Here's How Joanna Gaines Makes Perfectly Fluffy Bagels Every Time

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Joanna Gaines just made your weekend baking plans a lot more exciting. The Fixer Upper star recently shared a behind-the-scenes look at her go-to sourdough bagel recipe on Instagram, and fans are already bookmarking it as a must-try. The best part? It’s delightfully unfussy, built on a few pantry staples, and yields soft, chewy bagels that look straight out of a bakery.

Sourdough Starter Magic the Night Before

Like most sourdough baking, the process begins the evening before. Gaines combined five ingredients into a stand mixer with a dough hook: water, sourdough starter, bread flour, salt, and honey. She then mixed the ingredients for about five minutes. Here are the exact measurements:

540g water
200g starter
1,000g bread flour
18g salt
70g honey

Once mixed, she covered the dough and left it out to rest overnight (this part is what gives the bagels their trademark depth of flavor and pillowy interior!).

The next morning, Gaines divided the dough into 10 equal pieces and formed them into smooth balls. After an hour's rest under a damp cloth, each dough ball was gently opened by hand to form the classic bagel hole in the center, no rolling required.

What sets this recipe apart is her boiling trick. In a large pot of water sweetened with honey, each bagel got a quick bath, one and a half minutes on each side. Doing so gives the bagels their signature glossy crust and locks in that satisfyingly chewy bite.

Toppings That Steal the Show

Once boiled, Gaines reshaped each bagel slightly while they’re still warm with a light push on the sides, and then added her favorite toppings.

Of course, there’s classic everything seasoning and sesame seeds. But Gaines also shared a homemade brown sugar cinnamon topping: a mixture of brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, melted butter, and cinnamon. It adds a crisp, caramelized sweetness to the bagels that’s hard to resist.

After topping, the bagels were baked at 450°F for 18 to 20 minutes. In the end, she has a golden, glossy crust, a soft and fluffy crumb, and just the right amount of chew.

Why This Recipe Works

Part of what makes Gaines’ bagel recipe so appealing is its simplicity. There are no complicated techniques, just an overnight rise, a few basic steps, and a little patience. It's the kind of recipe that invites you to slow down, sip your coffee, and enjoy the act of making something from scratch.

If you’re new to sourdough baking and starters, don’t fret. While Gaines' starter was passed down from a friend (a common and heartwarming tradition in sourdough circles), she said it’s easy to start your own from scratch in about a week. “Lots of fun recipes to try online!” she added.