Sourdough Bagels

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Sourdough bagels may just be the best bagels you can make at home. Perfectly chewy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside, you’ll feel like a professional chef with your first bite of homemade bagels.

What is Sourdough in Bagels?

Sourdough bagels use an active sourdough starter as opposed to active dry yeast (the kind you buy in a packet/jar and sprinkle on water).

If you’re interested in baking with sourdough but not sure what it is or where to begin, check out my post on What is Sourdough Starter?. You can get a better understanding of sourdough starter and how to use it. And, you can make your own sourdough starter from just flour and water (and a bit of time).

The result of fermenting this bagel dough is out of this world! But if you don’t have the time for sourdough, you may want to try sourdough discard bagels. It uses up leftover sourdough discard and uses active dry yeast for a quick rise and faster finished project….like start to finish in under 3 hours.

Baking Timeline for Sourdough Bagels

The hardest part of baking with sourdough, in my opinion, is getting your timing right. I still struggle with it at times! Life just has a way of, well, getting in the way:)

The trick to baking sourdough bagels, as with most sourdough foods, is learning to time it right. You’ll need to tweak this to fit your life, but this is what I do.

12 Noon: Take starter out of fridge and feed it equal parts flour and water.

8 PM: When the starter is at its peak (my starter usually doubles in about 8 hours), I make the dough in the mixer, cover with plastic and a dish towel and leave it on counter overnight to ferment.

7 AM: The next morning while slinging breakfast at 2 kids and throwing back coffee, I begin forming 12 bagels and cover with plastic, .

7:30 AM: I fill a pot with water to boil and preheat the oven.

7:45 AM: Begin boiling the bagels and then bake.

How to Make Sourdough Bagels

If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, use it! The mixer takes the work out of kneading this dough. If you don’t, you can knead by hand for the same time.

One word of warning – – don’t skip the boiling process! I’ve seen lots of people just bake bagels. Trust me, it’s not the same! Good bagels are boiled. Just sayin’.

Step 1: Mix

In the bowl on electric mixer, combine the water, starter, and honey. Stir to incorporate.

Add in the flour and salt. Mix for about 1 minute to form a loose dough.

Step 2: Rest

Let the dough rest, covered, for 10 minutes so the flour can fully absorb the water.

Step 3: Knead

Use the dough hook (or knead by hand) to knead the dough for 10 minutes on setting 2 or 3.

Step 4: Ferment

Cover the bowl with plastic and a dish towel. Leave the dough on the counter overnight to bulk ferment.

Step 5: Shaping

In the morning or about 12 hours later (times can vary based on temperature and the activity of your starter) and when the dough has doubled in size, it’s time to shape.

Divide the dough in half. Put half back under plastic while you work with the first half.

Divide into 6 equal-ish pieces. I just eye-ball their size.

Working with 1 piece at time, flatten it, then pull in the sides, pinch, and roll into a ball.

Flatten the ball a bit and poke a finger/thumb through the center, and gently stretch out the dough to form the bagel shape. Place the shaped bagel onto a baking sheet covered with parchment or silicone mat. I use 2 cookie sheets that each hold 6 bagels.

Repeat with all remaining dough.

Step 5: Boiling

When all the bagels have been shaped, cover them in plastic, and begin boiling a pot of water with about 3″ of water and honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

When the water is boiling, carefully place about 3 bagels (or however many can fit at one time without touching) in the boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, flip, and boil for 1 additional minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bagels, drain the excess water, and place back on your cookie sheet.

If you want bagel toppings, now is the time. You can add everything seasoning, a mix of cinnamon and brown sugar, asiago cheese, cheddar cheese and jalapeños, sesame seeds, or anything you may like. While the bagel is still moist/warm from the water, dip the top of the bagel into the seasoning or sprinkle the toppings over the bagel.

Step 5: Baking and Storing

Bake the boiled bagels in the oven for 18-22 minutes. I bake one cookie sheet at a time for 18 minutes each.

Remove the bagels from the sheet when they are done baking and place on a wire rack to cool. You can store bagels in an airtight container for about 2 days.

They also freeze very well. We usually eat 1 fresh, and then I’ll store cooled bagels in a ziplock back in the freezer. We take 1 out at night, and leave it to thaw in an airtight container or bag overnight. It only takes about an hour to thaw out.

Sourdough Recipes at Home

Are you ready to make sourdough bagels? They are one of our panty staples here. If you are interested in other sourdough recipes, you may love sourdough bread, whole wheat bread with sourdough discard, and discard pizza dough.

I hope you try making sourdough bagels at home. I think you’ll absolutely love them! I’d love to see your bagel creations. Tag me on Instagram!

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by!

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