These sourdough bagels are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Make these with your sourdough starter for a delicious breakfast or lunch. We like to freeze them too and pull them out to toast another time. Learn how to make homemade sourdough bagels with this easy tutorial.
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SAVE IT FOR LATER!
Sourdough bagels are a new favorite in our household.
I’ve been making sourdough for a long time, and every week I make this rustic sourdough bread.
But once you get going making sourdough all the time, you start wanting to replace every bread product you buy with something homemade. Now we make pancakes, pizza, biscuits, and even pizzelle cookies all from our sourdough starter. It’s addicting to say the least.
So naturally bagels were next on the list.
What is sourdough starter?
Making sourdough is the process of fermenting the flour grain with water over time. This process creates those healthy live cultures and allows the good bacteria to overcome the grain. When this happens, the phytic acid is striped away from the grain, which minimizes the gluten content. This is why many people prefer to eat sourdough or better yet keep their own starter, so they can enjoy bread products that taste better and are healthier for your too. Source
We started making sourdough starter when we realized how easy it was, how much healthier it is for you, and how much better it tastes!
Benefits of Sourdough
When you feed your starter with flour and water, the live cultures are feeding off the sugar in the gluten. As they do this, something called phytic acid is being reduced. This is the acid that exists on non-fermented grains that can make grain difficult to digest.
This goes for all fermented foods like fermented milk kefir, soaked oats, sauerkraut, etc.
New to Sourdough?
If you are new to sourdough, you’ll love using your beautiful starter in these gut-healthy bagels!
You can learn how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch to make homemade bread, sourdough pizza, bagels, and more.
Put all your sourdough recipes in one spot!
Download and print off this NEW sourdough recipes ebook and keep your favorite sourdough recipes on your counter for easy, every day cooking.
More Delicious Sourdough Recipes
No Yeast Sourdough Pizza Crust
Tools Needed
Mixing Bowl (you could also use a stand up mixer with dough attachment)
Baking Tray lined with parchment paper
Large stovetop pot
Tongs
Fork
Sourdough Bagel Ingredients
3/4 cup active sourdough starter (note: active means that it has been fed with 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water. Then, let it sit for 6-12 hours, until it is bubbly and thick)
1 3/4 cup filtered water
1 1/2 tsp salt
One tsp olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
~4 1/4 cups organic all purpose flour, plus more for shaping. (Note: I’ve updated this amount to add a bit more flour since I first started making these bagels. The amount of flour you add may change depending on the type of flour you’re using and the consistency of your starter. If the dough is runny, add more flour, if it’s too stiff to come together, add more water.)
1 tablespoon sugar
“everything but the bagel” seasoning or shredded cheese for topping (optional)
Example Sourdough Bagel Timeline
If you want bagels for Sunday morning brunch at 11am:
Saturday 9am: take sourdough starter out of refrigerator. Feed it 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water. Cover and let sit on the counter or in an oven with a “proof” setting.
Saturday after 3pm: Check the starter. It should be bubbly and active. Try putting a spoonful in water and seeing if it floats. If it floats, it’s ready. Go ahead and make the bagel dough.
Saturday night: bagel dough sits out on the counter overnight.
Sunday 9am: punch bagel dough down and form into bagels. Cover and lit sit 1 hour.
Sunday 10am: boil the water and bake the bagels.
How to Make Sourdough Bagels Step by Step
Note: feed your sourdough starter at least 6 hours before starting this, and let it sit until it is bubbly and active. If you are new to sourdough starter, get started here. If you are trying to make bagels for breakfast, you’ll want to make the dough per the instructions below the day before.
The Night Before: Make the Dough
In a large mixing bowl or a stand up mixer with dough attachment, combine the sourdough starter, water, salt, olive oil, and honey. Use a fork to whisk together until combined.
Then add the flour and kneed until a stretchy, sticky dough is formed. You can use a stand up mixer with dough hook or your hands. It will take a few minutes either way. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit out on your counter overnight. Make sure the dough has enough room to grow!
Let the dough sit on the countertop overnight. You do not need to do stretch and folds like you would for making bread, but you can if you want extra fluffy bagels.
The morning of: Make the Bagels
The next morning punch the dough down (this is pretty fun). Divide it into 6 parts, cutting it down the middle with a knife and then cutting each half into 3 triangles. Form the bagels by rolling the triangles into a ball in your hands, then using a finger to create the hole in the center. Place the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel or plastic and let sit one hour (30 minutes if your house is over 70 degrees).
How to Make Bagels, Cont.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Add the sugar to the water. Meanwhile add the bagel seasoning or shredded cheese topping to a plate and set aside.
Add the bagels to the boiling water and boil 1 minute each side. Use tongs to flip. Only add a few bagels at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the water. Keep in mind the bagels will grow in the water.
Transfer the wet bagels to a plate and shake the excess water off. Dip one side of the bagels in the bagel seasoning or shredded cheese, and then put the bagel on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Once all the bagels are on the baking sheet, bake them for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Tip: whatever bagels you don’t eat that day, cut them in half and store them in the freezer. They make great leftovers!
Add cream cheese, salmon lox, or meat cuts for a lunch option. The opportunities are endless!
