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sourdough bagels
5.0 from 10 votes

Homemade Sourdough Bagels (made easy!)

Learn how to make your very own homemade sourdough bagels in this recipe. It is doable at home and the end result is amazing!

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Proofing time 12 hrs
Total Time 55 mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sourdough bagels
Servings: bagels

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Calories: 256 kcal

Equipment

  • Large baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Mixing bowl
  • Large pot
  • Bench scraper
  • Food scale
  • Silicone Scraper

Ingredients

  • 500 grams bread flour or all-purpose flour (see notes)
  • 265 grams water
  • 150 grams active sourdough starter
  • 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
  • 10 grams salt

For boiling the bagles

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 6 cups water
  • Seeds for topping the bagels ((optional: sesame, everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, etc.))

Instructions

Mix the dough

  1. To a large mixing bowl dissolve the sourdough starter and sugar (or honey) in the water.
  2. Add the flour and salt, and mix by hand until all of the flour has absorbed the water.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to sit for 45 minutes to an hour.

Knead the dough

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Optional: perform 1 stretch and fold 45 minutes into the bulk rise to ensure optimal gluten develpment.

Pre-shape the dough

  1. The next morning make sure the dough has almost tripled in size.
  2. 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.
  3. Using a bench scraper cut the dough into 8 sections. I recommend using a scale as each piece should weigh around 115 grams.
  4. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a little non-stick oil on the paper.
  5. 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

Final shaping

  1. Shape each bagel by making a hole with your fingers and rounding them out.  Make sure the hole is a qaurter size or bigger to ensure it does not close up during baking.
  2. After rounding out the bagel, you can stretch them a bit to ensure the hole is large enough.
  3. Once complete, cover them with oiled plastic wrap or a damp a towel and let them rest for 15 minutes.
  4. Bring a pot of water to a boil (about 6 cups) with a tablespoon of sugar and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Boil the bagels

  1. Place 2-3 bagels in the pot of boiling water and boil on each side for 30-60 seconds
  2. If 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 should be a bit wet so the seeds will stick.

Bake the bagels

  1. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow them to cool for a few minutes after they are done and enjoy!
  2. Storage: these are best enjoyed the day of, but can be stored on your counter for up to 2 days in a bread bag or airtight container.

Notes

Baker's schedule: Mix the dough the evening before and bake the bagels the following morning.

Need some extra time before baking your bagels? You can store this dough for 24 hours in the refrigerator after proofing. 

Bagel holes closing up while baking? Make sure to make a quarter-sized hole or bigger when shaping the bagels. 

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bagel | Calories: 256 kcal | Carbohydrates: 50 g | Protein: 10 g | Fat: 1.7 g | Sodium: 340 mg |

Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only.

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