Sourdough Bagels
This easy sourdough bagels recipe makes the most delicious, chewy bagels you'll ever have!
Only a few ingredients and minimal steps are needed for this simple overnight recipe.
I'm so excited to share this bagel recipe with you guys! When I say it's the easiest sourdough bagel you'll ever make, I'm not exaggerating!
Just like our sourdough dutch baby, sourdough english muffins, and our soft sourdough berry sweet rolls, you'll love the minimal steps that stand between you and your sourdough dreams!
The topping choices are endless and you'll love the chewy texture and amazing sourdough flavor in every bite.
Making bagels has never been so easy, so let's get started!
Sample baking schedule
Before we dive into the details, let's look at a typical schedule for making these sourdough bagels.
For reference, the ambient temperature of my kitchen is 68°F (20°C). If your kitchen is colder, fermentation could take longer during each phase. If it's warmer, the phases will be shorter.
- 8 AM - Feed starter. (At 68°F my starter can be used in 8-12 hours)
- 8 PM - Mix bagel dough in a stand mixer, cover, and let sit at room temperature overnight.
- 7 AM - Divide bagel dough, shape, and cover with a tea towel.
- 7:30 AM - Prepare boiling water and preheat the oven.
- 8 AM - Boil bagels, add toppings, and bake.
If your kitchen is warmer than 70°F, the fermentation will be shorter than in the example above. You will need to keep an eye on your starter and your dough to make sure it does not over-prove.
In warmer kitchens, the sourdough starter could be ready to bake within as little as 4 hours.
Adjust the baking schedule to accommodate the ambient temperature of your kitchen. This can take some trial and error!
Step-by-step instructions
Make sure your starter has been fed and is active when you mix the dough. The starter is optimal when used at its peak in the jar!
1. MIX DOUGH AND FIRST RISE
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the starter, water, honey, and salt with a spatula.
- Add the bread flour and use your hands to bring the ingredients together as best as possible. The dough will be very stiff.
- Place the dough hook on the mixer and mix the dough on the lowest speed for 6-7 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and let rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours or until doubled in size.
2. DIVIDE AND SHAPE
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and use a bench scraper to divide it into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and use your thumb to poke a hole into the middle of each piece.
3. SECOND RISE
Arrange the bagels evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them with a tea towel, and let them rest for 30-60 minutes or until puffy.
- While the bagel dough is rising, preheat your oven to 425°F (218°) and prepare a pot of boiling water, at least 3" deep, with 1 tablespoon of sugar added.
4. BOIL BAGELS
- Boil the bagels, a few at a time, for 2 minutes on each side and place them back onto the parchment paper.
5. ADD BAGEL TOPPINGS
- Let the bagels cool off enough to handle them and dip one side of each bagel in your choice of topping, or leave plain. Place back onto a baking sheet.
6. BAKE
Bake the bagels for 25 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
Homemade bagel varieties
Try any of the following or a combination of them.
- sesame seeds
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
- poppy seeds
- salt - sprinkle on top, do not dip!
- shredded cheese
Best bagel toppings
My favorite way to enjoy these sesame seed sourdough bagels is toasted and then topped with cream cheese and a ripe tomato slice. Here are a few other options!
- avocado and eggs over easy
- bacon, egg, and cheese
- sausage, egg, and cheese
- peanut butter and jelly
- Nutella
- ham and cheddar
- pizza bagels
- peanut butter and banana
- bagel burgers
- ham or turkey sandwich
Tips for Success
Why are bagels boiled before baking? Boiling the bagels quickly cooks the outside of the bagel which ensures that they hold their shape during baking.
Boiling also causes the starches to release and become gelatinous on the outside of the bagel. This sticky coating helps the toppings to stick before baking and gives the bagels that shiny, crispy exterior we all love.
Why do you add sugar to the water when boiling bagels? The sugar adds caramelization and crispiness to the outside crust.
If you don't have a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes. The dough is very thick and requires a lot of elbow grease.
Don't have a kitchen scale to measure flour?
Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
Because flour is measured by weight in these recipes, if the flour is scooped straight out of the bag with the measuring cup, there will be more flour than is called for in the recipe.
Tips for baking in warm and/ or high humidity areas - When baking in high humidity and/or warmer areas, it's often a good practice to use less water and bake a little longer than the recipe calls for. Reduce the water by 50 grams in the initial mix and then slowly add the remaining water until you achieve the correct hydration level. You may need to bake the bagels a few minutes longer. This will take some trial and error!
How to store and freeze bagels
Store cooked bagels, covered, at room temperature for up to 1 week. Storing in the fridge is not recommended.
To freeze baked bagels, let them cool completely. Wrap bagels individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
To reheat bagels, let them thaw on counter if frozen. Cut in half and heat in a toaster or toaster oven.
