Create delicious and flavorful homemade bagels with sourdough starter
This homemade bagel recipe makes the most flavorful and chewy bagels with the help of a sourdough starter. The bagels proof overnight in the refrigerator which allows for a rich flavor to develop. You can easily add any toppings you'd like to create unique flavors of sourdough bagels. This recipe will teach you about the science of bagel making and how to create bakery-worthy bagels in your home kitchen.
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Lately, I've become obsessed with baking with a sourdough starter. The amazing rich, sour and complex flavor that is produced with the help of a starter is unbeatable!
This sourdough bagel recipe is no exception! While I love a classic bagel, there's something about the flavor of this recipe that's out of this world.
If you're new to sourdough baking and want to try this recipe, I'd suggest picking up some sourdough discard from a friend or local bakery. This will allow you to start baking delicious sourdough recipes right away!
What You'll Learn In This Recipe
You'll learn a lot about the bagel making process by baking up this recipe including:
- Why measuring ingredients by weight is so important.
- The science behind chewy bagels, and how to get this at home.
- How to know that you've kneaded the dough long enough for sufficient gluten to form. I've got a quick test you can perform that will show you the answer. This can be used on other bread-making recipes too!
To learn more tips like this to level up your baking knowledge, grab my free 13 page e-book. This guide has all the secrets you need to become a better baker!
Sourdough Baking Schedule
I will warn you now that this recipe takes some time to make. Most of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise and proof. However, you do need to plan ahead to properly prepare.
In order to make the sourdough bagels, here is the schedule I follow:
- Day 1 - 10:00 pm: Feed sourdough starter.
- Day 2 - 8:00 am: Mix bagel dough. Then, cover and allow to rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 7-8 hours. The time it takes to double in size can vary depending on the climate and temperature of your house.
- Day 2 - 4:00 pm: Divide and shape bagel dough. Cover and allow the dough to proof overnight in the refrigerator for 12 - 18 hours.
- Day 3 - 8:00 am: Preheat the oven and baking stone. Boil the bagels.
- Day 3 - 8:30 am: Cook and cool the bagels.
Tools & Equipment You'll Need
Before you start making the sourdough bagels, you'll want to check that you have the right kitchen equipment to make this process easy.
Here is a list of equipment and how it's used:
Kitchen Scale: I'd always encourage you to bake using weight measurements. Weight measurements are so much more accurate than volumetric measurements, especially when it comes to measuring flour.
If you incorrectly measure any ingredient, it can change how the final product looks, feels, and tastes.
This recipe is written using weight measurements so you can get great results every single time you bake bagels. If you'd prefer to measure with cups, check out this bagel recipe.
Bowl Scraper: A flexible bowl scraper (sometimes called a plastic dough cutter) is a great tool for bagel making. This recipe is made completely by hand - no mixer required! Because of this, it's helpful to have this tool.
A bowl scraper comes in handy when mixing the wet and dry ingredients together to form a shaggy dough. It's also useful when portioning out the dough to make individual bagels.
I'm all about ease and efficiency when it comes to baking! This is a cheap tool that you'll get plenty of use out of.
Baking or Pizza Stone: An iconic part of any bagel is the exterior crunchy, golden-brown crust. When baking bagels at home, a baking stone is essential to achieve the perfect outer crust.
The baking stone will get preheated in a very hot oven (450°F). Once fully heated, the stone immediately begins cooking the crust on the bagels. The direct high heat will result in a perfectly crunchy exterior.
Sheet Pan: You'll need a sheet pan that can fit in your refrigerator. The bagels will rest on the sheet pan overnight while they are proofing in the refrigerator.
If your fridge is large enough, I'd suggest using a half sheet pan. It's the perfect size for 12 bagels.
Homemade Bagel Ingredients
I love learning (and teaching you) about the science behind baking ingredients. You'll become so much better at baking if you can understand why certain ingredients are used.
Although bagels are made mostly of water and flour, there are some specific ingredients you'll need to get the perfect chewy bagel. Let's break it down!
High Protein Flour
High Protein Flour is so important to use if you want to achieve a chewy, crusty bagel.
Any type of flour that you purchase has some percentage of protein. Check out the front of the flour bag next time you're at the grocery store. Protein is what helps with dough strength, water absorption, as well as the texture and crumb of the baked good.
High protein flour (13.5-14.5%) is used generally for products like bagels, baguettes, or crusty bread. For this recipe, we're using bread flour (since it's easy to source for most people) which has a protein content of around 12%.
