These cheddar and jalapeño bagels are a homemade yeasted bread recipe that makes eight golden, chewy bagels topped with melted mature cheddar and sliced jalapeños. The dough is made in a stand mixer, left to rise, shaped by hand and boiled briefly in a bicarbonate of soda and honey bath before baking — the classic bagel method that gives them their characteristic chew and glossy crust. The toppings are simple and completely adaptable, but the combination of sharp, melted cheddar and spicy jalapeño is one of those pairings that is very hard to improve upon. These are easier to make at home than most people expect, and once you have made them once you will find it very difficult to go back to shop-bought.

Why I Created This Recipe

The honest answer is that I love bagels, and I love the combination of cheddar and jalapeño, and that was inspiration enough! I adore the sharpness of mature cheddar alongside the vinegary heat of sliced jalapeños on a freshly baked, still-warm bagel, and I wanted to prove that making them at home is far less intimidating than it looks.

The other thing I love about homemade bagels is how completely adaptable they are. Once you have the base dough and the method, you can top them with whatever you like — sesame seeds and poppy seeds for a more classic everything bagel, just sea salt for a plain version, or something more creative entirely. But for me, cheddar and jalapeño is the combination I keep coming back to, and it is the one I want to share first.

One personal note: I like a chewier bagel, so I tend to boil mine for closer to two minutes on each side rather than one. The longer the boil, the chewier the finished bagel — so dial it in to your own preference and do not feel like you have to follow a fixed time. This is your bagel. Make it exactly how you like it.

What Makes a Bagel a Bagel — The Boiling Method

The thing that sets a bagel apart from any other bread roll is not the shape — it is the boiling. Before they go anywhere near the oven, bagels are briefly submerged in boiling water, and this step is entirely responsible for the characteristic chew, the dense crumb and the glossy, slightly shiny crust that makes a bagel a bagel.

When the shaped dough hits the boiling water, the heat gelatinises the outer layer of starch on the surface of the dough almost immediately. This creates a thin crust around the bagel before it goes in the oven — one that sets the shape, limits how much the dough can rise during baking and gives the bagel its distinctive dense, chewy interior rather than the light, airy crumb of a standard bread roll.

The additions to the boiling water — bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and honey — both play a specific role. The bicarbonate of soda makes the water more alkaline, which accelerates the Maillard reaction during baking and gives the crust a deeper, more golden colour and a slightly more complex flavour. The honey adds a very subtle sweetness to the crust and also contributes to that characteristic golden colour. Together they are what give a proper homemade bagel its bakery-quality finish.

The length of the boil also matters — and this is where you can make the bagel your own. One minute per side gives a slightly softer, more bread-like chew; two minutes per side gives a denser, chewier result that is closer to a New York-style bagel. Neither is wrong — it entirely depends on what kind of bagel you want.

The Window Pane Test — How to Know Your Dough Is Ready

The window pane test is the most reliable way to check whether your bagel dough has been kneaded sufficiently — and it is worth understanding because it tells you something no timer can: whether the gluten in the dough has developed fully.

Gluten is the network of proteins that forms when flour and water are mixed and worked together. A well-developed gluten network is what gives bread its structure, its chew and its ability to trap the gas produced by the yeast during rising — which is what makes the dough rise and gives the finished bread its texture. Under-kneaded dough has a weak, patchy gluten network, which means the bread will be dense, crumbly and poorly structured.

To do the window pane test: take a small piece of dough — about the size of a walnut — and stretch it gently between your fingers, pulling it out as thin as you can. If the dough is properly kneaded, it should stretch into a very thin, almost translucent membrane without tearing — you should be able to see light through it, like a window pane, hence the name. If the dough tears before it reaches this point, the gluten is not fully developed and the dough needs more kneading.

In a stand mixer on a medium speed, this typically takes 15–20 minutes with strong white bread flour. Check from 12 minutes onwards, testing every couple of minutes. Once the dough passes the window pane test consistently — stretching thin and translucent without tearing — it is ready. This is the step that cannot be rushed, and it is the one that makes the difference between a great bagel and a mediocre one.

Why You'll Want to Make This Recipe

Easier Than You Think

Homemade bagels have a reputation for being complicated or time-consuming, and it is largely undeserved. The stand mixer does the hard work of kneading; the shaping is straightforward once you get the feel for it; and the boiling and baking together take less than 25 minutes. The rise time is the longest part, and that is entirely hands-off.

Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels at Home

The combination of sharp mature cheddar and sliced jalapeños is one of the great bagel toppings — the cheese melts into the surface of the bagel as it bakes, the jalapeños caramelise slightly at the edges and the whole thing comes out of the oven golden, slightly spicy and deeply savoury. Better than anything you can buy, and made exactly to your taste.

Completely Adaptable

Once you have the base dough and the method, the toppings are entirely up to you. Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning, plain flaky salt, cream cheese and smoked salmon toppings after baking — the possibilities are genuinely endless. The cheddar and jalapeño version is the starting point; where you go from there is your call.

Makes Eight

One batch of dough makes eight generous bagels — enough to keep in a bag for the week, share with people you like, or freeze and pull out as needed. They freeze exceptionally well and reheat beautifully, making this a very practical bake.

My Top Tips for the Perfect Cheddar & Jalapeño Bagels

• Use strong white bread flour, not plain flour (all-purpose flour). Strong bread flour has a higher protein content, which is what gives bagels their characteristic chew and structure. Plain flour does not have enough protein to develop the gluten network that a proper bagel needs.
• Make sure the water for the yeast is warm, not hot. Water that is too hot will kill the yeast before it has a chance to activate; water that is too cold will not activate it at all. Aim for around 35–40°C — warm to the touch but not uncomfortable. If you do not have a thermometer, it should feel like a warm bath.
• Let the yeast mixture sit for the full five minutes before adding it to the flour. You should see it become slightly foamy or bubbly during this time — this tells you the yeast is alive and active. If nothing happens after five minutes, the yeast may be old or the water temperature was wrong — start again with fresh yeast.
• Knead for the full 15–20 minutes and use the window pane test to check the dough is ready rather than relying solely on the timer. Every mixer runs slightly differently, and the window pane test is the only reliable way to know the gluten is fully developed — see the section above for full instructions.
• Shape the bagels with a larger hole than you think you need. The dough will rise during baking and the hole will shrink — if you start with a hole that looks about the right size, it will close up entirely by the time the bagel is baked. Stretch the hole to around 4–5cm across before boiling.
• Have your baking sheet lined and ready before you start boiling. The bagels come out of the water needing to go straight onto the sheet — having to prepare it while wet bagels are sitting on the side will make a mess and rush the process.
• Work in batches of three to four when boiling, depending on the size of your pan. Overcrowding the pan lowers the water temperature and means the bagels do not boil evenly. Keep the water at a rolling boil throughout.
• Use a slotted spoon or a spider strainer to lower the bagels into the boiling water and lift them out. This gives you the most control and minimises the risk of splashing or deforming the bagels as they go in.
• Boil for one to two minutes per side depending on your chew preference — one minute for a softer, more bread-like chew; two minutes for a denser, chewier, New York-style result. There is no wrong answer — it is entirely a matter of personal preference.
• Top generously with mature cheddar and jalapeños immediately after boiling, while the surface of the bagel is still tacky and slightly damp — this helps the toppings adhere during baking. Season lightly with flaky sea salt and black pepper before they go in.
• Bake until deeply golden — 18–20 minutes at 180°C should do it, but ovens vary. Look for a deep, even golden colour across the top of the bagels and a cheese topping that is fully melted and starting to bubble at the edges.

Ingredients and Tools You'll Need

For the Dough

• 7g fast action dried yeast – fast action yeast does not need to be activated separately but benefits from being bloomed in warm water as per this recipe
• 20g caster sugar (superfine sugar) – feeds the yeast and adds a very subtle sweetness to the dough
• 350ml warm water – around 35–40°C; warm to the touch but not hot
• 530g strong white bread flour – essential; do not substitute with plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 10g salt – seasons the dough; add separately from the yeast as direct contact between salt and yeast can inhibit the yeast's activity
• A little neutral oil – for oiling the bowl during the rise

For the Boiling Water

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) – makes the water more alkaline for a deeper, more golden crust
• 1 tsp honey – adds subtle sweetness to the crust and contributes to the golden colour

For the Toppings

• 8 slices of mature cheddar – one slice per bagel; sliced from a block or pre-sliced both work well
• Sliced jalapeños – jarred sliced jalapeños are ideal; three to four slices per bagel gives a good heat level
• Flaky sea salt – a light scatter over the top before baking
• Black pepper

Essential Tools

• Stand mixer with a dough hook — essential for this recipe; kneading by hand for 15–20 minutes is possible but very tiring and harder to achieve a consistent result
• Large saucepan — for boiling the bagels; wide enough to hold three to four bagels comfortably without overcrowding
• Slotted spoon or spider strainer — for lowering and lifting the bagels from the water
• 1–2 large lined baking sheets — for resting the boiled bagels and baking
• Baking paper (parchment paper) — for lining the baking sheets

Storing & Freezing

Storing

Freshly baked bagels are at their best on the day they are made — the crust is at its crispest and the crumb at its chewiest. Store at room temperature in a sealed bag or airtight container for up to two days. They will soften slightly overnight but are still excellent — particularly when toasted.

