Sourdough bagels are savory, chewy, crusty, and deliciously tangy. These are an amazing way to start your morning or to enjoy for a yummy brunch.
Sourdough may be one of my favorite ways to start the morning, whether it be breakfast strata, pancakes, English muffins, crepes, or these delicious bagels.
It’s a delicious, easy, and filling way to start our busy days, fueled up.
Bagels may seem intimidating, but I promise that they really aren’t that difficult. It’s much like making any baked sourdough recipe, with the added step of cooking it in boiling water for a few minutes before baking.
These sourdough bagels have a yummy and tangy flavor, pairing really well with sweet or savory dishes. They’re a wonderful comfort food.
I love slathering cream cheese or homemade butter all over them.
Below, I share a few different variations and a bunch of bagel sandwich ideas.
Sourdough Bagel FAQ
Are all bagels sourdough?
No. They are typically leavened with either sourdough or commercial yeast. Unless they are specifically labeled as sourdough, you can expect bagels to be made with commercial yeast.
Why is there a hole in a bagel?
There is a hole for more even cooking throughout. This also helps with crust development.
Are bagels bad for you?
While they tend to be higher in calories, these simple sourdough bagels are made with wholesome ingredients and healthy fermented grains.
What do you eat bagels with?
There are so many ways to eat bagels. Most commonly, they are served with cream cheese. See below for sandwich recommendations.
Why are bagels boiled at first?
You boil bagels first to set the crust, which allows them to hold their shape in the oven. The longer you boil them, the thicker the crust. Boiling for 60 seconds on each side yields the perfect result. Although this step may seem silly, don’t skip it – it is one of the most important.
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Tips:
- Use a slotted spoon or ‘spider’ strainer to flip and pull the bagels out of the boiling water.
- If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can check out this post, where I show you exactly how to make a starter from scratch.
- Cook 2-4 bagels in the baking soda water at a time. Don’t overcrowd your pot.
- You can knead the dough by hand or use a stand mixer. A stand mixer is much easier and less time consuming.
Tools you may need:
Measuring cups and spoons
Large pot or dutch oven
Parchment paper
Topping ideas
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sesame seeds
- Dried onion/dried garlic flakes
- Poppy seeds
- Everything But The Bagel seasoning
- Cinnamon sugar topping
Additional Bagel Add-Ins:
Mix in these extras into the dough right before forming into bagels:
Blueberries – add fresh blueberries
Cinnamon and raisins
Chocolate chips
How To Make Sourdough Bagels From Scratch
Add sourdough starter, water, honey, salt, and two cups of flour to a stand mixer.
Mix until it comes together, about 10 minutes on low speed. The dough will be really stiff and difficult to incorporate.
Add remaining flour, half a cup at a time. Use a dough hook and knead until it is smooth and pliable. You could also knead by hand, but the stand mixer makes this process much easier.
Cover dough with wet tea towel, plastic wrap, or beeswax wrap; allow to ferment for 8 to 12 hours. Don’t just cover with a dry towel, because it will create a hard skin on the top of your dough, which you don’t want.
After the dough has fermented, divide into 8 equal pieces.
Roll the dough into balls, flatten them down a bit, and poke a hole in the middle with your finger. Stretch the hole a bit to widen.
Cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm spot for two hours or until puffy. The time will depend on how warm your house is. It could take 1 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda and sugar.
Using a slotted spoon, gently add bagels to the water and boil for one minute, flip, then boil for another minute.
Shake off excess water and dip into desired toppings (optional).
Place boiled bagels on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden on top.
Sourdough Bagel Sandwich Ideas
Truly, a sourdough bagel is a vessel for the yummy toppings you want to add.
- Breakfast sandwich – add a fried egg, bacon or sausage, cheese, and some lettuce for a yummy way to start your morning.
- Cream cheese and veggie. Spread cream cheese on bagel, add slices of tomato, cucumber, avocado (optional). Sprinkle with salt and enjoy.
- Avocado… bagel. Rather than toast. Add sliced avocado and sprinkle with salt.
- Locks – cream cheese and smoked salmon (locks) make a really delicious sandwich any time of day.
- Turkey club. Really any of your favorite lunch meat will do; top with slices of cheese, tomato, avocado, and an egg.
- Ham and cheese. Top with ham and a slice of Swiss or cheddar cheese. Bake it in the oven until the cheese starts to melt. Honey mustard takes this up a notch.