Don't be tempted to use all-purpose flour in this recipe. All-purpose flour has a 10% protein content and won't allow you to get as crusty of a bagel as bread flour.
If you want to learn even more about how flour impacts our baked goods, check out this article.
Active Sourdough Starter
If you're making a sourdough bagel, it's obvious that you'll need a sourdough starter. But, what is the sourdough starter's role in baking bagels?
Sourdough starter (also sometimes called levain), is a complex group of microbes that help leaven (rise) the bagels.
Unlike the common baker's yeast that can be purchased at the store, sourdough starter adds a complex, sour flavor. This unique flavor comes from the specific flour you use to feed the starter, as well as the environment your starter survives in.
Prior to baking, you'll need to feed your starter so it's bubbly, active, and ready to bake with! I prefer to feed my starter with a one to one ratio of flour and water by weight. As for the flour, I typically use half rye flour and half whole wheat flour. Typically, this means feeding my starter 50g water, 25g rye flour, and 25g whole wheat flour.
If you need more help determining if your starter is ready, look for these signs:
- The starter has doubled in size 4 - 8 hours after a feeding
- There are many visible bubbles throughout the starter
Molasses
Many bagels recipes will use barley malt syrup. Barley malt syrup is very traditional to classic bagel making. However, it can be hard to find in the grocery store.
Instead, I've chosen to use molasses, which aids in the proofing process, adds a mild sweetness to the recipe, and helps give a rich brown crust to the bagel.
Salt
Every good bread recipe needs salt. Salt is used to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients it's paired with. Without salt, the bagel taste would fall flat.
I would suggest using fine sea salt in this recipe. It is very small compared to kosher salt, which makes it easier to distribute throughout the dough.
How To Make Sourdough Bagels
Making any type of bread can seem intimidating. But, with this simple step by step guide, you'll get the help you need to feel confident baking sourdough bagels at home.
Scale The Ingredients
To begin any baking recipe, you should always start with mise en place. This is a fancy French word that means 'to put in place.'
You'll first want to measure out all of your ingredients and take out all of the kitchen tools that you'll for this recipe. These tiny glass bowls are perfect for holding small amounts of ingredients like salt or molasses.
During this step, be sure to read through all of the recipe instructions so you know what to expect and you can plan accordingly.
Mix The Dough
Now it's time to mix everything up! First begin by combing the wet ingredients including water, sourdough starter, and molasses. Then, in a separate bowl, stir together the bread flour and salt.
The great thing about this recipe is that you don't even need a stand mixer. You can mix everything together with a little muscle.
When you're first combining the wet and dry ingredients together, it's helpful to use a bowl scraper. Once a shaggy dough has formed, you can use your hands.
Now it's time for the hard part - kneading the dough. This takes a full 15 minutes as the recipe says. During this time, you are helping with gluten formation.
Let's get into a little baking science so you can better understand the importance of gluten formation. Flour needs water to activate the proteins in the flour (glutenin and gliadin) in order for the gluten to form.
In addition to water, flour also needs kneading or long periods of rest time for the gluten to become elastic so we can easily shape it to form bagels. For this recipe, we're putting in some elbow grease to get the dough to the proper stage.
There are many signs the bagel dough will give to show that you have kneaded long enough for proper gluten formation. Here's what to look for once you've finished hand kneading for 15 minutes:
- The dough is flexible when kneaded
- The dough is bouncy to the touch
- To be extra safe, grab a piece of dough between your fingers, stretch it, and see the web fibers that have developed. You should be able to pull the dough thin enough that light shines through. You want the dough to be able to stretch rather than tear. This is often referred to in the bread-making world as the windowpane test.
Bulk Fermentation
Bulk fermentation is the time that we allow the dough to rise. During this time, the starter is converting sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol.
Bulk fermentation is crucial to delicious bagels because it helps with the production of leavening gases (so our bagels can puff up when baked) and it helps to develop flavor and strengthen the gluten.
At this stage, you are looking for the dough to nearly double in size. This shows us that it has bulk fermented long enough.
Depending on the time of the year and the temperature of your house, the time it takes the dough to double in size can vary. Generally, a colder environment will result in longer bulk ferment times.
Shape The Bagels
Now that your dough has doubled in size, it's time to divide and shape the dough.
Begin by punching down the risen dough. This releases some of the gas bubbles that formed during the bulk ferment stage, which redistributes the yeast cells so they can rise during the proofing stage that comes next.