Freezing

These bagels freeze brilliantly — slice them in half before freezing so they can be toasted directly from the freezer without defrosting. Place in a sealed freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Toast from frozen until golden and warmed through — the bagel refreshes beautifully and tastes almost as good as the day it was baked.

Reheating

To refresh a bagel that has been stored at room temperature for a day or two, slice and toast in a toaster or under the grill (broiler) until golden. Alternatively, wrap the whole bagel in foil and warm in the oven at 180°C for 8–10 minutes.

Dietary Variations

Gluten-Free

Standard bagels rely entirely on the gluten developed during kneading for their structure and chew — they cannot be made gluten-free without significant changes to the recipe and the method. A gluten-free bread dough made with a specialist gluten-free bread flour blend and xanthan gum can be adapted into a bagel shape and boiled in the same way, but the texture and chew will be noticeably different from a wheat-based bagel.

Dairy-Free

Simply leave off the cheddar topping and replace with a dairy-free cheddar alternative — several brands now produce one that melts reasonably well on bread. All other ingredients in the dough and boiling water are naturally dairy-free.

Vegan

Replace the honey in the boiling water with maple syrup or agave syrup — the function is the same and the result is virtually identical. Use a dairy-free cheddar alternative for the topping. All other ingredients are naturally vegan.

Different Toppings

The dough is a blank canvas and the toppings are entirely adaptable. A few ideas beyond cheddar and jalapeño:

• Everything bagel seasoning — a blend of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion and flaky salt, scattered generously over the bagel immediately after boiling
• Sesame seeds — classic, nutty and beautiful on a plain or cream-cheese-topped bagel
• Poppy seeds — slightly more bitter and more subtle than sesame; particularly good with smoked salmon and cream cheese
• Plain flaky sea salt — the simplest and arguably the most versatile; lets the flavour of the bagel itself shine
• Parmesan and black pepper — deeply savoury and excellent toasted with butter

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a stand mixer to make bagels?

A stand mixer with a dough hook is strongly recommended — the dough needs 15–20 minutes of kneading, which is very tiring to do by hand and harder to do consistently. That said, it is possible to knead by hand if you do not have a stand mixer — turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead firmly for at least 25 minutes, using the window pane test to check when it is ready rather than relying on the time.

What is the window pane test?

The window pane test is the most reliable way to check whether bagel dough has been kneaded sufficiently. Take a small piece of dough and stretch it gently between your fingers — if it stretches into a thin, almost translucent membrane without tearing, the gluten is fully developed and the dough is ready. If it tears, it needs more kneading. See the full explanation in the section above.

Why do you boil bagels before baking?

Boiling is what makes a bagel a bagel. The brief submersion in boiling water gelatinises the outer layer of the dough, creating a thin crust that sets the shape, limits oven spring and gives the bagel its characteristic dense, chewy interior and glossy crust. Without boiling, you would have a bread roll — good, but not a bagel. The bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in the water makes it more alkaline, which gives the crust a deeper golden colour; the honey adds subtle sweetness and further golden colour.

How do I get a chewier bagel?

Boil for closer to two minutes per side rather than one. The longer the bagel spends in the boiling water, the more the outer layer gelatinises and the chewier the finished result. This is entirely a matter of personal preference — one minute per side gives a softer, more bread-like chew; two minutes gives a denser, New York-style chew.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Yes — after the initial knead, the dough can be placed in the fridge for a slow overnight rise rather than a 90-minute room temperature rise. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. Remove from the fridge, allow to come to room temperature for 30 minutes, then shape and proceed from step six. A slow rise develops a more complex, slightly tangier flavour in the finished bagel.

Can I freeze the dough or the unbaked bagels?

The shaped, unbaked bagels can be frozen before boiling — place on a lined baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, boil from frozen (add an extra minute per side) and bake as per the recipe. Baked bagels also freeze very well — see the storage section above.