Note: I am using tongs to flip the bagels here, but a spatula works great too!
You can either dip the bagel in seasoning/cheese, or you can place it on the baking tray and drizzling the topping right on top. Either way works great!
Note: shredded cheese is my favorite topping for sourdough bagels. But today, I was out of cheese. That is a rarity in our house so it must have been grocery shopping day. At least we had sourdough starter so I could get these bagels made!
Tips for Making Sourdough Bagels
Everyone has different sourdough starters. Depending on where you live, the quality of your water and air, and the type of flour you’re using will vary the results of your sourdough products. So the best thing to do is learn what good sourdough “dough” looks like. Your dough should be sticky to the touch but not so sticky that it doesn’t form a ball. It should come together in a ball easily, but if you have dough all over your hands it’s too sticky. But if you have no dough on your hands it’s probably too dry. Adjust the flour and water accordingly to get the dough that’s just right. If it’s way too sticky, add flour. If it’s too dry, add water.
Your dough will grow overnight quite a bit! Make sure you have it in a large bowl so it has space, and don’t put the plastic on too tightly.
Start the recipe the day before you want the bagels. If that’s too much planning for you (or you’re tired of wanting bagels but never having them at the right time), I suggest making these bagels one day and freezing them for later. They freeze really well and taste just as good! Just make sure you cut them in half before freezing.
FAQs:
Are sourdough bagels healthy?
Sourdough bagels made with sourdough starter will be long fermented, and therefore have the benefits of fermented grain. The process of fermentation lowers the phytic acid content in the grain, making it easier to digest. Yes, sourdough bagels are healthy for you.
Why are my sourdough bagels flat?
It could be that your sourdough starter wasn’t strong enough to make the bagels rise. Try the “float test” next time. Feed your starter with 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water and let it sit at least 6 hours. The starter is ready for baking when a spoonful of it floats in a cup of water.
How do you store sourdough bagels?
Wrap them in plastic and store in the fridge up to 3 days. My favorite way to store them though is to freeze them. Just slice them in half and store in a freezer bag. Then just pop them in the toaster or on a cast iron to heat them back up.
Homemade Sourdough Bagels
Learn how to make homemade sourdough bagels that are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. This gut-healthy recipe is a delicious breakfast or lunch and easily stores in the fridge or freezer.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup active sourdough starter (note: active means that it has been fed with 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water. Then, let sit for 6-12 hours, until it is bubbly and thick)
- 1 3/4 cup filtered water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- One tsp olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ~ 4 1/4 cups organic all purpose flour, plus more for shaping (See note below)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- "everything but the bagel" seasoning or shredded cheese for topping (optional)
Instructions
The Night Before: Make the Dough
In a large mixing bowl or a stand up mixer with dough attachment, combine the sourdough starter, water, salt, olive oil, and honey. Use a fork to whisk together until combined.
Then add the flour and kneed until a stretchy, sticky dough is formed. You can use a stand up mixer with dough hook or your hands. It will take a few minutes either way. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit out on your counter overnight. Make sure the dough has enough room to grow!
Let the dough sit on the countertop overnight. You do not need to do stretch and folds like you would for making bread, but you can if you want extra fluffy bagels.
The morning of: Make the Bagels
The next morning punch the dough down (this is pretty fun). Divide it into 6 parts, cutting it down the middle with a knife and then cutting each half into 3 triangles. Form the bagels by rolling the triangles into a ball in your hands, then using a finger to create the hole in the center. Place the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel or plastic and let sit one hour (30 minutes if your house is over 70 degrees).
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Add the sugar to the water. Meanwhile add the bagel seasoning or shredded cheese topping to a plate and set aside.
Add the bagels to the boiling water and boil 1 minute each side. Use tongs to flip. Only add a few bagels at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the water. Keep in mind the bagels will grow in the water.
Transfer the wet bagels to a plate and shake the excess water off. Dip one side of the bagels in the bagel seasoning or shredded cheese, and then put the bagel on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Once all the bagels are on the baking sheet, bake them for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Tip: whatever bagels you don't eat that day, cut them in half and store them in the freezer. They make great leftovers!
Add cream cheese, salmon lox, or meat cuts for a lunch option. The opportunities are endless!
Notes
Feed your sourdough starter at least 6 hour before starting this, and let it sit until it is bubbly and active. If you are new to sourdough starter, get started here.
You may need more or less flour depending on the type of flour you're using and the consistency of your starter. If your dough is runny, add more flour. If the dough is too dry and not coming together, add more water.
More Delicious Sourdough Recipes
No Yeast Sourdough Pizza Crust
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I’m in the process of making these yummy looking bagels. My dough was super wet and not coming together so I kept adding more flour. I just noticed on your video you say to add 1 1/4 cup of filtered water. On the recipe it says 1 3/4 cup. Just thought I’d let you know. Thanks 🙏
Hi Laura! Thanks for letting me know. The correct recipe is 1 3/4 cup water as it’s written. However since flour consistency changes depending on the brand, there is still a possibility of needing more or less flour, or more or less water. So sounds like you figured that out. It’s kind of something you have to finesse. How did they come out?!