with about 3" of water and bring to a low boil. Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Poke the holes. Dust your hands lightly with flour (regular AP or bread flour is fine). Poke your thumb through the bottom of each bagel round, pushing any edges or seams into the center. Gently squeeze to stretch (don't tear!) the bagels — you want the hole to be about the same width as the sides of the bagel. Rotate the bagels through your hands, squeezing to slowly stretch them. The bagels will shrink slightly when they boil and bake, so if you prefer a bigger hole just stretch them a bit bigger right before you boil them.
Boil and bake. Working in batches, boil the bagels 1 minute and 30 seconds per side. Use a wire spider to remove the boiled bagels to the prepared sheet pan. Brush with egg wash and bake 20-22 minutes until lightly browned on top.
Cool. Let bagels cool on the sheet pan 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

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