Homemade Sourdough Bagels

There’s just something about biting into a toasted bagel on a lazy weekend morning.  Today, I’m going to share with you my favorite sourdough bagel recipe.

Full disclosure: I adapted my recipe from Bryan Ford (@artisanbryan)’s recipe, which you can find in his cookbook (I highly recommend investing in this book if you do any sourdough baking; you can find my full list of book recommendations here).  His recipe instructions include tips and tricks, some of which have worked for me, and some of which haven’t.  I am not affiliated with Artisan Bryan, but I have enjoyed his content and recommend it to others.  You can check out his content at https://artisanbryan.com/ or on Instagram.

Jump to Recipe

My husband and I don’t eat bagels daily—if we have them on hand, each of us might enjoy one apiece for breakfast… every other day.  So, while Artisan Bryan’s recipe makes a hefty batch of fourteen bagels, I’ve scaled back my version of the recipe significantly, to roughly a quarter of the original.  I like to make two of these small batches at a time, with half of them as cinnamon raisin bagels and the other half as “everything” bagels (using Walmart's knock-off brand of "everything but the bagel" seasoning).  Eight bagels at a time—with two delicious flavors to choose from—is more than enough to get us through the week.

Start by weighing and mixing the water, active sourdough starter, and honey.  For the cinnamon-raisin bagels, mix 125g water, 100g starter, and 10g honey.  For the “everything” bagels, I had to adjust the ratio since I didn’t include the added weight of (you guessed it!) the cinnamon and raisins: mix 120g water, 100g starter, and 10g honey.

Next, measure out your dry ingredients.  In one mixing bowl, combine 250g bread flour, 5g salt, 50g raisins, and 10g cinnamon.  In the other, combine 255g bread flour and 5g salt (your total weight for the “everything” bagels will be lower than the cinnamon-raisin bagels, but that’s okay).

Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix by hand until a thick, if somewhat dry, dough forms.  Have extra flour handy to add to the plain bagel dough if needed.  Since I’m working with two different types of bagels, I typically handle the plain dough first before handling the cinnamon dough so as not to cross-contaminate the flavors.

Once the dough(s) are mixed, lightly oil their mixing bowls and leave them to rest, covered, for four hours.

After the dough has rested for four hours, break it into four equal portions, roughly 140g-150g apiece (again, the plain “everything” dough will be lighter than the cinnamon-raisin dough).  Place these on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to rest for another 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, form the dough into bagels.  While some recipes (including Artisan Bryan’s) recommend rolling the dough into logs before looping them into a ring, I find that it’s easier to leave them in small round balls and gently work a hole into the center.  I pinch the center of the dough and slowly work it into the signature “donut” shape, being careful not to tear the dough as I pinch through it.

Space your bagels so they can proof on the pan without touching (I’m able to fit 6 on a baking sheet).  Once they’ve all been shaped, let them proof for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 15 hours.

When you’re ready to bake your bagels, preheat the oven to 450°F.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to medium.  Add 14g baking soda and 50-100g honey to the boiling water.  Take your bagels from the fridge and boil them (starting with the plain ones!) for 45 seconds to a minute on each side.  If they've proofed long enough, they should float to the top. I’ve found I can only boil two or three at a time, so I work in small batches.  Place them back on the baking sheet. 

(According to Artisan Bryan, these bagels tend to deflate if left out too long between boiling and baking.  Thankfully, since I’ve worked in small batches thus far, I haven’t had a problem with that.  But it’s something to keep in mind).

For the “everything” bagels, I have an egg wash ready so that when the bagels are done boiling, I can quickly brush them with the wash and generously sprinkle them with “everything” seasoning.

Once the baking sheet is full, pop it in the oven for 12-16 minutes.  While your first batch bakes, continue boiling the other bagels. 

One thing I did find when baking is that these bagels tend to over-brown on the bottoms before they’re fully cooked inside.  I tried flipping them 8 minutes into their bake and adding a few extra minutes to the bake time afterwards…  Worked like a charm!

When they’re done, allow them to cool at least twenty minutes (to ensure the interior is fully cooked) before slicing into them.  They have a delightfully soft inner texture and a chewy (not crispy) outer crust.  I slather mine with butter and/or cream cheese and top with additional “everything” seasoning (for the “everything” bagels”) or cinnamon and honey (for the cinnamon-raisin bagels).  Yum!

These bagels keep for less than a week on the countertop. If you want to keep them longer, make sure you store them in the fridge.

Homemade Sourdough Bagels

Recipe

Yield: 4 cinnamon-raisin bagels, 4 “everything” bagels

Ingredients

“Everything” bagel

wet ingredients:

120g water

100g active sourdough starter

10g honey

dry ingredients:

255g bread flour

5g salt

Cinnamon-raisin bagel

wet ingredients:

125g water

100g active sourdough starter

10g honey

dry ingredients:

250g bread flour

5g salt

50g raisins

10g cinnamon

For boiling/baking:

Water

14g baking soda

50-100g honey

1 beaten egg (for egg wash)

"Everything but the bagel" seasoning

Directions:

• Measure the wet ingredients in separate bowls.  Whisk together until all ingredients are dissolved, then set aside.

• In large mixing bowls, measure and whisk the dry ingredients.

• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix by hand.  Start with the plain “everything” bagel dough so that you don’t cross-contaminate the flavors.  Knead each lump of dough until a smooth (if somewhat dry) dough forms.

• Oil the mixing bowls and leave the dough lumps to rest, covered, for 4 hours.

• After 4 hours, divide each lump of dough into four equal sections, each weighing 140-150g (again, start with the plain dough!)

• Set the dough pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Cover and allow to rest for another 30 minutes.

• After 30 minutes, form the bagels from each dough piece.  Working one at a time, pinch in the center to slowly work the dough into the signature “donut”/bagel shape.

• Return each shaped bagel to the baking sheet, spacing them so they do not touch. 

• Allow to proof at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 15 hours.

• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450°F.

• Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to medium.  Add the baking soda and honey.

• Beat one small egg to use as an egg wash and have the “everything” seasoning ready to sprinkle.

• Remove the bagels from the fridge and, starting with the plain bagels, boil them a few at a time for 45 seconds to a minute on each side.

• Return the boiled bagels to the baking sheet.  While the next batch of bagels boil, brush the plain bagels with egg wash and generously sprinkle them with “everything” seasoning.

• Bake the bagels for 12-16 minutes (I bake mine for about 8 minutes, flip them, then bake for another 8 minutes).

• Allow to cool before serving. These are best enjoyed warm with a generous slathering of cream cheese.

• Note: These bagels keep for less than a week on the countertop. If you want to keep them longer, make sure you store them in the fridge.

Have you tried this recipe?  Which do you prefer: the cinnamon-raisin or "everything" bagels? Let me know what you think in the comments!