There’s a common theme in bagel-making that the dough must be made with a strong, high-protein flour, but you can’t beat the flavour of a mix of spelt and rye. Of course rye bagels are a little less chewy than New York style bagels – the taste, though, is phenomenal. This is probably more similar to what would have been made in Eastern Europe many hundreds of years ago, when rye and spelt were more common flour types. The soft interior is a bit more similar to Jerusalem bagels (ka’ak) than American bagels.
If you’re a fan of the delicious combination that is rye and spelt, try this Swedish crispbread recipe, rye and spelt seed bread, or sourdough rye bread.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Rye flour: this should be whole grain, or dark, rye flour. I haven’t tested this recipe with sifted rye flour. It works well with freshly milled grain but be sure to use weight measurements.
- Spelt flour: pictured is with whole grain spelt flour. Use sifted or light spelt flour for a dough that’s easier to work with but increase the amount slightly (see recipe notes). Wheat flour can be subbed for spelt if preferred.
- Yeast: if using instant yeast, it can be mixed in with the dry ingredients with no need to bloom it first. You will see in most of my recipes that I use fresh yeast – dry yeast is often stored incorrectly in European supermarkets so I prefer fresh.
- Honey: substitute another liquid sweetener like maple syrup or, if you want to add a deeper flavour, something like fancy molasses.
Step by Step
Step 1: dissolve the yeast in the water with the honey. Set aside to bloom.
Step 2: add the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Step 3: knead into a smooth dough.
Step 4: rise until doubled in size.
Step 5: shape the dough into balls and let them rest for a few minutes.
Step 6: shape into bagels.
Step 7: boil the bagels.
Step 8: bake until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
I haven’t tested this recipe using starter instead of yeast. I’m sure it would work but you’d have to use a different method – see my whole wheat sourdough bagels for a guide. You don’t need a float test for yeast bagels.
Use a little flour when shaping the bagels to avoid sticking. This is a rye dough and naturally a little stickier than one made with wheat flour.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a paper bag on the counter for a few days. After the first day, it’s best to toast the bagels.
Freezing: to freeze, I slice bagels in half and then freeze in airtight glass containers for up to three months. Toast directly from frozen to serve.
Expert Tips
- Knead by hand: most mixers can’t handle bagel dough, which is pretty stiff, and you don’t want to burn out the motor. I recommend kneading this dough by hand rather than risking it.
- Don’t boil too long: a little longer boiling time can make for chewier bagels, but too long and they might collapse when they come out of the water.
- Add toppings: if you want to top your bagels with herbs or seeds, do that after boiling and before baking. Simply dip the still-wet bagel into a shallow bowl with the topping. Boiled bagels don’t need an egg wash.
More Rye Recipes
Rye Sourdough Starter
Dark Rye Bread
Sourdough Rye and Spelt Crackers
Pain d’epices
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Whole Grain Spelt Rye Bagels
Description
Ingredients
- 330 grams (1 ¼ cups) water room temperature
- 20 grams (1 heaping tablespoon) honey or maple syrup
- 3 teaspoons dried yeast traditional, or use ½ cube fresh
- 200 grams (1 ¼ cups) whole grain rye flour
- 300 grams (scant 2 cups) spelt flour whole grain*
- 10 grams (2 teaspoons) sea salt
Water Bath
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
Instructions
- Whisk the water and honey together in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and set aside to bloom, about ten minutes. The yeast should expand and bubble up (if not, it may no longer be active).330 grams (1 ¼ cups) water, 20 grams (1 heaping tablespoon) honey, 3 teaspoons dried yeast
- Stir in the rye flour, spelt flour, and salt. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 6-8 minutes, until stretchy and smooth. The dough will not be as stretchy as it would be with wheat flour and will not pass a windowpane test.200 grams (1 ¼ cups) whole grain rye flour, 300 grams (scant 2 cups) spelt flour, 10 grams (2 teaspoons) sea salt
- Return the kneaded dough to the bowl and cover with a tea towel and large plate. Set aside to rise until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.
- Once the dough has risen, divide it into ten equal balls. Place onto a lined baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let the individual dough balls rest for another ten minutes. You will need two large baking sheets or to bake the bagels in two batches.
- While the bagel dough is resting, preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the water is at a low boil – it should simmer when bagels are added – and add the baking soda and honey.1 tablespoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon honey
- Lightly dust the balls with flour. Shape the bagels by pressing a finger into the centre of the ball and then using your two pointer fingers to roll and stretch the hole (like a barrel roll) until it's about the size of a walnut. Place back onto the lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining bagels.
- Boil the shaped bagels about three at a time, depending on how much space is in the pot, for one minute each side. Dip in toppings if you'd like. Return boiled bagels to the baking sheet.
- Bake the boiled bagels for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 15-20 minutes on the baking sheets, then cool fully on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Rye bagels especially should be fully cool before slicing.
- Store your bagels in a paper bag at room temperature for a couple of days or freeze up to three months. I recommend slicing before freezing and toasting directly from frozen.
Notes
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- Knead by hand: most mixers can’t handle bagel dough, which is pretty stiff, and you don’t want to burn out the motor. I recommend kneading this dough by hand rather than risking it.
-
- Don’t boil too long: a little longer boiling time can make for chewier bagels, but too long and they might collapse when they come out of the water.
-
- Add toppings: if you want to top your bagels with herbs or seeds, do that after boiling and before baking. Simply dip the still-wet bagel into a shallow bowl with the topping. Boiled bagels don’t need an egg wash.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.