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.
These bagels are amazing! But they stuck to my parchment paper before boiling them and by the time I pried them loose and got them in the water, let’s just say they were not very pretty! How can I get them to not stick to the paper?
Oh no! I’ve never had that issue. The dough may have been too sticky and needed a little more flour.
Hi Sharon! This happened to me the first 2 times I made these. I just made the recipe a 3rd time and they did not stick, and came out perfect, fluffy and round. I think the key is watching the dough as it is kneaded by the mixer as you add the flour. Strangely, the most recent time I made it I only added 3 1/2 cups flour total. I think you need to feel the dough and handle it in your hands and make sure it is firm, supple and not sticky. I poked my finger after it kneaded and the indent was released slowly as I pulled out my finger. I think it needs to be firm, smooth and not sticky at all once it is done being kneaded in the mixer. I would add more flour if yours is still sticky, it really affects the final product and how they boil before baking!
For some reason my bagels didn’t really rise . They turned out quite dense . Would there be a reason for this ?
Was your starter super bubbly and active? Were they in a warm place? Since the bagels are a denser dough, they don’t rise the same as say a bread.
Hi Lisa! Greetings from Norway!
I was endring how you would “season the water when you double the recipe? Should it be the same amount of sugar and baking soda or double that as well?
Love your work! Stay blessed <3
Even if you make more bagels, you still don’t want to over crowd your pot each time. So, you’ll likely keep the same ratios there and still just add about 2-4 bagels at a time.
I made these yesterday and they turned out great. The only thing is I guess I didn’t make the hole big enough so when they doubled it disappeared. In your pictures it looks like your dough isn’t sticky, mine were slightly sticky when picking them up and dropping them into the water. I guess I’ll dust them next time with flour. What brand of everything bagel seasoning do you use?
Would bleached all purpose flour work for this recipe?
I would only use unbleached. There is mixed reviews on bleached flour inhibiting sourdough yeast.
Hey Lisa! I messed up my timeline and my 8 hour rise ends at midnight. Can I refrigerate overnight, and shape in the morning? Thank you! 🙂
Most places will say that you cannot put dough in the fridge during the bulk ferment, but I have done it before. I would let it rise as long as possible on the counter and then move it to the fridge. Take it out for a few hours in the morning before shaping. Make sure it has doubled before shaping.
I’m new to sourdough (started this summer). This is one recipe I’ve made 4 times already. I love how easy, tasty, and hearty it is! Definitely a recipe worth putting in the recipe binder!
So glad you enjoy it! It is one of our favorites, too!
Can I use whole wheat flour?
The amount of water would need to be adjusted. They may also be rather dry.
I accidentally bough bread flour unbleached instead of all purpose flour unbleached. Would that be okay?
That should work fine. You may need to adjust the water a little.
Can you freeze these if you made a lot ahead
Yes. They freeze great. Just place in a freezer safe bag. They will stay good for 3-6 months.
How long are they good for
Store them in an air-tight container for 3-4 days for best results. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.