The sourdough bagel of your dreams, and YOU can make them homemade. A soft and chewy center, with a crackly dark crust, and the perfect amount of tang from the wild yeasts. Mix and shaped one day, boiled and baked the next, this recipe makes it a realistic option to have warm sourdough bagels for breakfast.

homemade sourdough bagels seeded parchment lined sheet pan.

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The printable recipe card for these sourdough bagels is right below. For a more in-depth look at the recipe process, and photographs of the process, as well as frequently asked questions, scroll down. It’s been my experience, that you cannot make the best bagel you’ve ever had, right in your own home. Are you in? Let’s do it.

best homemade sourdough bagels sitting on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Best Sourdough Bagels

These homemade sourdough bagels are soft, chewy center & a crackly dark crust. Mix & shape one day, boil & bake the next, makes warm sourdough bagels for breakfast a possibility.

5 from 1 vote

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Cook Time 30

Servings 12 Bagels

Ingredients

1.5 Cups Sourdough Starter Fed, Active, Bubbly
1.5 Cups Water Room Temperature, Filtered
4.5 Cups Flour Unbleached, Organic, All-Purpose
1 tbsp./15g. Honey Raw
1 tbsp./5g. Maple Syrup
2 tsp./4g. Salt We like to use Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt
Olive Oil
t tbsp. Maple Sugar Barley Malt, Baking Soda
Bagel Toppings Optional and to your preference. For these bagels I used a combination of Everything bagel seasoning, and sesame seeds mixed with fleur de Sal.
1 Egg White Beaten, Optional

Instructions

In the morning- start by making a Poolish. Combine water, sourdough starter and 2 cups of the flour into the stand mixing bowl, mixing with a whisk to combine until smooth. Cover and let it rest for 1 hour.
To the Poolish, add honey, maple syrup, and salt. Begin mixing with a dough hook in the stand mixer on medium-low or 2 on the KitchenAid. Add 2.5 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it starts to completely pull away from the bowl. You might not need to use the full 2.5 cups of flour. Just watch the dough. Your cue is when it just barely pulls away from the bowl completely. You want this dough to be sticky and hydrated. It's best to add the flour slowly. You can always add more, but you cannot take flour out if you add too much! The whole process of adding flour happens over about 5 minutes, as the dough continues to knead in the stand mixer. The dough will pull away from the bottom of the bowl last. When it has just barely pulled away, continue to knead at the same speed until the dough is smooth.
Oil another large bowl, and with oiled hands transfer the dough into the oiled bowl and cover.
Over the next four hours, develop the gluten through a series of stretch and folds every half and hour. This will come to 8 sets of stretch and folds. You can set a timer, and be exact about this. However, in my experience it's a more enjoyable process to stretch and fold throughout the day in a groove that flows with the rest of your day. Don't stress yourself out.
Let the dough rise until the evening. It should double or triple in size.
Weigh the bulk of the dough and then divide that number by 12. I divide weigh, and pre-shape each of the 12 pieces into tight round balls. Covering the other dough as I work, so it doesn't develop skin over the top.
Then, take each ball and with your thumb poke a hole through the middle until your thumb hits the counter underneath the dough. Then pick the dough up off the counter, with both of your pointer fingers in the middle of the hole, rotate your fingers around each other to enlarge the hole, and create an even distribution of the dough around the whole circle. You want to make the hole larger than you want it to be at the end, to make room for rising and puffing up. If you don't make the whole big enough during this step, it will close up during the final rise and even more when boiling and baking. No one wants a hole-less bagel.
Place the shaped bagels onto a oiled sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, preheat your oven to 425℉. While the oven is preheating, take the bagels out of the fridge and let them rise on the counter for 1-2 hours. I do this step upon waking.
When the bagels have properly risen, get a large pot of water boiling. When the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of maple sugar. Stir. Bagel makers often use barley malt, it can be hard to find, and not something I have on hand. This is why I use maple sugar. You can also use molasses.
Place three bagels at a time in the boiling water, let them boil for 1 minute, and flip them over for another 20-30 seconds of boiling. Removing with a spider and on an oiled sheet pan. If you don't boil the bagels long enough, or if you boil them too long the final shape of your bagels will be compromised in the baking process. Make sure you give them a nice boil on both sides.
Optionally, brush with beaten egg white.
Prepare a pan with the toppings of your choice dip both sides of the bagels in the toppings and place back on the sheet pan.
Bake for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Waiting until they are golden brown and beautiful.
Let them cool, just a tad, because everyone wants a nice warm out of the oven bagel.
Bon Appétite!

