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.
Do you think it’d be ok to leave the bagels after shaped ferment overnight in the fridge instead of letting it rise 1-4hrs? I’m trying to have them ready for breakfast and that means I’d have to be up super early to shape them and wait for the rise. Thanks!
Yes, but you will still have to pull them out for 1-4 hours at some point.
I’ve made these a couple of times and they are always delicious. But I was wondering what changes would need to be made if using Einkorn flour. Which is the flour I prefer.
Hi! I’ve been making this recipe for a while now, and it’s worked great. But, I was wondering if this recipe could work if I completely used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. I could also use rye flour, or whole wheat bread flour. Assuming I’d have to change the hydration levels, how would I do that? Thank you!
It will make your bagels more dense, which bagel are already pretty dense. If anything, just substitute 1/3 of the flour amount.
I think I may have ruined my KitchenAid mixer with this one. It started smelling strange and making weird sounds. I had to turn it off and hope for the best. The dough still isn’t incorporated and seems dry. I feel like this recipe might be a little off. Love your recipes but I’m not sure about this one!
I’m sorry you struggled with this recipe!
Can I use unbleached Bread Flour for this recipe if I ran out of unbleached All Purpose?
Yes.
If I wanted to use Einkorn flour, should I adjust any measurements? I have noticed that Einkorn is much stickier. Thanks so much!
The hydration level will need adjusted. I don’t have a recipe for that. I just go by feel.
Lisa thank you so much for this recipe! It is a favorite in my house and I only made it once. Today is my second time and in excited! Can I freeze them and store for later? Not sure why we wouldn’t get through them all but just for future baking? Thanks!
You can freeze them for later.
I love your blog and recipes. I watch your videos on YouTube with a hint of nostalgia as it reminds me of our life in Kansas. My kids are mostly grown (only 2 under 18 now) and we no longer homestead
(Still homeschooling, 23 years and counting!), we traded it in for southern beach life, but I still bake a lot and miss the cheeses and wheat and all the homemade goodness.
Thanks for sharing your world!
(And ftr, it’s lox on bagels)
Blessings!
Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I feel like I need to stop and comment mid way through my making of this recipe. I like several others struggled with the dry, thick and crumbly dough that struggled to mix completely the whole time. I turned off my kitchen aid several times in the process for fear of burning out my motor. At the end it still was quite dry and not as cohesive as it should be so I had to knead it more at the end. It still isn’t as cohesive and soft as it seems it should be. I’ve made a different bagel recipe one other time and didn’t have this trouble. The jury is still out on flavor, but whew, the mixing is a bear.
What I’ve learned is to not add all the flour. Start with 1/2 and then add to get a nice, stiff dough. Humidity, temperature, and sourdough starter can all be factors. Hope that helps!
Thank you for this recipe! I received my starter from a friend who fed it with whole wheat which is what I’ve been doing. It’s been very happy. Should I adjust the bagel recipe because it’s a whole wheat starter? Amount of starter/water?
I made this recipe for the second time today and the first batch turned out great but wondered if I needed to add more water or anything. Super new to sourdough/baking so any help is appreciated!!
No, you shouldn’t need to. The dough is firmer than others.