Name: Soft & Chewy Sourdough Bagels
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 491 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup sourdough starter; 1 cup warm water; 3 Tablespoons sugar or honey; 2 teaspoons salt; 4 cups flour; 3 quarts water; 1 Tbl baking soda; 1 Tbl sugar

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Soft & chewy sourdough bagels are a staple in our home. The deliciously light tang of the sourdough pairs well with sweet or savory toppings on these homemade bagels. We love the chewy crust and soft interior of these bagels slathered with homemade butter or cream cheese. Sourdough bagels are a nice addition to any meal, especially brunch or breakfast.

Why I Love Making This Sourdough Bagel Recipe

Sourdough bagels are so simple and easy to make. You can mix up the dough and shape the bagels in the evening, and boil and bake the following morning for a simple and easy breakfast treat.
They have all the gut health benefits of being made with long fermented sourdough so I know my family is eating the healthiest possible food.
Made with only five simple and easy to pronounce ingredients. No dough conditioners and preservatives.
Sourdough bagels can easily be sliced and frozen for a quick snack or easy addition to a last minute meal.
These bagels can be made in a variety of sweet or savory flavors so everyone can have their favorite kind.
You can easily make smaller mini bagels and serve them on a platter with cream cheese for a delicious brunch or as an appetizer.

How We Enjoy Sourdough Bagels

With eggs and cheese for a delicious breakfast sandwich.
Toasted with cream cheese or butter.
With avocados & fried eggs.
With homemade mayo, meat and cheese slices for a delicious picnic lunch.
Fill a savory bagel with chicken salad and a slice of lettuce for the perfect sandwich.
Slice in half, cover with sweetened cream cheese and fresh fruit to make miniature fruit pizzas.
The options are endless…

What Are The Health Benefits Of Sourdough?

Anytime you add a fermented element like sourdough to a recipe, it becomes more nutritious because it contains live probiotics and good bacteria that help with gut health and digestion. Gluten and phytic acid are naturally present in wheat, and are usually what is to blame for people not being able to digest gluten well. When the grain is fermented through the sourdough process, the gluten and phytic acid are broken down, making it easier to digest. A lot of people that struggle with gluten intolerance (not people with celiac), can digest food made with sourdough without any issue, especially if the recipe is allowed to sit out for a few hours and “long ferment”.

In addition, phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that blocks absorption of the nutrients found in wheat. During the sourdough fermentation process, the phytic acid gets broken down and the nutrients are more bio-available to the body. This is why baking with sourdough is so important for our health.

Be sure to watch our full tutorial on how to make your own sourdough starter here.

For more of our favorite sourdough recipes, check out the sourdough portion of our website: Sourdough.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here

FAQ

Yes, because of the added benefits of the fermented flour and water in the sourdough starter.

No, most bagels are made with commercial yeast as the leavener. Even sourdough bagels purchased at the store are probably made with yeast and just have a small bit of sourdough added to them. To get true traditional sourdough bagels with all the long fermented health benefits, make them from scratch. You won’t be disappointed!

Sourdough bagels are leavened or raised with wild yeast that has been captured from the air by the sourdough starter. This wild yeast is much easier for your body to digest than commercial yeast. Also the sourdough starter reduces the gluten and phytic acid in the flour making them easier for your body to digest as well. Sourdough bagels have a slight sour tang to them, which regular bagels don’t have. A lot of people really like the sourdough tang. For those that don’t, a little more sweetener can be added to the dough to counteract the sour tang.

It helps them to cook more evenly in the center without the outside getting too done. It also helps to give more of the chewy crust we all love.

Bagels are boiled before being baked to give the crust it’s chewy texture and to set the crust so they stay the same shape when being baked. Don’t skip boiling your bagels, it’s the key to a perfect bagel.

Five Simple Ingredients

Flour
All purpose flour or bread flour both work fine for this recipe. You can use whole grain flour or whole wheat flour, but I would suggest only using 1/2 whole grain or whole wheat, and the other half all purpose or bread flour. My favorite flour comes from Azure Standard.
Water
Warm water is best and will help the wild yeast in the sourdough starter to stay active.
Sourdough Starter
This is just flour and water that has been fermented of course. To learn how to easily make a sourdough starter without a scale, click here.
Sweetener
Sugar or honey both work well in this recipe. Feel free to add a little more sweetener if you want less sourdough taste in your bagels.
Salt
Redmond real salt is always my first choice. It can be purchased from Redmond Salt.
Baking Soda
Add to the water when boiling to help set the crust.

