Sourdough Bagels
on Oct 01, 2024
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There’s nothing quite like homemade sourdough bagels with a chewy exterior and a soft, flavorful inside. Whether you’re enjoying them plain, with cream cheese, or as a sandwich base, these bagels are a fabulous way to use your sourdough starter.
You can create bakery-worthy bagels in your kitchen with just a few simple ingredients. Plus, you can even customize them with your favorite toppings! Homemade bagels allow you to customize flavors and toppings to suit everyone’s preferences.
I especially love everything sourdough, so I thought I’d use my trusty sourdough starter to make these bagels. They turned out perfectly crusty and chewy, just like my family likes them!
🍞🥖 New to sourdough? Find out how to make your own sourdough starter here, find my most popular and basic bread recipe here, and search the sourdough archive here.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chewy and Flavorful: These bagels have a wonderfully chewy texture with that distinct sourdough tang.
- Simple Ingredients: With just a few pantry staples, you can whip up these delicious bagels.
- Customizable: Add your favorite toppings—sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything seasoning
- Perfect for Meal Prep: Make a batch of bagels at the start of the week, and you’ll have a ready-to-go breakfast or snack all week long!
Recipe Ingredients
- Sourdough starter
- Honey
- Salt – I like to use fine sea salt.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda – Used when boiling the bagels
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Sourdough Bagels
Step 1: Feed your sourdough starter 4-12 hours before making the dough.
Step 2: Combine the ingredients following the recipe card below in a stand mixer and knead with a dough hook until smooth and pliable.
Step 3: Transfer the dough to a non-metal bowl. Cover the dough with a wet tea towel, plastic wrap, or beeswax wrap. Let it ferment for 8 to 16 hours.
Step 4: Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape into bagels. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 4 hours or until puffy.
Step 5: Boil bagels for 1 minute per side—see recipe card below. Add toppings, if desired.
Step 6: Place the bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can knead the dough by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer. It will take some elbow grease, but the results are just as delicious. Expect to knead for about 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
Store your bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. You can also freeze them for up to a month. Just slice them before freezing, so you can pop them right into the toaster when needed.
Boiling the bagels before baking gives them their signature chewy texture and helps them keep their shape during baking. The addition of baking soda and sugar to the water helps develop a nice golden crust.
Expert Tips
- Handling the Dough: This dough can be stiff, especially during the first mixing step, so be patient. A stand mixer makes this process much easier.
- Boiling for Chewy Texture: Boiling the bagels before baking gives them that classic chewy crust. Don’t skip this step!
- Use Toppings: After boiling, dip the bagels in your favorite toppings for extra flavor and texture. Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything seasoning are all great options.
Bagel Topping Ideas
You can add toppings to your bagels to mix up the flavor profile! It’s best to add toppings while the bagels are still wet from boiling so everything sticks.
- Everything Bagel Seasoning: A classic choice for bagel lovers!
- Sesame Seeds: Lightly toasted and perfect for a simple yet flavorful bagel.
- Poppy Seeds: Add a pop of flavor and texture to your bagels.
- Cinnamon Sugar: For a sweet twist, coat your bagels with cinnamon sugar after boiling.
- Cheese: For a savory touch add a handful of shredded cheese to the top of your bagels
Serve these sourdough bagels with cream cheese and butter for spreading and make some fruity homemade smoothies to complete the meal.
More Sourdough Recipes to Consider
Sourdough Recipes
Fluffy Sourdough Rolls
Sourdough Recipes
Easy Sourdough Recipes
Sourdough Recipes
Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bread
From Scratch Recipes
Overnight Sourdough Muffins
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Perfect Homemade Sourdough Bagels
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, (100 grams)
- 1 cup water, (240 grams)
- 2 tablespoons honey, (22 grams)
- 1.5 teaspoons fine sea salt, (10 grams)
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, (540 grams)
For boiling the bagels:
- 2 quarts water
- ¼ cup baking soda
Instructions
- Feed your starter: 4-12 hours before making your dough, feed your sourdough starter.
- Make the dough: In a stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter, water, honey, salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed for about 2 minutes. The dough will be very stiff at this point.
- Add remaining flour: Slowly add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, while continuing to mix. Knead the dough with a dough hook until smooth and pliable. The dough should hold is shape well and not be sticky or wet. The amount of flour will depend some on how humid your kitchen is so keep adding until you get a nice smooth dough.
- First rise: Transfer the dough to a non-metal bowl. Cover the dough with a wet tea towel, plastic wrap, or beeswax wrap. Let it ferment for 8 to 16 hours.
- Shape the bagels: After fermentation, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, slightly flatten it, use your finger to poke a hole in the middle. Stretch the hole slightly to widen it. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover the shaped bagels with a tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 to 4 hours, or until puffy.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Boil the bagels: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the baking soda. Gently place the bagels into the boiling water (2-4 at a time) and boil for 1 minute per side. Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to flip and remove the bagels from the water.
- Add toppings (optional): Shake off excess water and sprinkle the bagels into your desired toppings.
- Bake: Place the bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
Notes
- If the dough is a little softer after the first rise, you can use some flour on your work surface and hands.
- Add your toppings while the bagels are still wet from boiling. This will help the toppings stick.
- This dough can be stiff, so be patient. A stand mixer makes this process much easier.
- Don’t skip boiling the bagels before baking, as this gives them that classic chewy crust!