To make 12 bagels, divide the dough into about 107 g pieces. I use a kitchen scale for this process to ensure they're all the same size!
Once you're ready to shape, grab a ball of dough. Gently, push through the center of the ball using both thumbs to make a hole. Then, continue to stretch the bagel out until it reaches about 4 inches across.
Throughout this process, you'll want to keep the bagels covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap so the dough doesn't dry out.
Proof The Dough
It's time to allow the pre-shaped bagels to proof overnight in the refrigerator. Proofing is the final rise before baking.
The overnight proofing process that happens in a cold environment is iconic for making high-quality bagels. This entire process creates lots of flavor, in addition to producing leavening gases and strengthening the gluten, just like in the bulk fermentation stage.
Before placing the bagels in the refrigerator, make sure they are tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. If you don't place the plastic wrap securely around the bagels, you'll end up with a hard, crusty dough when you take it out of the refrigerator.
I like to pull the plastic wrap around the top of the sheet pan, underneath the pan, then back around to the top. This ensures no air can get in.
Boil The Bagels
After you've allowed your bagels to sit in the refrigerator overnight, you need to test them to make sure they're ready to go. Because you allowed them to proof overnight, this shouldn't at all be an issue.
To test that they're ready, you can fill a bowl with lukewarm water. If it floats, the bagels are ready to go. Pat the bagel dry and return it back to the covered baking sheets until the water begins to boil.
If it sinks, allow the bagels to sit at room temperature, still covered, until they float. Check every 15 minutes until they float.
Another iconic step in the bagel-making process is boiling the bagels before they're baked. This allows the shiny, chewy crust to form on the outside of the bagel. I've found that the perfect length of boiling time is about 30 seconds on each side.
Add Toppings & Bake
While the bagels are still wet from the boiling process, add on your favorite toppings of choice to make any bagel flavor your heart desires. Here are some of my favorite flavor ideas:
- Everything seasoning
- Sesame seeds (black or white)
- Poppy seeds
- Minced onion seasoning
- Sea salt
- Za'atar seasoning
- Parmesan cheese
- Asiago cheese
- Cinnamon and sugar
Once you've added on the topping flavors, it's time to bake!
To get that nice browned, glossy top on your bagels, you'll need to have a high oven heat. I've found that using a baking stone helps get that crusty outer texture that we all look for in bagels. Make sure to preheat the baking stones so they have enough time to properly heat up.
If you're baking two pans of bagels in the same oven, don't forget to rotate the pan halfway through baking. This will ensure even cooking and browning.
Once out of the oven, allow the bagels to fully cool on a wire rack before cutting into them.
Even though it's tempting to slice into a hot, freshly baked bagel, give it time to completely cool. This ensures the internal structure can settle and evaporate any excess moisture.
From here you can eat them, or freeze them for later (something most people forget they can do). Check out this guide for full bagel storage instructions.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
First off, be sure that you allowed the dough to bulk ferment for enough time. This time can vary depending on the temperature of your house. Generally, the colder your environment, the longer time it will take the dough to double in size.
You'll also want to check that your starter is active and strong enough to bake with. A weak starter could also prevent your dough from doubling in size.
The short answer - yes! It takes time for gluten formation to happen during the kneading process. Since we're kneading by hand instead of with a stand mixer, it's going to take more time to build up the gluten structure.
Punching down the dough releases some of the gas bubbles that formed during bulk fermentation. This helps to produce a finer crumb in the bagels by redistributing the yeast cells which can then rise during the final proofing stage.
How To Eat Sourdough Bagels
There are endless possibilities for how to use your sourdough bagels. Here are just a few of my favorite ideas:
- Top with butter or cream cheese for a simple breakfast.
- Make a breakfast sandwich with eggs, cheese, and bacon.
- For an easy lunch, use them as the base of an open-faced tuna melt.
- Top with Nutella and fruit for a sweet treat.
- Make bagel pizzas for a kid-friendly dinner.
- Add a smear of peanut butter and banana slices.
- Bagels and lox are a classic pairing. I layer cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, red onion, and dill on mine.
- Don't forget about avocado toast. Add some smashed avocado, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper flakes for the perfect combination.
Overnight Sourdough Bagels
Ingredients
- 450 grams water (75°F)
- 100 grams active sourdough starter
- 17 grams molasses plus several tablespoons for boiling
- 800 grams bread flour
- 10 grams fine sea salt
- coarse cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- Whisk water, sourdough starter, and 17 grams of molasses in a medium bowl until combined.
