Simply the Best Recipe for Everything Sourdough Bagels
Learn how to make deliciously chewy sourdough bagels with just 5 ingredients in this easy to follow recipe! Truly one of the easiest recipes for any level baker, my biggest recommendation here is that you make enough for seconds.
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Fun fact… I’m eating one of these bagels right now as I write this recipe. We also had them for dinner last night as a fun twist on a base for breakfast sandwiches. Am I tired of these bagels yet?
Heck no! Not even close.
Perfectly chewy with that delicious sourdough tang, these bagels make the perfect snack anytime of day. What’s even better, is they are insanely easy to make, especially for a “sourdough recipe” if you will. No stretch and folds needed here! Just mix, rise, boil, bake.
Let’s walk through the details.
Quick Recipe Snapshot
TOTAL TIME: About 8 and a half hours (including bulk ferment, boiling, and rise times)
YIELD: 8 delicious bagels!
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container to store at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
BEST SERVED: Warm from the oven with a generous schmear of butter, jam, or cream cheese!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
This is just a quick overview of essential ingredients needed for this recipe. Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list!
Tips for Preparing to Make This Recipe
- Mixing the Dough: Bagel dough is very stiff. I highly recommend using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to mix this dough.
- Boiling: Don’t skip it! Boiling the bagels is what sets the crust, allowing them to hold their shape in the oven. Boiling them for just 1 minute on each side yields the perfect results. I recommend only cooking 2-4 bagels in the baking soda water at a time. Don’t overcrowd your pot! This will make it easier to flip and scoop them out of the water.
- Rise: The time it takes for the bagels to complete their second rise will depend on how warm your house is. I find that it usually takes 1-2 hours in my house, but it could take up to 4.
- Recipe Ideas: Sourdough bagels make a great base for sandwiches! Top them with homemade mayo, deli meat, and cheese for a delicious sandwich, or even slather the top with butter and a dollop of strawberry jam.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!
How to Make Sourdough Bagels
- Begin by preparing the dough. Add active sourdough starter, water, sugar, salt, and flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. I recommend adding in the flour slowly, about a 1/2 cup at a time.
- Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. The dough may seem slightly stiff and that’s okay. Using the mixer, continue kneading the dough for about 6-8 minutes. You will know that it is kneaded enough when you poke it with your finger and it slowly bounces back.
- Cover dough with wet tea towel or plastic wrap and allow it to ferment overnight at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
Conduct the float test to be sure the sourdough starter is active! To do this, gently drop of a spoonful of starter into a glass of water. You will find that either the starter floats or settles to the bottom. This indicates whether your starter is holding enough gas bubbles to bring about rise. If it floats, it contains lots of bubbles of carbon dioxide, the result of happy yeast that is ready to bake. If it sinks to the bottom, the starter is presumably not ready, requiring further time and feedings before it is ready for baking.
Shape, Boil, and Bake!
- The next morning, begin shaping the bagel dough by dividing into 8 equal pieces. If using a kitchen scale to measure and weigh the dough, I find that each ball of dough should weigh about 100 grams per bagel. Shape each piece into a ball, and press your finger through the center of each ball to make a hole, stretching it a bit to widen. Place each bagel on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow the bagels to rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours or until puffy.
- Towards the end of the second rise, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding in 1 tbsp each of sugar and baking soda and stirring before adding the bagels. I recommend adding only a few bagels at a time so you don’t overcrowd the pot. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower each bagel into the water, boiling them for 1 minute on each side.
- Remove each bagel from the water, letting the excess water drip off before placing them back onto the baking sheet. Immediately top them with a generous sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning, or other preferred toppings.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on the top.
- Enjoy!
How to Shape Bagels
- Begin with a small piece of bagel dough that has been pressed out slightly. Begin shaping by folding the top and bottom in thirds towards the middle.
2. Bring the other two sides together to meet in the middle, and then flip it over to form a ball shape.
3. Roll the ball of dough around on the countertop to further tighten and shape the dough. I like to place my palm on top of each ball of dough, and then cup it slightly with my hand to spin it towards me. This takes practice, but it gets easier the more you do it!
4. Gently press your finger through the center of each ball to make a hole, stretching it a bit to widen. Voila!
Recipe FAQs
Sourdough is definitely a healthier alternative to regular wheat bread! It is gut healthy, with lower phytate levels that make it more digestible and nutritious. It is also packed full of prebiotics that help to keep your gut bacteria happy.
I recommend storing bagels in an airtight container to store at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Yes! Cook the bagels completely and let cool. Store in a freezer-safe zip topped bag for up to 3 months. Once you are ready to eat them, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm them up to your liking and add your favorite toppings.
More Sourdough Recipes
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Pin it For Later!
Sourdough Bagels
Equipment
Ingredients
- 475 grams all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup active sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup water
For Boiling the Bagels
- Large pot of water about 4 quarts
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the dough. Add active sourdough starter, water, sugar, salt, and flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. I recommend adding in the flour slowly, about a 1/2 cup at a time.
- Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. The dough may seem slightly stiff and that's okay. Using the mixer, continue kneading the dough for about 6-8 minutes. You will know that it is kneaded enough when you poke it with your finger and it slowly bounces back.
- Cover dough with wet tea towel or plastic wrap and allow it to ferment overnight at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
- The next morning, begin shaping the bagel dough by dividing into 8 equal pieces. If using a kitchen scale to measure and weigh the dough, I find that each ball of dough should weigh about 100 grams per bagel. Shape each piece into a ball, and press your finger through the center of each ball to make a hole, stretching it a bit to widen. Place each bagel on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow the bagels to rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours or until puffy.
- Towards the end of the second rise, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding in 1 tbsp each of sugar and baking soda and stirring before adding the bagels. I recommend adding only a few bagels at a time so you don't overcrowd the pot. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower each bagel into the water, boiling them for 1 minute on each side.
- Remove each bagel from the water, letting the excess water drip off before placing them back onto the baking sheet. Immediately top them with a generous sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning, or other preferred toppings.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on the top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Mixing the Dough: Bagel dough is very stiff. I highly recommend using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to mix this dough.
- Rise: The time it takes for the bagels to complete their second rise will depend on how warm your house is. I find that it usually takes 1-2 hours in my house, but it could take up to 4.
- Boiling: Don’t skip it! Boiling the bagels is what sets the crust, allowing them to hold their shape in the oven. Boiling them for just 1 minute on each side yields the perfect results. I recommend only cooking 2-4 bagels in the baking soda water at a time. Don’t overcrowd your pot! This will make it easier to flip and scoop them out of the water.
- Recipe Ideas: Sourdough bagels make a great base for sandwiches! Top them with homemade mayo, deli meat, and cheese for a delicious sandwich, or even slather the top with butter and a dollop of strawberry jam.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container to store at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Make Ahead Instructions: This bagel dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before shaping and baking.
- Freezing Instructions: Cook the bagels completely and let cool. Store in a freezer-safe zip topped bag for up to 3 months. Once you are ready to eat them, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm them up to your liking and add your favorite toppings.
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Just made them for the first time and they turned out so good! Will be making these on repeat.
Jill, thank you so much for giving this recipe a try 🙂 I’m so glad you loved them!
You didnt add the topping in the photo to the ingredients. What is the mixture?
I typically just use “Everything But the Bagel” Seasoning from either Trader Joes or Thrive Market to top the bagels. If you’d like to make the topping yourself, this is the mixture I use:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
Enjoy!
These delightful morsels were as good on day 3 as hot out the oven. Warm them up and put some butter on them for a delicious snack!!
So glad you enjoyed them, Dan!