Homemade Sourdough Bagels (made easy!)

Believe it or not, making homemade sourdough bagels is probably easier than baking your first loaf of bread! There isn’t much hands-on time and no fancy techniques are needed to achieve this recipe. You just need an active sourdough starter and some good bread flour. I’d like to believe everyone on the planet enjoys a good bagel, but there is nothing quite like a homemade sourdough bagel. The texture and flavor of these are incredible. They are crispy on the outside with a fluffy, chewy inside.

Not to mention, they won’t leave you feeling tired or hungry for an hour like a highly processed bagel that is full of sugar. Because these are sourdough-based, they are more nutrient-dense and gut-friendly bagels. You will be feeling fulfilled and ready to take on the day!

I like to prep these on a Saturday evening and enjoy them on a Sunday morning. It’s a recipe you will keep coming back to and an opportunity to make memories with loved ones. Sunday morning sourdough bagels 🙂

Tips and modifications

• An active, bubbly starter is needed for this recipe to ensure a hearty rise.

• If you want to lessen the amount of sugar you can use honey to replace the sugar.

• Sourdough bagels are made with a stiffer dough. I recommend not using any additional flour during the kneading process.

• Sourdough bagels require 8-12 hours of proofing time at 68 degrees F. If the environment is warmer, they may require less. You can place proofed sourdough bagel dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

• Should I use bread flour or all-purpose flour? This recipe has been tested with both and they both work great! Using bread flour will result in a chewier bagel while using all-purpose flour will make the bagel slightly softer. It depends on your preference.

How to make Sourdough Bagels: Step-by-Step

Baker’s schedule: Mix your dough the evening before and bake the following morning. 

Equipment:

• Large baking sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Mixing bowl
• Large pot for boiling
• Bench scraper
• Food scale
• Silicone scraper

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 255 grams of water
• 150 grams of active, fed sourdough starter
• 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey
• 10 grams of salt
• For boiling the bagels: 6 cups of water & 1 tablespoon of sugar
• Optional: seeds for topping the bagels (sesame, everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, etc.)

Step 1: Mix your dough

• The evening before you bake: dissolve your starter, honey, or sugar in the water in a large mixing bowl. Mix using a fork.

• Add your flour and salt, and mix by hand until all the flour has absorbed the water.

• Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to sit for 45 minutes to an hour.

Step 2: Knead the dough

• Place the dough on an unfloured surface. Lift a part of the dough up and fold it into itself, and press down firmly with your palm repetitively. About 8-10 minutes of kneading should result in a smooth dough.

• The dough should start to come together and become smoother. If it starts to rip or tear, let the dough rest for 10 minutes and return to kneading it.

• Once complete, place the dough back in the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let it rest overnight at room temperature.

• Optional: perform 1 stretch and fold 45 minutes into the bulk rise. This is to ensure optimal gluten development.

Step 3: Pre-shape your bagels

• The next morning make sure your dough has almost tripled in size.

• Remove the dough from the bowl on a clean working surface and start to flatten it out into a rectangular shape (not too big). Just enough to start portioning out your bagels.

• Using your bench scraper cut the dough into 8 sections. I recommend using a scale as you want the size to be about 115 grams

• Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a little non-stick oil on the paper.

• Round each dough piece into a ball and place it on the pan and cover it with oiled plastic wrap or a damp towel.

• Let them rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten.

Step 4: Final Shaping

• To shape your bagels use your thumb to indent the dough ball in the middle.

• Start to make a hole by pushing your finger through. Work the hole by rounding it out with your finger.

• The hole should be a bit larger than the size of a quarter. The larger you make them the less likely they will close up.

• After rounding out the bagel, you can stretch them a bit to ensure the hole is large enough.

• Once all 8 bagels have been shaped. Cover the pan with oiled plastic wrap or a towel and let them rest for 15 minutes. Simultaneously bring a pot of water to boil (about 6 cups) adding the tablespoon of sugar to the water.

Step 5: Boil the Sourdough Bagels

Why do we boil bagels? So that the outside crust sets before it goes in the oven. It makes for a chewier, thicker, bagel and is necessary!

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

• Place about 2-3 bagels in the boiling water at a time and boil for 30-60 seconds on each side. Place them back on the pan once done.

• If you are using seeds. Pour them on a plate and dip your bagel in the seeds after you have boiled them. Allow it to cool so it is comfortable to handle it. It should be a bit wet so the seeds will stick.

• Leave a couple of plain bagels as they are divine on their own!

Step 6: Bake your Sourdough Bagels

• Place the pan in the oven and bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes. Once done, you can allow them to cool on a cooling rack, but these can be enjoyed right away if desired!

• You can store any leftovers in a bread bag for up to 2 days on your countertop.

More sourdough recipes

• Sourdough Pizza Crust (same day bake!)
• Sourdough Blueberry Bread
• Easy Protein Bagels
• Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread

If you found this article interesting, you may also enjoy my Sourdough Pizza Crust Made Easy