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.
Lisa, have you attempted a long ferment version of these? I am gluten sensitive but can have sourdough if fermented 36 hours or more. Could I put them in the fridge longer after shaping for a longer fermentation?
Thanks!
After the counter fermentation, you can put them in the fridge for a long fermentation to cut back on that gluten!
Could I ferment on the counter overnight, then put the dough directly into the fridge? Could they be shaped after a long fridge fermentation?
That should work. It may take longer for the shaped bagels to rise once you pull them out of the fridge.
Do I need to use brown sugar in the water boiling part?!
You don’t have to, but I like the beautiful color it gives the bagels.
First attempt at this recipe.! I followed directions and when it came to the mixer I think something went wrong. I have a Kitchen aid and used a dough hook. The ingredients incorporated well but it never seemed to get super firm like you mention here and in the video. It was still very sticky. I went ahead and just kept going following the steps. I let it ferment in a glass bowl with plastic wrap. When it came time to shape, the dough was not wanting to hold a shape very well, but I was able to get some sort of bagel type shape. They rose but when I was putting them in the boiling water they seemed to lose all shape again. Once out and on the parchment lined baking sheet I used the end of a spoon to recreate the hole again. I baked them. They are cooling now. I’m curios what I maybe did wrong that the dough didn’t firm up like you mention. I love your videos and posts are very thorough and helpful! This is the 3rd recipe I have tried of yours! 🙂
It may have needed a little more flour, but it’s hard to tell. Sometimes the consistency of your starter can make the dough be a little more wet. I would try them again!
I was curious over this too. I read your comment and added a little more flour to this initial part and then my dough became basically unmanageable and flakey not wanting to go together. They are coming out of the oven now so we’ll see how they have turned out.
Do you think it’s okay to ferment for 9-10 hours?? Should I put it in the refrigerator??
You can fermented for 9-10 hours, especially if it is during the colder months.
Could I double this recipe?
Wow! I’m very new to sourdough and this is the second recipe I’ve done with an active starter. Super easy to do without a stand mixer, too. I did plain, everything bagel seasoning and cinnamon sugar toppings. All 3 were delicious and came out perfect. My house smelled like a bagel shop all day long. I will be making these weekly as bagels are one of my favs! I felt a difference in how I felt after eating sourdough bagels than when I eat regular bagels. So so yummy! I might make a pizza bagel for lunch tomorrow!
A pizza bagel is a great idea! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I have a few questions –
Do you have any tips to keep the top from drying out? I live in a SUPER dry climate, and have the heat on now. In order to not have a ton of dry crispy stuff in the bagel, I’ve been taking off the top layer before shaping.
I’d also appreciate any advice on doing multiple batches. I did a triple batch, and there was NO WAY I was going to get the last cup of flour incorporated. I’m thinking next time I may have to just do three separate batches, then combine them before rising.
Last question – have you tried replacing some or all of the flour with spelt (or another ancient wheat)? Is there a ratio that you can replace without affecting the consistency too much?
You can cover it with a damp towel or even a beeswax wrap might work well. Hmmm … I am not sure why it did that on the big batch. But yes, you could just do three separate to make sure all the measurements are right. I have not tried any ancient grains with my bagel recipes.
Can u out or in the fridge over night or it’s best to leave it in my kitchen counter ?
You say combine starter, honey, water, salt and two cups of flour. Mix until it comes together for about 10 minutes on low speed. AND THEN add the rest of the flour? If so, how long do you mix after the rest of the flour has been added 1/2 cup at a time?
Hi! I made them twice and same result. They are nice and fluffy and when I put them in boiling water they deflate and pretty flat looking after I bake them. I don’t understand why… All my breads and cinnamon rolls and anything I do comes out perfect except the bagels. They are very chewy, soft and flat looking.. also can’t get the color to turn out like the way bagels should look. I do add the brown sugar and baking soda in the boiling water.
If the dough has over proofed, it can cause the bagels to deflate during the boiling process. They are on the verge of losing their gluten structure that is responsible in the bread rising, so when boiling water is added it’s easy for them to give up and deflate. This can also happen if you boil the bagels for too long.
The bagels are delicious and so easy to make. My son wants me to make them again.
So glad he enjoys them!