Chewy Homemade Sourdough Bagel Recipe

Chewy with a plush but tight crumb and a shiny brown crust, these Sourdough Bagels are so good you won’t ever run to the store to buy them! The taste, texture and flavor of fresh bagels topped with cream cheese are out of this world, and using sourdough imparts a delicious flavor that elevates these to another level. 

What Makes Bagels Special? 

Their shiny, golden brown crust, chewy texture and iconic shape make bagels so special. They are a little bit denser than a normal slice of bread with a much tighter crumb structure. Bagels are made with a very long hydration dough (about 48 percent) and high-protein bread flour. Perfect proofing and boiling the dough in water before baking gives them their characteristic chewiness and smooth, glossy crust. 

If you like the taste and texture of bagels, you'll love my Sourdough Pretzels!

Tips for Success

I’ll be totally honest with you, bagels are not an easy bake. Achieving the shiny, browned crust and close-textured but plush crumb is quite a balancing act. However, with practice and patience baking delicious homemade bagels at home is possible.

Here’s what you need to know to make this delicious sourdough bagel recipe at home:

 Use an active sourdough starter: To make any good sourdough bread you’ll need a healthy and mature active starter. If your weak sourdough starter is weak, your dough won’t rise and your bagels will be dense and gummy. Additionally, a weak starter could make fermentation occur too slowly and will introduce too much acid to the dough. Acidification will cause gluten to break down and weaken the dough too much. A strong gluten network is essential for bagels, so make sure you have a good strong starter before you make this recipe. 

Develop a strong gluten network: Crinkly bagels are an indication of poor gluten development. You’ll have to knead your dough thoroughly, otherwise it may not be able to hold its shape as it rises and you’ll end up with bagels with a rough, lumpy texture instead of a smooth crust. Another benefit of well-developed gluten is the chewy texture that’s a signature of bagels! I kneaded my bagels by hand but using a mixer or food processor will make the process easier and quicker.

Boil bagels in hot but not boiling water: Poaching is unique to bagels. It’s responsible for the shiny, chewy crust but even just this short boil requires a delicate balance. The water needs to be hot to encourage the dough to swell which results in a plush crumb, but overly bubbling water will restrict yeast activity too much causing your bagels to collapse as they are baked. The water will cool down between batches, bring the water up to a boil but turn it down to simmer before dropping your bagels in or they will turn out dense and dull. 

Don’t overproof!: Proofing sourdough bagels can get tricky. When I first started testing this recipe I over-proofed my dough consistently. This resulted in dull bagels with a tough texture (your jaw will think its being punished) and an open crumb. Proof your shaped bagels until they look like they’ve built up some air but not doubled. Use the float test to determine readiness, to do this drop one bagel in a bowl of lukewarm water and don’t proceed until your bagels float. 

Use the float test to determine readiness to do this drop one bagel in a bowl of lukewarm water. If your bagels float then you're ready to proceed to the next step, if it sinks then cover your dough and continue proofing for another 15 to 30 minutes

What You Need

Ingredients

• Bread flour - High-protein bread flour helps with gluten development resulting in chewy bagels with a shiny, smooth crust 
• Water - The main source of hydration
• Active starter - Allows the dough to rise and imparts a tangy flavor 
• Barley malt syrup - Helps with browning and imparts sweetness to the dough (substitute honey or brown sugar)
• Salt - Enhances the flavor of these bagels and strengthens the gluten structure
• Cornmeal - Prevents the dough from sticking to your baking sheet as they proof
• Baking soda - When used in the hot water bath, it creates an alkaline solution that gelatinizes the surface of the dough resulting in a shiny, dark brown and crunchy exterior 
• Toppings - Make these bagels plain or get creative with your toppings. Use everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, caraway seeds, cheese, Furikake or Za’atar seasoning!

Step-by-step instructions

1. Mix the dough: Combine the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and stir until no traces of dry flour remain. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour. 
2. Strengthen the dough: Knead the dough for 15 to 20 minutes or until the dough looks completely smooth. 
3. First rise: Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 4 to 6 hours. 
4. Cold proof: Let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight to continue to develop flavors 
5. Shape the dough: Divide the dough in 8 to 10 equal pieces, shape and place shaped dough on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.
6. Second proof: Proof your dough covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour or until noticeably puffy but not doubled in volume
7. Float test: Drop one portion of dough in a bowl of lukewarm water, if it floats then you’re ready to proceed to the next step. 
8. Poach: Boil your dough in a solution of water, baking soda and barley malt syrup for 1 minute, flipping halfway through. Place poached bagels on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper about 2 inches apart. 
9. Bake: Top bagels with toppings of choice (if using). Bake at 475 F for 15 minutes.

Shaping 

Bagels are quite iconic due to their shape. There are two ways to shape a bagel. 

Method 1

This method is easier, more straightforward and results in perfectly round bagels with a soft interior and a uniform exterior.