Other recipes you may like:
- einkorn sourdough bread
- slow cooker sourdough bread
- sourdough banana nut muffins
- sourdough banana bread
We really hope you enjoy this recipe. Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
Sourdough Bagels Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of Active Sourdough Starter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) water
Bagel Dough
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (255 g) water
- 2 tablespoons (40 g) honey (or sugar)
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) fine sea salt
- 4 cups + 2 tablespoons (500 g) bread flour
Water Bath
- 6 cups water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Optional Toppings
- sesame seeds
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
- salt ( sprinkle on top, don't dip)
- poppy seeds
- shredded cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed Your Sourdough Starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the starter, water, honey and salt with a spatula. Add the bread flour and use your hands to bring the ingredients together as best as possible. The dough will be very stiff. Place the dough hook on the mixer and mix the dough on the lowest speed for 6-7 minutes. (Or 10 minutes by hand.) Cover the bowl and let rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours. (See notes for cinnamon raisin bagels.)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. To shape the bagel, place a dough ball on the surface in front of you and use your thumb to poke a hole straight down through the middle of the dough. Pick the bagel dough up, gently shape the ring and place on the parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough balls. Cover the dough with a towel and let rise for 30-60 minutes or until puffy. (See notes about parchment paper.)
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) making sure that the oven rack in the center position. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Once the bagels have finished rising, boil them for 2 minutes on each side. (Only boil 3-4 at a time, making sure not to crowd the pot.)
- Use a mesh stainer to remove the bagels and let rest on the parchment paper until cool enough to handle. Once cool enough, dip one side into your choice of toppings and place back onto the parchment paper.
- Bake the bagels at 425°F (218°C) for 25-28 minutes or until golden brown.
NOTES
- Parchment Paper: I recommend using Kirkland brand parchment paper from Costco. I've used it for years with zero sticking issues with any of my recipes. Flour the bottom of the bagels or the parchment paper after shaping them if you issues with sticking.
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagels: Add 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients. After kneading the dough, add ¾ cups of raisins and knead them into the dough to distribute evenly.
- How to measure flour without a scale: Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
- Tips for baking in warm and/or high humidity areas: Reduce the water by 50 grams in the initial mix and then slowly add the remaining water until you achieve the correct hydration level. You may need to bake the bagels a few minutes longer. This will take some trial and error!
- To Store: Keep baked bagels covered, at room temperature for up to 1 week. Storing in the fridge is not recommended.
- To freeze baked bagels: Let the bagels cool completely. Wrap bagels individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Freezing Unbaked Bagels: After shaping and letting the bagels rise, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for 1–2 hours. Once firm, transfer to a freezer bag, separating layers with parchment paper. When ready to bake, thaw the bagels overnight in the fridge to prevent overproofing. There is no need to bring them to room temperature after thawing; remove them from the fridge, boil, and bake.
- To Reheat: Allow the cooked bagels to thaw on the counter, if frozen. Cut in half and heat in a toaster or toaster oven.
This is my second attempt. Last time dense..didn't rise for some reason on the 30-60 minute. Also I see after reading the reviews/questions..No rolling boil when water bath...ugh wish this tidbit would have been stated in recipe. also how do you keep the centers open without totally distorting the shape...2 out of 8 have holes.
Oh my gosh! These are SO easy to make and they turn out 100% perfect. Although I must say my bagel shaping is getting better with each batch! I love your site and have been following you since November 2023. This is my 'go to' site for sourdough 'stuff'. My sourdough starter is superb (using your instructions) and I feed everyday mostly because I am baking about 3 to 4 times a week. I am 63 and have never baked, lol. I have tried a lot of your recipes and they are easy and work beautifully and are delicious! Thank you for all the work you put in to this incredible site!
Thank you Eva 🙂
Can I place dough in fridge overnight to hold off from firming dough balls, boiling, etc?
Yes you can.
Excited to give this recipe a try. Does the recipe change when you add fruit inclusions?
Hi Hannah, the fruit will add a lot of moisture to the dough so I like to use dried fruit or freeze dried fruit. When I use fresh/frozen fruit, the dough always turns out too sticky and I find it hard to adjust.
My husband told me never to purchase bagels again. I used a little bit of whole wheat flour with my AP as I did not have bread flour. The taste is incredible, super light and so easy to make. I make the dough mid-morning and baked them by the evening as my dough had doubled after 8 hours.
Thank you so much!!
Half of my bagels turned out great but the other half were wrinkly. I learned from a google search that the water should not be at a rolling boil, hence my wrinkly, deflated bagels. My first batch was boiled in simmering water and turned out perfect. First time making bagels so lesson learned! This may be a good thing to mention in the recipe- to not boil in a rolling boil but rather a simmer.
Thank you! mine are lie this too...No more rolling boil for me!
How do you make these blueberry bagels?
I am working on a recipe, but so far I think using freeze dried or dried blueberries is best with this dough added during the kneading process. The moisture content of fresh and frozen blueberries makes it hard to get the hydration right.
My niece made these and they came out perfect and delicious. I just made my first batch of bagels but they came out really too thick and dense. They tasted too yeasty. Not sure what I did wrong?
One of the best sourdough recipes I have come across, and absolutely THE best bagel recipe, hands down! My husband is going to love how often he gets fresh bagels! However, next time I think I’ll divide the dough into 10 portions instead of 8 because the finished bagels are a little too large for me. But that is a me problem and not a recipe problem. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🤗
Thank you Joanne 🙂
Going to make these!! If I already have an established active stater that I haven’t fed for about 12 hrs, can I use that instead of making the starter listed in the directions?
Yes you can. Those instructions are for anyone that doesn't already have their starter ready to bake with 🙂
Yes.