Blueberry Bagels
These Blueberry Bagels are loaded with blueberries, chewy, lightly sweet and a beautiful purple color. The bagels can be made in roughly one hour and are served with a delicious homemade Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese. You can’t beat homemade bagels.
I love bagels, I mean who doesn’t? I went through a phase in college where I was eating bagels for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner. They make a delicious breakfast, whether serving with cream cheese, or making into a breakfast sandwich, and also can make a delicious lunch or dinner sandwich. I don’t know if I have a favorite bagel perse, but I do really like blueberries and you can’t go wrong with a blueberry bagel.
This blueberry bagel recipe is better than store bought. It’s relatively simple to make, once you get the hang of it. I’ve included lots of detailed steps below for the recipe for blueberry bagels.
Here’s what you need to know…
These blueberry bagels are versatile, in that you can make them with either bread flour or all-purpose flour. I’ve made them both ways and don’t know if I have a preference of one over the other. The bread flour makes the bagels chewier on the inside. So, if you want a classic, characteristic bagel, I’d say use the bread flour. However, the bagels are steamed in a water bath, which creates a chewy exterior, regardless of the flour type. The bagels made with all-purpose flour weren’t as chewy on the inside, but to me tasted like a good bagel (I’m not a bagel expert so maybe bagel experts think otherwise 🙂 ).
When mixing the blueberry bagel dough, make sure you don’t directly mix the salt on top of the yeast as it will deactivate the yeast. After adding all ingredients to the bowl and mixing the dough for a minute or two, the dough should have formed a dough ball around the hook. If it hasn’t, then add more flour until a dough ball forms. Knead the dough for 8 minutes to give the gluten time to develop structure. After kneading the dough, allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
Dividing and shaping the dough
Divide the dough into 8 roughly equal pieces of dough, then roll the dough into a 10 inch rope. Shape the rope into a circle, then cross the ends over one another and pinch and roll to seal the edges together. Once all the bagels are formed, place bagels on a small square of parchment paper. This is key to helping place the blueberry bagels in the water solution. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. When the rolls are almost done proofing, bring a large pan or skillet of the water/honey solution to a boil. Turn heat off, then add bagels to the water. Grab the corners of the parchment square, then place in water. Using tongs, grab the edge of the square and flip bagel off of parchment paper square. Boil each side for 20 seconds, then remove and place on parchment paper lined sheet.
Brush the bagels with egg wash before baking. This will help the exterior develop a nice golden crust. Bake for roughly 20 minutes, or until bagels are golden brown.
All done, now it’s time to serve the bagels!
I like to serve my blueberry bagels with a fresh, homemade Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese. It is out of this world delicious and adds a great blueberry flavor to the bagels. In order to make the cream cheese, you’ll heat blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a skillet until the blueberries have released their juices. Pour this mixture over cold cream cheese. Beat with a handheld mixer or stand mixer until combined. Spread cream cheese over cooled bagels and enjoy!
If you make this blueberry bagel recipe, I’d love if you could rate and comment below. I always appreciate hearing your feedback. Make sure you find me on instagram where you can see the full baking video for these and more fun behind the scenes.
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Blueberry Bagels
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 bagels 1x
Description
These Blueberry Bagels are loaded with blueberries, chewy, lightly sweet and a beautiful purple color. The bagels can be made in roughly one hour and are served with a delicious homemade Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese. You can’t beat homemade bagels.
Ingredients
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water (warmed to 110F)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups blueberries
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg, beaten
For Boiling
- 8 cups water
- 2 tablespoons honey
Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
1. Add 1 ¼ cups blueberries to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the blueberries, stirring frequently JUST until the juices release from the blueberries and they are lightly softened. Don’t allow too much juice to be released or your dough will turn too dark in color.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add yeast, warmed water, honey, 3 ½ cups flour, salt and blueberries. Mix until a dough ball forms. If the dough is too wet and a dough ball has not formed, add more flour -2-3 tablespoons at a time. Once dough ball has formed, knead dough for 8 minutes on medium speed.
3. Place dough in lightly greased bowl. Spray top of dough with nonstick cooking spray, then cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and allow to rise in warm place for 20 minutes.
4. While the dough is rising, cut 8 pieces of parchment paper squares (big enough for the bagel to fit on top of). Spray one side of the parchment paper squares with nonstick cooking spray (to prevent bagel dough from sticking on parchment paper). Once the dough is done rising, place dough on floured surface and divide into 8 roughly equal pieces. You can form the bagels two different ways.
-Method 1: Roll each piece into a ball. Using your index finger or thumb, pierce the center of the bagel, then make a 1 ½ to 2 inch hole.
