Sourdough Bagel Recipe
This easy to follow guide will have you making fresh sourdough bagels in no time! These New York style sourdough bagels are a breakfast hero.
Ingredients
for the sourdough bagels:
- 5 cups 650g unbleached bread flour * see notes
- 1 cup 240g active sourdough starter, stirred down
- 1 ¼ cup 285g warm water, 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit
- 2 tablespoons 26g granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon 10g fine salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
for water bath:
- 8 cups water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
Prepare The Dough:
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add 5 cups bread flour, 1 ¼ cup warm water, 1 cup sourdough discard, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt.
- Knead the dough for 5- 7 minutes at the lowest speed. It will take a while to come together, and will be dense. This is normal. Knead the dough until a smooth elastic dough forms, and it rebounds when poked. If the dough refuses to come together, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until cohesive.
- Grease a large bowl with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and toss the dough to coat. Cover and set aside to rise for 8-12 hours, depending on the ambient temperature in your house. I leave mine until at least doubled, which takes about 8 hours in my house at 73f.
- Once the dough has doubled, pop it into the fridge for a rest. The sourdough bagel dough can rest in the fridge for up to 3 days. The longer the rest, the tangier the dough.
Build The Bagels:
- Remove the dough from the fridge about 3-4 hours before you're ready to bake.
- Once the dough reaches room temperature, turn it onto a clean work surface dusted with flour. Cut it into 10-12 equal pieces, then form each piece into a tight ball. Place the balls on a well-floured surface and cover with a kitchen towel.
- Allow the balls to rest for 10-15 minutes, then latten each ball slightly, and then poke your thumb through the middle of the ball to form the ring shape.
- Recover the bagels with a kitchen towel while you preheat the oven to 425f and bring a pot of 8 cups water to boil. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Meanwhile, prepare any desired toppings by spreading them in a shallow dish or plate if dipping the toppings. See notes for topping ideas.
- Once the oven is preheated, add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar to the water, and begin by boiling the bagels in batches. 30-45 seconds per side. Remove the bagels from the water with a spider spoon, shaking off any excess water. Then dip one side into toppings, or sprinkle the flavor on top of the damp bagels.
- Replace the bagels on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25-28 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove the cooked sourdough bagels from the baking sheet and cool on a wire mesh rack.
Notes
FLOUR: If you don't have a scale, it's important to measure your flour with the scoop and level method. Stir the flour in the bag, then use another spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup. Level the measuring cup with the back of a knife. Avoid packing in the flour.
Topping ideas:
There are two options for getting the topping on the bagels, 1) dip it into a shallow dish or plate with the topping, or 2) sprinkle the topping on top of the bagels. Dipping gives a more concentrated topping on the highest part of the bagel, while sprinkling gives a bit more spread to the topping.- sesame seed
- poppy seed
- everything bagel
- flaked salt
- cheese; cheddar, SMOKED CHEESE, Parmesan, asiago etc
- dehydrated onions
- dehydrated garlic
Variations
- cinnamon raisin bagels - add a scant tablespoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients while mixing. Then knead in 1/2 cup of raisins by hand once the stand mixer is done.
- Blueberry bagels - add 1/2 cup of blueberries to the dough while kneading - subtract 1/4 cup of water.
- Pretzel bagels - add 1/4 cup baking soda to the water bath, increase boil time to 2 minutes per side. Brush the top of the bagels with egg wash (1 beaten egg) then sprinkle with coarse kosher salt.
- Whole wheat bagels - sub up to 2 cups of bread flour with whole wheat flour. This may mean your dough needs more water - if it refuses to come together, simply add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the flour is completely incorporated.
Batch:
This sourdough bagel recipe makes between 10 and 12 bagels, depending on the desired size. The smaller the bagel, the more you'll make. It can easily be doubled, but be aware this dough is dense and 10 cups of flour will likely have to be kneaded by hand as I'm not sure a stand mixer can handle that abuse!Storage:
Store your cooked and cooled bagels at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be stored in the freezer. Wrap the bagels in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container or bag before placing them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use frozen sourdough bagels, thaw at room temperature until warmed through, then toast and enjoy!