Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels

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Homemade New York style chewy Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels ready in under 2 hours! The crust is thin and crispy and the crumb is soft and super chewy!

Jalapeño cheddar bagels sitting on a wire rack.

These delicious Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels are a flavor variation of my Overnight Bagel Recipe. In fact, it's the exact same recipe. I just wanted to show you that if you would like to enjoy bagels on the the same day, you can skip the overnight rest and bake them within 2 hours. Read on to learn more!

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♡ Why You Will Love These Homemade Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels
Ingredient Notes
Step-By-Step Instructions
💡 Tip
💡 Tip
💡 Tip
Substitutions
Key Equipment
Storage
💡 Expert Tips
FAQ
You May Also Like
♡ Did you try this recipe?
📖 Recipe

Jalapeño cheddar bagels filled with cream cheese schmear sitting on a plate.

♡ Why You Will Love These Homemade Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels

Ready in under 2 hours. Bagels are really easy to make at home and doesn't require too much time proofing. Start prepping at 8 a.m. and you'll have fresh bagels by 10 a.m.!
Only 7 ingredients. The dough itself only requires 5 ingredients and the topping includes jalapeños and cheddar cheese. For authentic New-York style bagels, you'll need to pick up a few special ingredients like, bread flour and barley malt syrup.
Versatile. You can swap out the jalapeños and cheddar for so many other toppings such as, everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, sesame seeds, or keep them plain.
Small batch. This recipe makes 6 large bagels, but you can easily double the recipe if you'd like more. They also freeze really well so you can also store leftovers in the freezer for up 2 months.

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes about all the ingredients used for these jalapeno cheddar bagels. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!

Jalapeno Cheddar Bagel ingredients consist of only 7 ingredients, bread flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, barley malt syrup, water, sugar and salt.

Bagel Dough

Flour - We are using a combination of mainly bread flour (aka strong flour) and all-purpose flour for the perfect soft and chewy texture. During my testing, I found that using only bread flour, made the bagels a bit dense. I did a few test batches with a bit of all-purpose flour, and it was a lot softer and fluffier, but still super chewy. I'm a fan of using a combination of the two flours to create that perfect texture, just like my Nutella Filled Donuts and Pumpkin Cheesecake Donuts.
Yeast - I recommend sticking with active dry yeast, rather than instant yeast to prevent over proofing.
Barley Malt Syrup - The syrup will feed the yeast and will be added to flavor the bagel dough. We'll also add it to the boiling water, to help the bagels brown. I'm using Eden brand, which can be found at Whole Foods, some health food stores and Amazon, but you can use any brand.
White Sugar - In my testing I did find that adding the extra bit of sugar, helped the bagels brown more.
Salt - For flavor and helps strengthen the gluten strands, which will help the bagels bake up taller.
Water - Warm water will be used to bloom the yeast. I usually keep it around 105ºF (40ºC).

Toppings

Cheddar Cheese - I'm using extra sharp cheddar cheese, but can use any kind including, sharp cheddar, mild cheddar or white cheddar cheese.
Jalapeño Peppers - I love fresh jalapeños, but pickled jalapeño peppers would work as well.
Egg (egg wash) - We'll be using an egg wash to help the bagels brown and to help the toppings to adhere.

*See recipe card for quantities.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these homemade Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Dry active yeast is sprinkled into a measure cup with warm water with barley malt syrup.

The yeast is bloomed and frothy sitting in a measuring cup.

Step 1. Bloom Yeast - Combine dry active yeast with warm water/barley malt syrup mixture in a large measuring cup. Allow to bloom for 5 to 7 minutes. Mixture should be frothy.

Frothy yeast mixture is poured into the flour mixture.

Step 2. Combine Dry & Wet Ingredients - In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, combine bread flour, sugar and salt. Then pour in frothy yeast mixture.

A spoon stirs the bagel dough mixture together and a shaggy ball of dough is formed.

Step 3. With a spoon, stir mixture together until a dry shaggy ball forms.

A ball of dough is sitting in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 4. Knead - If using a tilt-head kitchenaid mixer, knead the dough on speed 2 or 3 for 10 minutes with a dough hook.

Step 5. Finish Kneading by Hand - Then transfer the dough to a clean work surface and continue knead for an additional 5 minutes or so.

💡 Tip

Bagel dough is a low hydration dough which means the dough will be a bit denser and can be tough on your stand mixer. If you have the bowl-lift Kitchenaid mixer, you should be okay to knead in the mixer the whole time. However, if you have a tilt-head stand mixer like I do, keep the speed on 2 or 3 and then switch to hand kneading.

A finger presses into the kneaded dough.

The kneaded dough has a slight indentation on it and is ready to double in size.

Step 6. Poke Test - You're done kneading when the dough is smooth and when you press your finger into the dough, it springs back quickly and leaves a slight indentation. If it doesn't spring back, keep kneading for a few more minutes.

Bagel dough has rested and ready to be shaped.

Step 7. Rest - Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with oil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

The bagel dough is divided into 6 equal pieces with the help of a kitchen scale.

Step 8. Divide the Dough - Using a kitchen scale, weigh the entire dough and then divide by 6. Each dough ball weighed about 114 grams each.