- In a separate large bowl combine bread flour and salt. Combine the wet ingredients with the flour using your hands or a bowl scraper just until a shaggy dough forms.
- On a clean, unfloured surface, remove the dough from the bowl. Begin kneading the dough by hand for a full 15 minutes (don’t cut this time short). You'll know the dough is done kneading when it is flexible and bouncy to the touch. To check that you've kneaded long enough, grab a piece of dough between your fingers, stretch it, and see the web fibers that have developed. You should be able to pull the dough thin enough that light shines through. If your dough rips as soon as you start pulling, you need to keep kneading the dough. You want the dough to be able to stretch rather than tear.
- Turn the oven to 200°F. Place the dough in a clean glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise on top of the warm oven (not in the oven) until it’s doubled in size, about 7-8 hours. The time it takes to double in size can vary depending on the climate and temperature of your house.
- Prepare two baking sheets generously sprinkled with cornmeal.
- Punch down the risen dough a few times to release some of the gas that formed. On a clean, unfloured surface, remove the dough from the bowl. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into pieces weighing about 107g each.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, and keeping the others covered with a tea towel, roll the dough into a ball. Push through the center of the ball using both thumbs to make a hole. Then, continue to stretch the bagel out until it reaches about 4 inches across. Be sure not to flatten the bagel too much throughout this process. Place completed bagels 2 inches apart on the previously prepared baking sheets and cover with a tea towel. Repeat until all pieces of the dough have been shaped.
- Securely and completely cover the bagels with plastic wrap so they don't dry out. Allow dough to proof overnight in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.
- Arrange the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Place a pizza stone on each of the racks, then heat oven to 450°F. Allow the oven and pizza stones to preheat for at least 30 minutes.
- Fill a shallow stockpot or dutch oven about halfway full with lukewarm water. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator. They will have puffed up slightly overnight. To test that the bagels have proofed long enough, gently place the bagel in the lukewarm water. If it floats, the bagels are ready to go. Pat the bagel dry and return it back to the covered baking sheets until the water begins to boil. If it sinks, allow the bagels to sit at room temperature, still covered, until they float. Check every 15 minutes until they float.
- Once the bagels float, begin to boil the water over high heat in the stockpot. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add in molasses, a tablespoon at a time, until the water is dark brown.
- Gently place as many bagels into the boiling water as will comfortably fit without over crowding the dutch oven. Allow the bagels to boil for 30 seconds on the first side, then flip and boil for an additional 30 seconds on the second side. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bagel from the boiling water and place on a wire rack to cool. Repeat until all of the bagels have been boiled. While the bagels are still wet, add any desired toppings.
- Carefully, remove the hot pizza stones from the oven. Transfer the cornmeal from the original baking sheets to the hot pizza stone to prevent sticking. Place bagels on the stone about 2 inches apart. Bake for 22 - 25 minutes, rotating shelves halfway through until bagels are deeply browned and shiny on top. Keep an eye on your bagels (without opening the oven door) to ensure they're not getting too dark. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Day 1 - 10:00 pm: Feed sourdough starter.
- Day 2 - 8:00 am: Mix bagel dough. Then cover and allow to rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 7-8 hours. The time it takes to double in size can vary depending on the climate and temperature of your house.
- Day 2 - 4:00 pm: Divide and shape bagel dough. Cover and allow the dough to proof overnight in the refrigerator for 12 - 18 hours.
- Day 3 - 8:00 am: Preheat the oven and pizza stones. Boil the bagels.
- Day 3 - 8:30 am: Cook and cool the bagels.
Nutrition
Learn More About Making Bagels
If you're interested in learning more about the science and practice that goes into making really delicious bagels, check out these articles:
- I really enjoyed reading this article from the Institute of Culinary Education on '10 Tips for Making Schmear-Worthy Homemade Bagels.'
- An interview with Daniela Moreira on how to make better bagels at home. Super interesting and an easy read!
- Another good article on the secrets of bagel making.
Meg
I have made these twice and both times turned out perfect... This will now be my go to recipe for rolls...I want to add more sugar to make a sweet dough for cinnamons rolls next... The texture of these rolls are so tender... I can not wait!!
Jessica Mode
Meg - so glad to hear you love this recipe! Cinnamon roll bagels so amazing - I can't wait to see how they turn out 🙂
Vincent
I just finished making these and they are so flavorful and delicious! This is the perfect use for my sourdough. Can't wait to make these again next weekend.