1. Divide the dough and round each into a tight ball

2. Poke a hole in the center of the dough

3. Spread the dough to make the hole larger

4. The hole should be larger than you think since the dough will snap back

Method 2

The second method has a few more steps and is how "New York style" bagels are traditionally shaped. The idea behind this method is that it requires more handling of the dough which works the gluten even further resulting in chewier bagels.

1. Pre shape the dough into small logs. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.

2. Roll the logs into a long rope and twist.

3. Wrap the dough around your hand with the ends overlapping on your palm.

4. Roll the dough using the palm of your hand until the ends adhere to each other 

Final Proof

Remember to make your holes larger than they need to be, since the dough will snap back and the hole tends to shrink as it proofs. If you make your holes too small, you'll lose the signature donut shape and end up with bagels that look more like rolls.

Cover your baking sheet with plastic wrap to prevent your dough from drying out as your bagels rise. If the exterior of your dough dries out you'll get cracks on the crust of your baked bagels.

Watch your bagels closely to avoid over proofing! You'll want your bagels to look puffy and airy but not to double in size. Over proofed bagels will have an extremely tough, dull, pale crust and a more open interior.

Recipe FAQs

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Sourdough Bagels

Hannah Dela Cruz

Chewy with a plush but tight crumb and a shiny brown crust, these Sourdough Bagels are so good you won’t ever run to the store to buy them. The taste, texture and flavor of fresh-baked bagels are above and beyond anything that comes in a plastic sleeve, using sourdough elevates these to another level. 

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 8 bagels

Calories 261 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Kitchen scale
• ▢
  Stock pot
• ▢
  Slotted spoon

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

Bagel Dough

• ▢ 150 grams sourdough starter mature and active
• ▢ 28 grams barley malt syrup
• ▢ 226 grams water
• ▢ 9 grams salt
• ▢ 540 grams bread flour

Prep

• ▢ 30 grams Corm meal

Poaching Liquid

• ▢ 28 grams barley malt syrup
• ▢ 4 grams salt
• ▢ 10 grams baking soda

Suggested Toppings

• ▢ Sesame seeds
• ▢ Poppy seeds
• ▢ Cinnamon sugar
• ▢ Caraway seeds
• ▢ Everything bagel seasoning
• ▢ Za’atar seasoning
• ▢ Furikake
• ▢ Dried onion

Instructions

 

• Mix your dough: In a large mixing bowl, dissolve active starter and barley malt syrup in water. Stir the bread flour and salt in the dissolved starter. This is quite a dry dough so you may have a difficult time incorporating all the flour. Use your hand to knead the mixture together until all of the flour is hydrated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 1 hour (skip rest if using a machine to mix). 
  150 grams sourdough starter, 28 grams barley malt syrup, 226 grams water, 9 grams salt, 540 grams bread flour
• Strengthen the dough: Turn the dough out on a clean work surface. Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes or until the dough is completely smooth and no longer tears easily. Round into a tight bowl and place in a lightly-oiled bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place. 
• Bulk ferment: Let the dough rise until bubbly, airy and doubled in volume, about 4 to 6 hours. 
• Cold proof: Deflate the dough, gather the dough into a tight ball and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and let the dough proof overnight.  
• Shape the dough: Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal. Divide the dough into 8 to 10 equal portions. Round each portion of dough into a tight ball. 
  30 grams Corm meal
• Shaping method 1: Use your index finger to poke a hole in the center of your dough. Stretch the hole out using your peace fingers. Create a hole arger than you think you need, about 2 to 3 inches in diameter, as the dough will snap back as it rises. Place the shaped dough on the prepared baking sheet. 
• Shaping method 2: Flatten each ball of dough into an oval. Roll the dough into a log, let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Use your palms to roll the dough into a long rope, about 8 inches long. Wrap the rope around your hand, pinch the ends together and roll the dough until the ends adhere to each other. Placethe shaped dough on the prepared baking sheet. 
• Final proof: Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes to an hour or until noticeably puffy, but not doubled. 
• Prep: When your bagels are close to being ready, preheat the oven to 475 F.
• Float test: Fill a large bowl with lukewarm water. Place a shaped bagel in th bowl of water, if it floats then you’re ready to proceed. 
• Poach the bagels: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the baking soda, barley malt syrup and salt to the water. Turn the heat down to a simmer and drop 2 to 3 bagels into the water, do not overcrowd the pot. Cook the dough for 1 minute, flipping halfway through. Return the poached bagels to the baking sheet spaced about 2 inches apart. Finish with your toppings of choice. 
  28 grams barley malt syrup, 10 grams baking soda, 4 grams salt
• Bake: Bake the dough for 15 minutes or until golden brown and measures 200 F when probed with an instant read thermometer. 
• Serve: Transfer bagels to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Freshly baked bagels are delicious even without toasting!
• Store: Store cooled bagels in a ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 5 days. For best results, toast leftover bagels before enjoying. 

Notes

When in doubt use weight over volume measures

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 975mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

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