💡 Tip

Shape one piece of dough at a time and cover the rest with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.

Step 9. Shape Into Buns - Grab a piece of dough and press it flat to get rid of any air bubbles. Gather and pinch the edges together and then place it on your work surface seam side down. Form your hand into a relaxed “claw” shape and cup it over the ball of dough. Then move your hand in small circular motions, gently dragging the ball along until smooth. Flip it over to make sure the seams are closed. This is the same process I use to shape my filled yeast donuts. You can check out a video here.

A finger creates a whole in the center of the dough ball to shape the bagels.

A finger creates a whole in the center of the dough ball and is twirled around the fingers.

Step 10. Shape the Bagels - Dip your pointer finger into some flour and create a hole in the center of the bun. Gently stretch the hole and as it gets wider, wrap it around your fingers and roll in a circular motion.

Six shaped bagels are sitting on a baking tray and are ready to proof.

Six shaped bagels are sitting on a baking tray and have been proofed.

Step 11. Proof Bagels - Place bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Loosely cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with a bit of oil and allow to rise for about 30 to 45 minutes (timing can vary depending on the temperature in your kitchen). Be careful to not overproof as it can collapse when boiled. You'll just want them to puff up slightly, but not double in size.

Two bagels are boiling in a large pot of water and barley malt syrup.

Step 12. Boil - In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water and ¼ cup of barley malt syrup or molasses to a boil. Then place 2 to 3 bagels into the boiling water smooth side down. Remove the parchment paper (the steam will release the paper) and boil for about 45 seconds per side. Using a kitchen spider or slotted spoon, remove the bagels and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

💡 Tip

Boiling times can vary from 30 seconds up to 1 minute and 30 seconds per side. The longer you boil, the thicker the crust and the more chewy they will be. I like to boil between 45 seconds to 60 seconds, but you can play around with the timing to see what you like.

Boiled bagels are topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sliced fresh jalapenos and flaky sea salt.

Step 13. Add Toppings - Lightly brush the bagels with an eggs wash, then top with shredded cheese, jalapeno slices and flaky sea salt.

Baked jalapeno cheddar bagels are pulled out of the hot oven.

Step 14. Bake - Preheat oven at 450ºF (232ºC) and bake for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating half way through. They are ready when golden brown.

Step 15. Cool & Serve - Transfer bagels to a wire rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes before eating. Serve these with my homemade cream cheese bagel schmear and enjoy!

Substitutions

Barley Malt Syrup - Use barley malt syrup if you can, however, you can substitute with molasses, maple syrup, honey or brown sugar for the dough. For the boiling water, you can replace with 3 tablespoons of molasses, 3 tablespoons of maple syrup or 3 tablespoons of honey. You can also substitute with a few tablespoons of baking soda, as seen here in my Small Batch Soft Beer Pretzels.
Cheddar Cheese - I'm using extra sharp cheddar cheese, but can use any kind including, sharp cheddar, mild cheddar or flavored cheddar cheese. You can also try any melty cheeses like, gouda, pepper jack, fontina, colby or havarti.
Jalapeño Peppers - I love using fresh jalapeños, but pickled jalapeño peppers would work as well.

Key Equipment

Stand-Mixer (if using)
Bowls
Baking Sheets
Large Pot - For boiling the bagels.
Slotted Spoon or Kitchen Spider

Storage

Room Temperature - You can store bagels on the counter for about 2 days. Toast before eating.
Refrigerator - Store bagels in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer - Once completely cooled, freeze whole or sliced bagels in freezer-safe bags for up to 2 months. Reheat whole bagels in a preheated oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for 10 to 12 minutes. Reheat sliced bagels in the toaster or toaster oven for a few minutes.

Jalapeño cheddar bagels on a wire cooling rack.

💡 Expert Tips

Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. Baking in grams rather than in volume, is the best and most accurate way to bake! All my recipes include gram conversions based on King Arthur's Weight Chart.

If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.

Opt for active dry yeast. This is prevent you from overproofing.

Loosely tent with foil to prevent the toppings from burning. If your toppings are getting too browned, loosely tent the top of the bagels with foil.

Enjoy these overnight bagels with my schmear. Only 2 ingredients and it whips up in minutes!

FAQ

Can I double this recipe?

Yes you can! It may take a bit longer to knead the dough. Also, when shaping the bagels, start with the first 6 dough balls and then place the other 6 in the fridge to prevent the dough from over proofing.

What is Barley Malt Syrup?

Barley malt syrup is an unrefined sweetener that's made from sprouted malted barley. The syrup is very dark in appearance, extremely sticky and thick and has a distinctive malty aroma. Barley malt syrup isn't just for bagels and pretzels. You can use it in cakes, cookies, ice cream, cocktails and so much more.

What is a New York-Style Bagel?

New York bagels are characterized by a thick shiny crust, a super chewy and slightly dense interior and is flavored with barley malt syrup. Old-school New York bagels are also hand rolled, a lot fatter in size and have a smaller hole, then a Montreal-Style bagel. They are kettle boiled in water sweetened with barley malt syrup and then baked on soaked burlap covered boards and then flipped to continue baking.