These sourdough bagels are the perfect homemade bagels made with a sourdough starter. These homemade bagels are an easy breakfast recipe and great for storing in the freezer to enjoy later!
Sourdough bagels are an easy sourdough recipe that can be made for a quick breakfast or a delicious bagel sandwich. This bagel recipe uses a sourdough starter to ferment and leaven the dough.
The recipe calls for 5 simple ingredients to make delicious and chewy sourdough bagels. Combine the dough, allow it to ferment overnight and bake and enjoy the best homemade bagels in the morning.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fermented Sourdough
- Kid-Friendly
- Easy to Make
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Unbleached Flour - It is important to use an unbleached flour for sourdough recipes. Unbleached flours are less processed and have a better gluten structure to support fermentation.
- Water - Water is necessary for the process of fermentation to occur and therefore essential in sourdough as it helps the dough to ferment before baking. Use room temperature water for best results.
- Sourdough Starter - A bubbly and active sourdough starter is essential in making sourdough bagels. You want to use a starter at its peak in this recipe. This is when the starter has doubled in size, is bubbly and smells sour. If you do not have a sourdough starter, follow our guide to make your own sourdough starter here.
- Honey - Honey is a source of glucose that accelerates the fermentation process. It also gives the bagels a slightly sweet flavor. You can use cane sugar as a substitute.
- Salt - Salt is essential in sourdough for tightening the gluten structure and tightening the dough.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Stand Mixer - A stand mixer helps to mix the bagel dough together. The dough is quite dense, so this helps make mixing easier to do.
- Plastic Wrap - We like to use plastic wrap to cover the dough as it ferments because it helps to keep the moisture in the bowl so it doesn't dry out.
- Large Pot - Use a large pot or Dutch oven to boil the bagels in before baking in the oven.
- Sheet Pan - We recommend baking the bagels on a sheet pan.
How to Make Sourdough Bagels
Step 1. Mix the bagel dough and allow to ferment.
Step 2. Divide the dough into 8 sections.
Step 3. Stretch each section of dough into a rectangle.
Step 4. Fold the sides of the rectangle into the center to create a trifold.
Step 5. Roll the dough up and shape into a ball.
Step 6. Place your finger in the center of the ball to make a hole.
Step 7. Boil the bagels.
Step 8. Place the boiled bagels on a sheet pan.
Step 9. Bake the bagels in the oven.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
This recipe makes 8 sourdough bagels. Allow the bagels to cool completely after baking then cut in half to enjoy.
We like to top our bagels with cream cheese but also like to make them into breakfast sandwiches. These bagels are also perfect to meal prep and store in the freezer to enjoy later.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Add toppings. You can customize this recipe by adding toppings to the bagels prior to baking them. Top the bagels with shredded cheese, everything seasoning, or cinnamon sugar for extra flavor then bake in the oven.
- Feed the sourdough starter. It is important to feed your sourdough starter with more flour and water after you use a portion of it for this recipe. Mix the dough together with your active starter, then feed your starter equal parts flour and water.
How to Store Sourdough Bagels
- Countertop - in an airtight container for 2 days.
- Freezer - in an airtight container for 3 months.
- We recommend cutting the bagels in half before placing in an airtight container to freeze. This makes it easier to enjoy them later because all you need to do is remove the sliced bagel from the freezer, toast it and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
An active starter is when the sourdough starter is bubbly and has risen to its peak. Discard is starter that is not in its most active state. Most often discard comes from a starter that has been fed, risen and fallen.
Boiling the bagels in baking soda and sugar water allows the dough to puff up making the inside chewy and giving the bagels a chewy but also crisp crust on the outside.
More Sourdough Recipes
Sourdough Bagels
These sourdough bagels are the perfect homemade bagels made with a sourdough starter. These homemade bagels are an easy breakfast recipe and great for storing in the freezer to enjoy later!
Ingredients
- 250 grams water
- 100 grams active sourdough starter
- 20 grams honey or sugar
- 600 grams unbleached flour
- 12 grams salt
For boiling
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- 8-12 hours before you plan to start the dough for the bagels, feed your sourdough starter with ½ cup flour and ½ cup water. Stir to combine, cover and set aside until the starter is bubbly and active.
- When the starter reaches its peak (anywhere from 8-12 hours later depending on your starter's maturity and the environment it is in) start mixing the dough.
- Add the water and sourdough starter to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together.
- Add the honey, 2 cups flour and salt to the bowl.
- Turn the stand mixer to medium speed to mix the dough together.
- Add the remaining 2 cups one cup at a time to the bowl to mix into a ball of dough. (Note: this dough is very dense. If it seems dry, add 1 Tablespoon water to help the dough come together better)
- Use your hands to knead the dough into a ball.
- Place the ball of dough back into the bowl of the stand mixer.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl with the dough in the fridge to ferment for 12 hours or overnight.
- After the dough ferments, place the dough on a clean work surface and use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 equal sections.
- Take each section and work the dough to shape it into a ball.
- Place the ball of dough on the countertop and stretch it out to form a thin rectangle. Be careful to not cause the dough to tear.
- Fold each side of the rectangle into the middle to make a trifold.
- Roll the trifold up into a roll with the seam down toward the countertop.
- Use your hands to cup the dough and shape it into a circle.
- Press your finger in the center of the circle and move it around making a small circular motion to make a hole in the center of the ball of dough.
- Repeat the process of shaping the bagels until all 8 bagels are shaped.
- Cover the bagels with a tea towel and allow to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
- While the bagels rise, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fill a large pot halfway full of water and place on the stovetop to bring to a boil.
- When the water in the pot on the stovetop is boiling, add 1 TBS sugar and 1 TBS baking soda to the water. Stir to allow the sugar and baking soda to dissolve.
- Place the bagels in the boiling water for 2 minutes to boil. When the bagel floats, it is ready to be removed from the water.
- Remove the boiled bagels and allow the excess water to drip off before placing each bagel on the sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Once all 8 of the bagels have been boiled and are on the sheet pan, transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake the bagels for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.
- When the tops of the bagels are golden brown, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely before cutting in half to enjoy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1057mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 9g