Notes

The morning process of boiling and baking takes 1-2 of hands-off time, and 15 minutes of hands-on time, making it such a doable process if you’re trying to serve these bagels for breakfast that morning.

Equipment you may need for Sourdough Bagels:

Stand Mixer with dough hook
Kitchen Scale
Bench Scraper
Large bowl with lid, plate or plastic wrap over the top
Sheet Pan
Parchment Paper
Pastry brush
Large Pot for boiling water
Spider

Ingredients for Sourdough Bagels:

1.5 Cups Sourdough Starter- Fed, Active, Bubbly
1. 5 Cups Water- Room Temperature, Filtered
4.5 Cups Flour- Unbleached, Organic, All-Purpose
1 Tbsp./15g. Honey- Raw
1 Tbsp./5g. Maple Syrup
2 tsp. (4g.) Salt– We like to use Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt
Olive Oil
Maple Sugar, Barley Malt, Baking Soda
Bagel Toppings- Optional and to your preference
1 Egg whisked + 1 tbsp. Water- Egg wash, Optional

How to make THE BEST SOURDOUGH BAGELS:

Step One: Make Poolish

In the morning- combine water, sourdough starter and 2 cups/187 grams of the flour into the stand mixing bowl, mixing with a whisk to combine until smooth. Cover and let it rest for 1 hr.

Best homemade bagel dough being mixed in the Kitchen Aide stand mixer

Step Two: Combine Remaining Ingredients

To the poolish add honey, maple syrup, and salt. Begin mixing with a dough hook in the stand mixer on medium-low or 2 on the KitchenAid. Add 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it starts to completely pull away from the bowl. Adding another 1/4-1/2 cup if needed. You want this dough to be sticky and hydrated. It’s best to add the flour slowly. You can always add more, but you cannot take flour out if you add too much! The whole process of adding flour happens over about 5 minutes, as the dough continues to knead in the stand mixer. The dough will pull away from the bottom of the bowl last. When it has just barely pulled away, continue kneading at the same speed until the dough is smooth.

Oil another large bowl, and with oiled hands transfer the dough into the oiled bowl and cover.

Step Three: Stretch and Folds

Over the next four hours, stretch and fold the dough every half an hour. This will come to 8 sets of stretch and folds. You can set a timer, and be exact about this. In my experience, it’s a more enjoyable process to stretch and fold throughout the day in a groove that flows with the rest of your day. Don’t stress yourself out. You’re developing the gluten and the gluten doesn’t set a timer. It’s just asking you to not neglect it. It needs consistent attention to develop, like a baby. But don’t fuss over the baby.

Best Homemade Sourdough bagel dough after its bulk rise on the counter doubled or tripled to the size of it's original bulk in an antique bowl.

Step Four: Bulk Rise (Proof)

Let the dough rise until the evening. It should double or triple in size.

Step Five: Divide, Pre-shape & Shape

In the evening, usually while cleaning up from dinner, I tend to my dough. I like to be exact in the process of dividing my dough. Weigh the bulk of the dough and then divide that number by 12. I divide weigh,

best homemade sourdough bagel dough in the pre shape stage rolled into a tight ball ready for the final shaping sitting on counter.

and pre-shape each of the 12 pieces into tight round balls. Covering the other dough as I work, so it doesn’t develop skin over the top.

best homemade bagel dough in the final shaping step woman putting her thumb through the middle of the dough ball on the counter top to shape into a bagel

Then, take each ball and with your thumb poke a hole through the middle until your thumb hits the counter underneath the dough.

best homemade bagel dough in the final shaping step woman putting her fingers through the middle of the dough ball on the counter top to shape into a bagel

Then pick the dough up off the counter, with both of your pointer fingers in the middle of the hold and rotating around each other to enlarge the hole, and create even dough around the whole circle. You want to make the hole larger than you want it at the end, to make room for rising and puffing up. If you don’t make the whole big enough during this step, it will close up during the final rise and even more when boiling baking.

best homemade bagel dough after they have been shaped sitting on a oiled parchment lined sheet pan.

Place the shaped bagels onto an oiled sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight.

Step Six: Boil (Kettle your bagels)

In the morning, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating, take the bagels out of the fridge and let them rise on the counter for 1-2 hours.

