Easy Matcha Bagels
These matcha bagels are so simple to make and delicious too! They’re made with a hint of green tea powder, bringing a gorgeous color and delicate earthy flavor.
About these bagels
These matcha bagels are made from lean and thick dough. It can be made by hand or in a stand mixer. A good bagel should have a decent amount of toothsome chew to it. Use high-gluten flour for the classic chewy texture – this is a flour with a protein level between 11-13%.
This is best done with bread flour or a strong all-purpose flour, with a protein level of over 11%. I use a very similar bagel recipe in these blueberry bagels and sourdough pretzels too.
Which matcha powder to use
Usually, they are roughly split into two groups – ceremonial matcha and culinary matcha. Ceremonial-grade matcha powder tends to be the highest quality powder, with better matcha flavor and a brighter green color.
This is the tea powder used in tea ceremonies. Culinary matcha is of lower quality regarding the age of the leaves picked or the quality of the leaves.
Matcha is grown in a particular way. It requires the tea leaves to be shaded for three weeks before they are harvested to generate chlorophyll in the leaves. This is what gives it its beautiful green color.
The good news is that culinary-grade matcha powder is still excellent to use in baked goods, matcha lattes, and smoothies, where the high quality isn’t as crucial as in a tea ceremony, but it still brings the green tea flavor.
Ingredients
Find the ingredient amounts for these delicious bagels listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
- Matcha powder – You can use ceremonial or culinary grade matcha powder. A ceremonial grade will give a brighter green color.
- Lukewarm water.
- Active dry yeast or instant dry yeast.
- Soft brown sugar.
- Bread flour or strong all-purpose flour.
- Salt.
- Honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar. For poaching. Poaching the bagels in sweetened boiling water before baking gives them a golden and chewy crust. The added honey or other sugar gives them a beautiful golden sheen.
- Sesame seeds for topping.
Equipment
This simple recipe can easily be made by hand, though for extra ease, use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
Method
Combine water, yeast, and sugar and stir in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy, if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
Sprinkle matcha powder over the yeast mixture and stir it in.
Add in the flour and salt.
Use a fork or switch the stand mixer onto low speed to combine it into a thick dough. The dough should be very thick and just a little bit sticky.
Keep it kneading or mixing for around 10 minutes for optimal gluten development.
Once the dough is kneaded and strong, form it into a ball. Place the dough ball into a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel.
Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Shaping
Punch down the dough and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces (a kitchen scale works well to ensure even bagels) and shape each piece into a ball. Let these dough balls rest for 5 minutes.
Use both hands’ thumb and index finger to push a hole into the center of each ball of dough, then roll the dough ball around your fingers in a circular motion to widen the hole.
Aim for a large hole, as it will shrink back in size once it sits.
Place the shaped bagels on a prepared sheet pan lined with parchment paper and let them puff out for around 30 minutes while the oven preheats and a pot of water is brought to a boil.
Poaching
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once the water is boiling, stir in honey or brown sugar.
Dust any excess flour off the bagels and drop them in the boiling water one at a time. Boil 2-3 bagels at a time.
Let them poach in the water for 1 minute, flipping them after 30 seconds.
Remove the bagels from the water using a slotted spoon, letting them drain for a few seconds. Place the bagels on the lined baking sheet and sprinkle them with sesame seeds while still sticky from the water.
Continue with the rest.
Baking
Bake them in the oven for 22-25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are baking unevenly or your oven has hot spots, turn the oven tray around after 15 minutes of baking.
Remove the baked bagels from the tray and let them cool to room temperature on a wire rack for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Storing
Store leftover bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Bagels freeze very well, too which will prolong their life. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen bagels at room temperature in a toaster, microwave, or low-temperature oven.
Related recipes
Matcha Bagels
These matcha bagels are so simple to make and delicious too! They're made with a hint of green tea powder, bringing a gorgeous color and delicate earthy flavor.
Ingredients
- 255g ( 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon) lukewarm water
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast or active dried yeast
- 18g (1 1/2 tablespoons) soft brown sugar
- 12g (2 Tablespoons) matcha powder
- 406g (3 ¼ cups) bread flour or strong all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
Poaching
- 2 quarts water
- 18g (1 ½ tablespoons) honey or brown sugar
- Sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Combine water, yeast, and sugar and stir in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy, if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
- Sprinkle matcha powder over the yeast mixture and stir it in. Add in the flour and salt.
- Use a fork or switch the stand mixer onto low speed to combine it into a thick dough. The dough should be very thick and just a little bit sticky.
- Keep it kneading or mixing for around 10 minutes for optimal gluten development.
- Form the dough into a ball once it is kneaded and strong. Place the dough ball into a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Shaping
- Punch down the dough and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough into eight equal pieces (a kitchen scale works well to ensure even bagels) and shape each piece into a ball. Let these dough balls rest for 5 minutes.
- Use both hands' thumb and index finger to push a hole into the center of each dough ball, then roll the dough ball around your fingers in a circular motion to widen the hole. Aim for a large hole, as it will shrink back in size once it sits.
- Place the shaped bagels on a prepared sheet pan lined with parchment paper and let them puff out for around 30 minutes while the oven preheats and a pot of water is brought to a boil.
Poaching
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir in honey or brown sugar once the water is boiling.
- Dust any excess flour off the bagels and drop them in the boiling water one at a time. Boil 2-3 bagels at a time.
- Let them poach in the water for 1 minute, flipping them after 30 seconds. Remove the bagels from the water using a slotted spoon, letting them drain for a few seconds.
- Place the bagels on the lined baking sheet and sprinkle them with sesame seeds while still sticky from the water. Continue with the rest.
Baking
- Bake them in the oven for 22-25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are baking unevenly or your oven has hot spots, turn the oven tray around after 15 minutes of baking.
- Remove the baked bagels from the tray and let them cool to room temperature on a wire rack for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
*The cup sizes given are US size cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cups. For best results, use grams.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 204Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 332mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 7g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
