After countless trips (over 70 miles round-trip) to my favorite bagel shop in Austin, I decided it was time to start perfecting my bagel baking. Over the past month, I’ve experimented with nearly 20 batches of homemade bagels. The journey from quick recipes to mastering the art of bagel baking has been full on trial and error.

Learning the Essentials

I’m an instant gratification girly, so if you tell me I have to wait 24-48 hours to know whether my bagels are going to turn out, I’m gonna choose the shortcut. For my early batches I was using quick recipes like those from Sophisticated Gourmet—perfect for an instant fix, but lacking in consistency and that typical NY-style bagel appearance.

I tried Googling recipes but that’s like opening pandora’s box. Everyone has an opinion on bagels and I really didn’t know where to turn. Until I found the subreddit for /bagels. This was such a supportive community of bagel novices and pros, sharing their tips, asking for critique and celebrating the brag worthy batches. I posted photos of some of my bagels and immediately got support and advice from the community.

They turned me on to the recipes from So Much Food, Brian Lagerstrom, Peter Reinhart’s Bread Makers Apprentice (full transparency: I haven’t done this one yet) and King Arthur. Pretty much all of these had the same ingredients but focused on new techniques, and asked me to cold proof (what the hell is that?!).

I did a lot of research (aka deep Reddit scrolling) and learned my way around some of the recipes. What I learned was that beyond the basic ingredients, it’s the little tweaks that truly transform a bagel.

If you’re venturing into the world of homemade bagels, here’s what I wish I knew from the start.

What I’ve Learned About Making Bagels

Flour Type Matters

For bagels, higher-protein flour is key. I switched from an 11% protein flour to a 12.7% version (try this Central Market Bread Flour which is similar to King Arthur’s).

Yeast: Active Dry vs. Instant

They are not interchangeable. I learned this the hard way when my bagels flopped. Make sure you’re using the right type, and if your recipe calls for activation, don’t skip that step. If a recipe doesn’t call for activation, assume it’s okay to toss it all in.

Weigh It Out

Even if a recipe lists measurements in cups, whip out your kitchen scale. Many of the ingredients can get packed down and can lead to inaccurate measurements. A scale makes measurement more precise. Plus, weighing dough balls helps you get uniform bagels.

Temperature Check (DDT - Desired Dough Temperature)

After kneading, check your dough’s temperature. To get a goldilocks rise (not to fast, not to slow) the temp needs to be between 74°F and 78°F. If your dough is warmer (maybe due to using a mixer), you might need to watch your dough closely because you’ll have a shorter proofing time.

The Art of Dough Balls

Before shaping bagels, you need perfect dough balls. My early ones had dents, gaps, and weird closures on the bottom. The more precise you can be in this step, the better your bagels will look in the end. This is a good NYT tutorial to learn how to do the ball shaping.

Poke or Roll?

There are two main methods for forming bagels - poke method or roll method. While some might criticize the poke method as a shortcut, I’ve found it works perfectly for my bagels so do what feels right for you.

Over vs. Under Proofing

When googling the symptoms of my bagels, I kept getting the vague advice: “You might have over or under proofed.” Okay, but which one?!

• Overproofed bagels = flat/deflated, sour/yeasty

• Underproofed bagels = dense, chewy, doughy

I learned to take things slow so I don’t overproof. I’d rather have an underproofed bagel over overproofed.

The Float Test

Hold back a little dough from your bagels (I actually make them into mini-bagels) that you can test in boiling water to see if it floats.

• If it floats, it’s ready to go to the boil stage or cold proof.

• If it sinks, it needs more time to rise.

Cold Proofing = Better Bagels

At first, I resisted recipes that required 24-48 hours of waiting. But cold proofing gives bagels a better crust, blisters, and deeper flavor. To do this, put your bagels (pre-shaped) on a cookie sheet with parchment and cover overnight or up to a few days. I prefer to do overnight or within 24 hours.

From what I understand, cold proofing shouldn’t actually proof the bagels more. It slows the proofing process and puts them in a freeze state. When you’re ready to boil, take the bagels out of the fridge and let them counter rest until they pass the poke test (a slight finger press that should spring back). I made the mistake of rushing this step a few times and ended up with dense, chewy bagels. Most recipes don’t specify this step, so this was a tip I had to learn through trial and error.