Get a large pot boiling with water. When the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of maple sugar. Bagel makers use barley malt, it can be hard to find, and not something I have on hand. This is why I use that maple sugar. You can also use molasses.

best homemade sourdough bagels being boiled before going into the oven.

Place three bagels at a time in the boiling water, letting them boil for 30 seconds and flipping for another 30 seconds.

best homemade sourdough bagel being removed from boiling water with a spider to be seeded and then baked.

Removing with a spider and place on an oiled sheet pan. If you don’t boil the bagels long enough, or if you boil them too long the final shape of your bagels will be compromised in the baking process. In the bagel world, they call this Make sure you give them a nice boil on both sides.

best homemade sourdough bagels being brushed with egg white for sheen before being seeded and baked.

Optionally, brush with egg wash.

best homemade sourdough bagels being seeded by woman before baking.

Prepare a pan with the toppings of your choice dip both sides of the bagels in the toppings and place back on the sheet pan.

best homemade everything bagels sitting on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Waiting until they are golden brown and beautiful.

Let them cool, just a tad because everyone wants a nice warm bagel & Bon Appétite!

best homemade sourdough bagels made into a egg and cheese breakfast sandwich sitting on the counter top.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Name: Best Sourdough Bagels
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1.5 Cups Sourdough Starter (Fed, Active, Bubbly); 1.5 Cups Water (Room Temperature, Filtered); 4.5 Cups Flour (Unbleached, Organic, All-Purpose); 1 tbsp./15g. Honey (Raw); 1 tbsp./5g. Maple Syrup; 2 tsp./4g. Salt (We like to use Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt); Olive Oil; t tbsp. Maple Sugar (Barley Malt, Baking Soda); Bagel Toppings; 1 Egg White (Beaten, Optional)

What is the purpose of a Poolish?

Poolish is a French baking term that refers to a Polish technique that was brought to France. A Poolish is a pre-ferment. This means that you mix the yeast with water and 30-60 percent of the total flour in the bread recipe. Pre-fermenting encourages flavor development. There are a variety of names for the pre-fermentation step, but they share a common goal of developing alcohol and bacterial fermentation. This step also supports a sheen on the crust of the end product.

woman performing stretch and folds on sourdough dough.

What are Stretch and Folds?

Stretch and fold are another way to develop the gluten in the dough. They can be performed in combination with or instead of kneading by hand or with a stand mixer. Stretch and folds are particularly helpful when working with a semi-wet or high-hydration dough that can be on the stickier side. It makes it easier to stretch and fold if you run your hands under Luke-warm water first. Starting with wet hands makes it less of a mess. During the stretch and fold process, I keep my bowl near the sink. Grab the dough from its underside and pull it up and over into the center of itself, slapping it into the middle of itself. Turn the bowl and do it again. You will continue turning the bowl while stretching and folding until you have performed stretch and folds in a full circle around the dough. This is one series of stretch and folds.

What are the benefits of long-fermentation sourdough?

Long fermentation is letting your dough ferment for more than 20 hours. Benefits include:

Convenience– I have found that I can leave my dough sitting in the fridge for a few days. Making it extremely easy to pull the dough out whenever I’m ready to bake with it throughout the week. Bagels are best fermented in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Easy to digest– When you long-ferment your sourdough you are maximizing the benefits of the fermentation process. By allowing it to sit, you are allowing the good bacteria to break down the antinutrients found in the flour grain, making the sourdough even more digestible. Many people who have gluten intolerance find they can tolerate sourdough that has been left to long ferment.

Richer flavor profile in the bread

Can I freeze these sourdough bagels?

Freezing is a great option for bagels that you will not eat fresh. I recommend cutting the bagels down the center before freezing them in gallon-size freezer bags, for up to 3 months.

What is the purpose of boiling your bagels?

Boiling “kettle” bagels have a few positive benefits:

Helps the gluten on the outside of the bagel to gelatinize, creating a crisp crust.
Invigorate the gluten to get even more of a rise in the baking process.

Issues with boiling:

Under boiling- will cause a “baseball shape in the bagels.
Over boiling- the bagels will be too big.

best homemade sourdough bagels with Everything bagel seasoning sitting on an oiled parchment lined sheet pan.

Is egg wash necessary for bagels?

An egg wash provides a nice sheen on top of the bagels and helps the seeds and other toppings to stick better. It’s technically optional but gives the bagels a finished and polished look.

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ALL THE LOVE!

Chelsea Rose ♥ ♥ ♥