- Add chicken salad
Find More Sourdough Recipes:
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars!
Sourdough Bagels
Ingredients
- ½ cup sourdough starter, bubbly and active (113 grams)
- 1 cup water, 236 grams
- 2 tablespoons honey, 21 grams
- 2 teaspoons salt, 10 grams
- 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, 560 grams
For boiling the bagels
- 2 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Add sourdough starter, water, honey, salt, and two cups flour to a stand mixer.
- Mix until it comes together, about 10 minutes on low speed. The dough will be really stiff and difficult to incorporate.
- Add remaining flour, half a cup at a time. Use a dough hook and knead until it is smooth and pliable.
- Cover dough with wet tea towel, plastic wrap, or beeswax wrap and allow to ferment for 8 to 12 hours.
- After fermentation, divide into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll the dough into balls, flatten them down a bit, and poke a hole in the middle with your finger. Stretch the hole a bit to widen.
- Cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm spot for 1-4 hours or until puffy.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda and sugar.
- Using a slotted spoon, gently add bagels to the water and boil for one minute, flip, then boil for another minute.
- Shake off excess water and dip into desired toppings (optional).
- Place boiled bagels on parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden on top.
Notes
- Use a slotted spoon or ‘spider’ strainer to flip and to pull the bagels out of the boiling water.
- Cook 2-4 bagels in the baking soda water at a time. Don’t overcrowd your pot.
- You can knead the dough by hand or use a stand mixer. A stand mixer is much easier and less time consuming.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Best bagels I’ve ever made! This was the first time I’ve ever used sourdough starter as a leaverning agent for bagels and I was skeptical before I ate one but I am a believer now. They were a real hit in our house.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
That is wonderful to hear. So glad you and your family enjoyed them.
Is there a way to do these so that after the second rise, you refrigerate and then bake in the morning? Would that work? I’d love to have them fresh in the morning, but don’t have time for a one or more hour second rise…
Yes. I would let them rise all day, shape, cover and place them in the fridge overnight. In the morning you should be able to boil and bake no issue.
Can I ferment dough all day then put in fridge for next morning ? And how long would you say it would have to sit before I can make the 8 balls ?
Yes definitely. I would let it sit for an hour or two at room temperature before shaping.
I’ve recently started on my sourdough journey and I have by far found your recipes delicious and easy to follow! Do you think you could make this bagel into a pumpkin bagel?
That sounds amazing. I would take the cinnamon crust bagels and use pumpkin spice in place of the cinnamon. That would be amazing. https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/sourdough-cinnamon-crunch-bagels
Just made these yesterday for breakfast today and WOW. So easy and super delicious! My first time making bagels, but definitely not my last. I made everything bagel seasoning and topped it with that and we made sandwiches with mayo, turkey, melted cheese and a fried egg. Best breakfast ever! Thank you Lisa!
Yum! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for sharing!
Love these and they are now a family favorite! looking for any tips for successfully doubling this ? Do I need to double the amount of starter? Thanks
I would try doubling all the ingredients, and it should work. Let us know if you do and find success!
I made these and they had great flavor but they stuck to the parchment paper I placed them on after shaping to fluff up. How do you keep them from sticking?
Hmmm. That is what the parchment paper is for. They stuck to the parchment after baking? I’ve never had that happen before.
These are absolutely wonderful. The first time I tried them, I had some rum-soaked dried blueberries to use up. I mixed the dough at 8 pm then got up at 5:30 to shape the bagels and let them rise. So good. Just made another batch (double). Some plain, some cinnamon sugar inside and on top, and some with a topping of garlic powder and oregano. I did bake them for 15 minutes, and they turned out great. I am especially pleased that the recipe does not use any other rising agents besides sourdough. I also want to mention that I the dough was perfect. I left it overnight in a bowl on the counter where it was fairly cool, which didn’t cause it to overferment. Only when it came to rising did I stick them in the oven with just the light on.
Wonderful to hear!
I think step 2, “ Mix until it comes together, about 10 minutes on low speed. The dough will be really stiff and difficult to incorporate.” is supposed to come after adding ALL flour, not right away. It incorporates easily with the first 2 cups. Excited to see how these turn out!!
Best Bagels Ever!!! I have made with recipe at lest 15 times and it always turns out perfectly!!
Glad you love the recipe! Have a great day!