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Jerusalem bagels, also known as kaak al quds, baked on a tray.
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4.94 from 15 votes

Easy Jerusalem Bagels (Kaak Al Quds Recipe)

Steeped in history, Jerusalem Bagels are actually quite easy to make using standard pantry staples. Delicious and comforting, bake up a batch and enjoy them with za’atar, labneh, hummus, cream cheese, or with butter and jam.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Rise time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: Levantine, Middle Eastern
Servings: 6 Bagels
Author: Luay Ghafari
Cost: $5

Ingredients

  • 4 cups All Purpose Flour - 500 grams
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp Instant Yeast
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 ½ cups Milk (slightly warm)
  • Olive Oil for brushing

Topping

  • ½ cup Sesame seeds - Use untoasted if possible
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tbsp Hot water

Instructions

  • Mix. In the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large bowl if mixing by hand, combine 4 cups All Purpose Flour, 2 tbsp Sugar, 2 tsp Kosher salt, 1 tbsp Instant Yeast , 1 tsp Baking powder, and 1 ½ cups Milk (slightly warm). Mix on medium speed for about 5-6 minutes until you have a smooth pliable ball.
  • Rise. Rub a little olive oil over the top of the smooth dough ball, cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour (2 hours if your kitchen is cold).
  • Topping. In a shallow baking dish or baking sheet, mix ½ cup Sesame seeds, 2 tbsp Honey, and 1 tbsp Hot water until the seeds are damp and sticky, but not clumpy.
  • Shape. After the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll and stretch each piece into a 12" (30cm) log. If the dough is too stiff, you will need to let it relax for 5 minutes while you stretch. This will help relax the gluten. Attach the ends together to form a ring.
  • Dress. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip the top and bottom of each bagel into the sesame mixture, making sure to press down gently so that the sesame seeds adhere, then place them on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake. Bake the bagels in the preheated oven, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking, until they're deep golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool for a bit before enjoying.

Video

Notes

Refer to the post above for step-by-step recipe photos. 
Ingredient notes and Substitutions:
    • All Purpose flour: Who doesn’t have AP Flour in their pantry? This recipe is written in an accessible way using ingredients that every baker has. However, if you want to change the flour, you can use bread flour instead. Replace up to 50% of the AP flour with whole wheat for a healthier spin.
    • Yeast: This recipe will work with active dry yeast or instant yeast.
    • Honey: You can use pomegranate molasses, grape molasses, agave syrup or other sweet syrup of your choice. Or you can simply omit and just wet the bagels before sprinkling over some sesame seeds.
    • Toppings: Sesame seeds are traditional, but if you want to try something different you can use poppy seeds or everything bagel mix. But in that case, I would suggest you try out my Montreal Bagel Recipe instead, which yields more regular bagels.
 
Also try my Simit (Turkish Sesame Bread Recipe)! 

Nutrition

Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 873mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 251mg | Iron: 6mg