These aren't your bagel shop's everything bagels! These everything bagels have crunchy, chewy crusts and everything bagel seasoning mixed right into the dough, bringing those delicious garlicky, oniony flavors to life in every bite.
Mix. Mix flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and ¼ cup everything bagel seasoning blend together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Make a well in the middle and pour almost all of the water into the center. Use the dough hook on low speed to mix the dough until it comes together in a messy ball on the hook.
Hold back about a ¼ cup of water when you first add it to the dry ingredients. You may not need all of the water, especially if you live somewhere humid. If the dough still seems dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time directly onto any dry bits in the bowl until the dough comes together in a messy ball.
Knead. Increase the speed to low-medium and let the mixer run for 3-5 minutes, dusting in more flour if the dough appears to be sticking to the bowl. You’re looking for a dough that is smooth, soft, and elastic — just slightly tacky to the touch. It shouldn’t stick to your hands or the bowl.
Tuck the edges of the dough under to shape the dough into a smooth round ball. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl and let it rise for an hour in a warm spot (70-72°F) until about doubled in size.
Preheat. Preheat your oven to 425°F and fill a wide, high-sided skillet with at least 3 inches of water, and bring it to a low boil on the stove.
Divide the dough into eight equal pieces (use a kitchen scale for precision) and shape them into balls. Gently flatten the piece of dough against a lightly floured surface, then tuck the edges up into the middle, pinching them together to form a smooth surface on the underside of the dough. Then flip the dough over, cup your hand around it, pinkie against the counter, and drag your hand towards your body. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat as needed until you have a smooth taught surface on top and a seam underneath.
Starting with the first dough ball you shaped, coat your thumb in flour and poke it through the seam-side of the dough, pushing any extra edges into the middle. Slide your other thumb in and gently stretch the dough out until the hole in the middle is at least the same width as the sides. The hole will close as the dough rests and will close again as it boils and bakes, so don’t be stingy here. If you like a bigger hole in your bagel, stretch the dough out again before boiling.
Boil. Gently drop your shaped bagels into the pot of boiling water, top-side down. Boil bagels for 1 minute per side. Work in batches; The bagels will expand as they boil so don’t crowd them. Remove the shaped bagels from the water and put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Egg wash. Brush each bagel with egg wash, making sure to get the sides and centers. Sprinkle the tops with everything bagel seasoning blend OR, for more complete coverage, let the bagels cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully dip the tops and sides of each bagel in a bowl of everything bagel seasoning.
If you're feeling ambitious, you can make "everywhere" everything bagels by dipping the bottoms of the bagels in everything bagel seasoning too. Don't feel like dipping the bagels? Sprinkling them with everything bagel seasoning works just fine too.
Bake. Arrange back on the lined sheet pan with plenty of room for the bagels to expand as they bake. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Cool. Remove the bagels from the oven and transfer to cool on a wire rack. Let cool before slicing (if you can resist!).
RECIPE NOTES
*If measuring salt by weight you can use any type of salt. If measuring by volume, and using any brand that is NOT Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, cut the amount of salt in half (1 teaspoon).
If you're using a store-bought everything bagel blend in the dough and salt is one of the first ingredients listed on its ingredient list, cut the amount of salt in this recipe in half. If you are buying an everything bagel seasoning blend specifically to use in this recipe, look for one where salt is listed fairly far down on the ingredients list for best results.
To test if your dough is ready after it rests for an hour, gently press into it with one finger. If it immediately fills in the indentation when you remove your finger, your dough needs more time to rise. When the indentation only fills in part way or fills in very slowly, your dough is ready.
Store in an airtight bag with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Stored properly, they will stay good for 3-4 days. They’ll get a bit hard after the first day or so, but soften up if you toast them. You can also run them briefly under water (!!!), then microwave them for 10 seconds, slice them, and toast them (or put them on a rack in your regular oven for 10 minutes at 350°F).