-Method 2: Roll each piece into a 10 inch long rope, then form each rope into a circle. Criss cross the ends of dough over top of one another, then pinch and roll to seal the edges together. Place bagels on parchment paper squares (on the side that was sprayed with nonstick cooking spray), then cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 425F when rolls are almost done rising. A minute or two before the dough is done rising, bring the water and honey to a boil, then turn off heat. Add the bagels to the water, 3 at a time. Grab the edges of the parchment paper squares then place in water. Using tongs, Grab the edge of the parchment paper and flip the bagel off of the parchment paper square. Allow the bagels to sit in water on each side for 20 seconds then remove from water and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
6. Brush the top of each bagel with egg wash (this helps them get golden brown when baked), then bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. When ready to serve, make the cream cheese. In a large skillet, add blueberries, lemon juice, zest and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the blueberries have released their juices and the mixture is syrup-like in consistency. Add mixture to cold cream cheese, then using a handheld mixer or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat until smooth and combined.
8. Spread cream cheese over bagels and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Bagels, Blueberry Bagels, Blueberry, Bread, Homemade Bread, Homemade Bagels, Blueberry Cream Cheese
Looks so delicious 😍😍😍
★★★★★
Thank you! I hope you enjoy these if you get to make them!
The bagels turned out amazing and the cream spread was the perfect touch. I’ll be saving this to my new list of favorites.
★★★★★
Nora,
I am so happy to hear that the bagels and cream cheese spread turned out so well! Thank you for making the recipe 🙂
-Jolene
Can these be made with frozen blueberries?
Yes they can! I would add the frozen blueberries to the skillet and heat up JUST until the blueberries begin to release their juices. You don’t want too much blueberry juice, otherwise your bagels will be a very dark purple. They still taste the same, but don’t look as nice :).
This was my first time ever making bagels, and I’m not much of a baker. I was so impressed with how they turned out. I had fresh picked huckleberries that I used instead of blueberries, and they are delicious. The only disappointment was all my bagels stuck to the parchment sheet for some reason; I may make a note to spray the sheet before placing them on to bake.
★★★★★
Emily,
I am thrilled to hear how well the bagels turned out for you! Great idea to use fresh huckleberries. That sounds delicious! Perhaps your dough was a big stickier, which caused them to stick to the parchment paper? This happened to me, actually with one of my batches and in that particular batch my dough was a tiny bit stickier. That’s a good note, though, and I will add it to the recipe to make sure it doesn’t happen to others! Thanks for the note!
Happy baking!
-Jolene
Yep!!! Emily!!!!! Same thing happen to me! I learned a lesson! I always use parchment and spray or oil the parchment as they raise! Make’s it a bit easier getting them off for boiling water bath!!
Thanks Kathy for the comment. I double checked the recipe and added that note into the recipe when Emily mentioned that it happened to her. Thanks for letting me know and thanks for trying these! 🙂
-Jolene
How long do you think they will last for in the fridge or freezer?
Samantha,
They should last in the fridge for roughly 1 week and in the freezer for 3 months. Hope you enjoy!
-Jolene
Can almond flour be substituted? Or is there a different kind of flour that could be used?
Tania,
To be honest, I haven’t tried making these with anything other than all-purpose flour and bread flour. Both have gluten in them to help develop structure in the bagel and give them the bagel shape. I’m not entirely sure how they would turn out with almond flour. Sorry, I’m not of any help!
Jolene
How would this process work without a mixer? I don’t have one 😩 would I knead for 8 minutes by hand? I’m more than excited to make these!!
Bayli,
When you knead by hand, you typically have to double the kneading time, so I would recommend kneading the dough for 14-16 minutes. The dough is a bit of a softer dough with the addition of the blueberries, so don’t hesitate to add a touch more flour as you knead the dough. make sure you flour your hands as well to help prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
-Jolene
oh my goodness! These are amazing! I love love love them! thank you for sharing your talent!
★★★★★
Claire,
I am sooo happy to hear that! Thank you so much for making the blueberry bagels :). I truly enjoy being able to share my recipes and it makes me happy that others can enjoy them as well!
-Jolene
1st time turned out amazing but I wasn’t a big fan of trying to roll the 2 ends to make a circle. Is it possible to do the same as your pumpkin bagels and just make a hole in the middle and stretch it out? Is there a reason to make it into a rope-like and roll the 2 ends together?
★★★★★
Lilya,
Yes, you absolutely can! There is no reaason at all. Actually I’ll change that in the recipe to make it easier :). Thanks so much for the feedback and I am so happy to hear you enjoyed them! Thanks for making these.
-Jolene
I had the dough made when I had messaged on here. Thank you for the swift reply. My husband couldn’t stop himself at 1 bagel. 2nd one disappeared while I was doing dishes. Never going back to store bought bagels. Just another question, if I wanted to make plain bagels could I/would I use the same recipe and leave out the blueberries?
Once again, thank you for the recipe and quick response
★★★★★
Lilya,
Of course! I just so happened to be on shortly after you messaged me, so it worked out great! Oh my goodness that is too funny! So happy they were enjoyed so much! So I personally have not made plain bagels YET, but this is actually one of the recipes that I was planning on making in the next week or two and I will be sharing on my blog as well as my social media channels. I know for this dough personally I had to add a bit more flour because of the blueberries, since they had the liquid/syrup. You would probably need less flour for plain bagels, I just can’t say 100% what that amount is yet. I will put plain bagels at the front of my list for you :).
-Jolene