How to Make Tie-Dye Rainbow Bagels
on May 04, 2021, Updated Feb 09, 2024
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Homemade bagels are so delicious right out of the oven. These tie-dye rainbow bagels take it to the next level. Grab the recipe and enjoy!
If you love bagels, you are definitely going to want this recipe with a twist. Literally!
Tie-dye is all the rage right now and we all love rainbows, so how about some rainbow tie-dye bagels?
I had already learned how to make bagels before and even made green bagels for St. Patrick’s Day. I love how they turned out!
Now let’s give it a twist and make a rainbow version. Here’s how.
Ingredients for Rainbow Bagels
For this bagel dough, you will need the following items.
**See below recipe for the exact amounts. You will be making a batch for each color.
- Warm water
- Active dry yeast
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Gel food paste color (we have red, blue, and yellow here)
- Vegetable oil (for bowl when rising)
I also recommend the following equipment:
- Large stock pot
- Parchment paper lined baking sheets
- 3-4 bowls
- Mixer with dough hook attachment
How to Make Rainbow Bagels
Because these bagels start with 3 colors, you need to have 3 bowls ready to go. We’ll make each color seperately and then combine them.
For the first color, add a packet of yeast and sugar to cup of warm water and let sit.
Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and add in half of the flour and food coloring.
Knead until it is no longer sticky. Add oil to the bottom of a bowl and place the dough on top.
Start with the lightest color first and mix until incorporated. Then, add the second half of the flour.
Mix until it comes together as a stiff dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Refrigerate until all of the colors have been made.
Repeat this process for the other two colors and remove all bowls of dough from fridge. Place in a warm area and cover. Allow to rise.
Punch down and knead the doughs slightly, then roll out into one inch thick rectangles.
Lightly grease a sheet of parchment paper to rest the dough on and stack the colors on top of one another, making sure they are the same size and length.
Cut the stacked dough in half and add the stack on top of the other.
Cover and let meld together for approximately 30 mins.
Slice the dough into 1 inch by 6 inch strips and twist to create a spiral shape. Then, join the ends to create a bagel.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Want to try some peach fritters next? Save our easy baked donuts recipe!
Place rainbow bagels a lightly greased surface (baking sheet) and cover for 20-30 minutes while your oven preheats.
Bring a large pot of water (12 cups) to a boil and boil bagels on each side for about 30 seconds. I recommend boiling 2-3 at a time.
Add the boiled bagels to a lightly greased parchment lined baking sheet and bake. Then, turn bagels over and finish baking.
Remove from oven, cool for a bit and enjoy! I LOVE eating bagels warm so don’t let them cool for too long!
Can You Freeze Bagels?
Whether purchasing fresh bagels or making them at home, I always freeze them!
They stay fresh for a long time and all you need to do is wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for about 30 seconds when you are ready to eat.
I recommend storing flavored bagels in their own freezer bags to keep flavors separate.
Eat plain or with your favorite cream cheese.
Print the Recipe: Tie-Dye Rainbow Bagels
Tie-Dye Rainbow Bagels
Ingredients
- You will need 3 sets of the following amounts. One for each color of dough.
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4- ounce packet active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon gel paste color, 1-2 squirts
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, for each bowl when rising
Instructions
- The following steps will need to be completed for each of your three colors, starting with the lightest color. We have yellow, blue, and red in this recipe.
- Add yeast and sugar to cup of warm water for each color and let sit for 10 minutes.
- For the first color, take one bowl of yeast mixture and add to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
- Add in half of the flour and food coloring, starting with the lightest color first.
- Mix until incorporated, add the second half of the flour.
- Let mix until it comes together as a stiff dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is no longer sticky.
- Add oil to the bottom of a bowl, place the dough in the bowl and refrigerate until all of the colors have been made.
- Repeat for each color, then remove all bowls of dough from fridge and place in a warm area to cover and proof for 40 mins.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and knead slightly.
- Roll each color out into one inch thick rectangles.
- Lightly grease a sheet of parchment paper and stack each color on top of one another, making sure they are the same size and length.
- Cut the stacked dough in half and add the stack on top of the other.
- Cover and let meld together for 30 mins.
Now that your dough is combined, we can shape the bagels.- Slice 1 inch by 6 inch strips.
- Twist the dough to create a spiral and join the ends.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Place on a lightly greased surface (baking sheet), cover and let double in size (20-30 mins)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Bring a large pot of water (12 cups) to a boil.
- Boil bagels on each side for 30 seconds in batches of 2-3.
- Add to a lightly greased and parchment paper lined cooking sheet and bake for 5 mins.
- Turn bagels over and bake for an additional 15-18 mins or until done.
- Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Serve and enjoy
- Notes:
Read through these notes before getting started if you haven’t worked with bagel dough before. - Be careful not to over-proof the bagels or leave them in the boiling water too long or they will come out flat. A little goes a long way!
- Bagels should be doubled in size before adding them to the pot of water and they should feel lighter than before.
- A high gluten flour will give you a very chewy bagel. Bagels can be made with bread flour or all purpose flour. All purpose yields a softer bagel.
- For a crisp crust make sure the water is boiling before adding the bagels.
- If micro-blisters appear on the surface of the bagels that is from the fermentation of the bagels. The taste will not be altered.
- Check your yeast! At the beginning of the process of mixing yeast with water, the yeast is blooming and you should see bubbles at the ten-minute mark. If not, the yeast is bad. If your bagels are too dense its because they were under-proofed or the yeast was bad.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