Tips For These Easy Homemade Sourdough Bagels:

These bagels are best when made with active sourdough starter, but I’ve successfully made them with sourdough discard as well with no added yeast. They might need to rise a little longer if made with discard, but they still turn out just fine.
Toppings can be added on the top of the bagels after boiling and prior to baking. (See video below)
To make bagels with flavorings added into the dough like cinnamon raisin, chocolate chip or blueberry, just add the flavorings to the dough as it’s being kneaded in the mixer.
Slice and freeze for up to three months for quick and easy snacks.
Since bagel dough is a stiff heavy dough, it’s easiest to make it with a stand mixer. You can knead these by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer, but you’ll need to knead them for at least 10 minutes to fully develop the gluten.
Depending on how wet or thick your sourdough starter is, you may need to add another 1-2 Tbl. of water or flour to the dough to get it to come together. You want it to be a stiff heavy dough, but not dry and flaky of course.
When boiling your bagels, use a slotted spoon to flip them and dip them out of the water to allow the water to stay in the pot.
You can either shape the bagels right after mixing and place on greased parchment paper to rise overnight for quick cooking in the morning. Or you can leave the dough in the mixer with the lid on to rise overnight, and shape and allow them to rise a second time after shaping in the morning. Either method works fine, just depends on when I think I’ll have time to boil and bake them.
Don’t over bake them. Every oven is different. I set my timer for 15 minutes to check and see if they are golden brown, even though typically I end up baking them for 20 minutes.

Bagel Topping Ideas

Garlic salt & parsley (our favorite)
Poppy seeds
Sesame seeds
Shredded cheese
Jalapeno & cheddar
Cinnamon & Sugar
Everything bagel seasoning
Inclusions (mix in the dough while kneading)
Fresh blueberries
Cinnamon and raisin
Salsa (reduce the amount of water a bit)

Tools

How To Make Soft & Chewy Sourdough Bagels

To the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add first four ingredients.

mixing up ingredients for sourdough bagels

Begin mixing on low speed, and then add flour one cup at a time.

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Mix for 5-10 minutes or until a nice stiff dough is formed. If your sourdough starter is super thick, you may have to add a Tablespoon or two of water to the dough to get it to come together, but you want a pretty stiff dough for bagels.

Option 1: Shape and then let rise

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.

Shape each piece of dough into a bagel by forming a ball out of each piece and putting tension on it by tucking the edges underneath. Stick your thumbs into the middle of the ball of dough and stretch it out gently to form the hole in the bagel.

making whole in the middle of sourdough bagels

Place on a silicone baking mat or greased parchment paper. Cover with another baking sheet turned upside down to seal in the moisture and allow to rise at room temperature overnight.

Option 2: Allow to rise overnight, then shape and do a second rise.

I usually do option 1, but you can allow these to rise covered in the bowl of a stand mixer overnight.

Then proceed with shaping into bagels by forming a ball out of each piece and putting tension on it by tucking the edges underneath. Stick your thumbs into the middle of the ball of dough and stretch it out gently to form the hole in the bagel.

shaping cinnamon raising sourdough bagels

Place on a silicone baking mat or greased parchment paper. Cover with another baking sheet turned upside down to seal in the moisture or a tea towel and and let the dough rise at room temperature for one hour.

For Either Method, Proceed With Boiling And Baking:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Bring 2-3 quarts of water to boil in a large pot or dutch oven.

Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 Tablespoon of honey or sugar. Stir well.

adding baking soda to water for sourdough bagels

Genly drop bagels into the boiling water and boil bagels for 1 minute. Flip bagels over using slotted spoon and allow to cook for another minute on the second side.

Scoop the shaped bagels out of the large pot of water and place right side up back on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Add favorite toppings as desired.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Cool before slicing.

Can be frozen for up to three months or stored in an airtight container or plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Serve with homemade butter or your favorite cream cheese for a healthy snack anytime. More serving suggestions listed above.