The Boil: 30 Seconds vs. 2 Minutes

Boiling is what makes a bagel. Overboiling creates a dense, tough crust and doesn’t allow the bagel to puff enough. Underboiling means you’ll lose the classic NY-style bagel texture. Recipes vary, so you’ll need to experiment with what’s right for your dough.

The Great Crumb Debate

I spiraled into comparing my bagel crumb to online photos. I found myself asking “Are my holes too big?! Are my crumbs too crumbly?! Is my bagel ugly?!”

Lesson learned: Crumb preference is personal. I got over my bagel-dysmorphia and got comfortable with what I made. If it tastes good, it’s good.

Invest in the Right Tools

• Covered Cookie Sheets: For weeks, I was wrestling with plastic wrap to cover my bagels on the counter and in the fridge. Do yourself a favor and invest in cookie sheets with plastic covers.

• Bagel Boards: A few years back my very thoughtful friend Genevieve bought me bagel boards. I’ll be honest, I tucked them into a cabinet and never used them because I didn’t know what they were. Welp, I finally figured them out and they’ve been such a benefit on my last few batches. You soak bagel boards in water and use them for the first few minutes of your bake to get a good toast on the bottom of the bagel (without burning) and they allow steam to assist in the baking process.

I’ll leave you with this last piece of advice. Not every batch will be perfect. Take the bad batches as they come. Regroup and figure out where you went wrong. Some things you can control and some you can’t. But you can’t dwell in the disaster.

And remember my personal bagel motto:

✨ “If you can hear the knife dragging against your bagel, you don’t have enough cream cheese.” ✨

Happy bagel baking!

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Oh hiya, it’s me.

👋🏻 - Hiya, I’m Suzanne, or Suz to my friends. If you’re reading this, you probably fit into the friends category, so let’s stick with Suz for now.

Beyond the big life moments—marrying my husband, having my kiddo, and riding my scooter up and down the streets of Chicago—some of my happiest days were spent running a little business I started with my dad. It all began with his ranch, where he had more eggs than he knew what to do with. My daughter and I decided to turn that surplus into a little venture we called Avery’s Eggs, packaging and selling his farm-fresh eggs right in our Austin neighborhood.

With my background in marketing, I dove into creating a brand, making promotional materials, organizing pickup and delivery schedules, and spreading the word. Orders started pouring in. My daughter and I would hop on our bikes and deliver eggs all over Austin to loyal customers who returned week after week. Before we knew it, we were often selling out. I balanced this passion project with my “real job,” and it brought me so much joy—an outlet that fueled my creativity and brought me closer to my community.

But then life happened. My dad had a stroke. He sold the ranch, and just like that, Avery’s Eggs became a memory. While I haven’t consciously been searching for that same spark, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a missing piece in my life.

The start of something new

In December 2024, I decided to take a leap and leave my job. I wanted to explore a side hustle with my daughter—something local, community-focused, and joy-inducing. That’s when Wolcott Way Goods was born.

Let me be upfront: I’m not the chef in the family. My husband is our household’s culinary magician (or hurricane as we call him because of the mess he makes in the kitchen). He improvises meals with flair, blending recipes, and adding his signature twists. Me? I need step-by-step instructions (preferably with a snappy video) to make it happen. That’s why I’ve always gravitated toward baking. Baking requires structure—precise measurements and processes—and that’s where I thrive. If we’re personally acquainted, I’m sure this revelation doesn’t surprise you at all.

So, I started experimenting with recipes, finding a groove, and creating treats my family couldn’t get enough of. That’s when the idea hit: Why not turn my baking into a small business—something I could share with family, friends, and the wider community?

And here we are. Wolcott Way Goods is not about polished, picture-perfect bakes with bedazzled cookies or fondant-covered creations. That’s not my style so I’ll leave that to the pros. This is about comfort—sweets and baked goods that might look a little imperfect but taste pretty damn good. I bake what I personally love to eat: bagels, granola, ice cream, pastries—a little bit of everything. Each week, I’ll whip up fresh goodies and I’ll share the details here. If they are bite worthy, I’ll post info about local pickup or delivery here in Dripping Springs, Texas.

Beyond baking, I’ll also use Wolcott Way Goods to share curated food finds from our adventures as a family. I’m the type to bookmark bakeries and sweet shops whenever we travel, and I’ll highlight those gems here, giving love to other small businesses.

So, follow along as I start on this journey. Maybe it’ll grow into something I’m excited about every week and a way to build community here in Dripping Springs. And if it doesn’t? Well, at least I tried.

Fresh start. Fresh bakes. Let’s go.