Sourdough Bagels

ByNatalya Syanova
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Bagels are delicious, everyone knows that. Homemade sourdough bagels are the next level delicious.

And the process of making sourdough bagels is relatively simple.

Ready in: 
36 hours		Serves:
8 people
Yield:  
8 bagels, 110-115g each		Units:
US, EU

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

Dough

  • 500g bread flour (100%)
  • 300g water (60%)
  • 100g starter (20%)
  • 15g sugar(3%)
  • 10g salt (2%)
  • 2g malt ( could be replaced by 6g of honey)
  • cornmeal flour to prevent sticking

Garnish

  • You can use sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt flakes, quinoa crisps or anything you’d like to cover your bagels with.

Boiling 

  • You need a wide pot
  • 1 gallon of water

• 1 tbs of brown sugar

Directions 

Day 1

Starter

Night before

  • Add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).

Day 2

Dough

Morning

  • Mix water, sugar, sourdough starter (100g on its peak, the rest use for future feedings), malt, salt and flour in your mixer. The dough might seem stiff, but during mixing it will relax and get a nice consistency during fermentation. 
  • Cover and let it rise until it becomes lighter with bubbles on surface, for 4-6 hours , perform a couple folds during that time.

Shaping 

  • Prepare the baking tray with the parchment paper in it. Place the dough onto a non-floured surface.
  • Flatten the dough into a rectangle and divide it into 8 equal pieces, about 115 grams each.
  • Roll each piece into a small log.
  • Start to roll and press each log until it reaches 8-9in. (21-23cm.) lengthwise.
  • Roll each log around a palm of your hand.
  • Tuck both ends of a log under the palm of your hand and roll it until both ends will stick together. 
  • Deep the bottom of each bagel into cornmeal flour.
  • Set them on the prepared baking tray.
  • Cover the tray with bagels. Let them rest for 1 hour at a room temperature.
  • Then transfer the tray to the fridge for 6-18 hours (overnight).

Day 3

Morning

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1tbs of brown sugar.

  • Preheat your oven to 425F (220C).
  • Add the seeds and/or any other toppings to a rimmed tray or a shallow bowl.
  • Remove bagels from the fridge add 3-4 bagels into the pot and wait for them to float to the surface, for about 10 seconds (some will float right away).
  • Cook for 30 seconds on each side for a thin crust. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the water, dip the rounded side into seeds (or whatever topping) to coat.
  • Place them back on to the sheet-pan covered with parchment paper generously sprayed with oil.
  • Bake the bagels for about 20-25 minutes at 425F.
  • Store in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.  Bagels freeze well; freeze them whole or sliced, covered in plastic wrap and a layer of foil, for up to 3 months.

Enjoy your sourdough bagels 🙏

Sourdough Bagels

Sourdough Bagels

242kcal
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Prep 45 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total 1 day 12 hours 25 minutes
These authentic, New York-style sourdough bagels feature a beautifully shiny, blistered crust with a dense, signature chewy interior crumb. By utilizing a low-hydration stiff dough matrix and a traditional boiling step before baking, the starch surface gelatinizes perfectly, creating an iconic, unbeatably glossy finish.
Servings 8 Large Bagels

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)
  • 10 g Sourdough starter culture
  • 50 g Water
  • 50 g Bread flour
The Stiff Bagel Dough
  • 450 g High-protein bread flour (100%)
  • 240 g Water (53.3%)
  • 100 g Active sourdough starter levain (22.2% – From the stage above)
  • 10 g Honey or barley malt syrup (2.2%)
  • 10 g Fine sea salt (2.2%)
The Boiling Bath & Toppings
  • tbsp Honey or barley malt syrup (For the boiling water)
  • tsp Baking soda (For the boiling water)
  • Everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds (Optional)

Equipment

  • Large Pot (For the boiling water bath)
  • Baking Sheets & Parchment Paper
  • Slotted Spoon or Spider Strainer (To flip and cleanly retrieve the boiling bagels)
  • Stand Mixer (Highly recommended, as kneading a stiff 53% hydration dough by hand requires immense effort)
  • Kitchen Scale

Method

Night Before – Levain Optimization
  1. 10:00 PM – Starter Build: In a small glass jar, combine the 10g of starter culture with 50g of water and whisk together cleanly. Stir in 50g of high-protein bread flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 72–76°F (22–24°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and at least triples in volume.
Day 2 – The Stiff Dough Mix & Bulk Rise
  1. 8:00 AM – Mixing the Base: In your stand mixer bowl, combine all 240g of water, 100g of your active overnight starter peak, 10g of honey, and 450g of bread flour. Mix with a heavy spoon just until a rough, dry, shaggy mass forms. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes to jumpstart protein hydration.
  2. The Heavy Structural Knead: Add the 10g of fine sea salt to the bowl. Attach your dough hook and mix on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes until the salt integrates. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead continuously for 7 to 8 minutes. (The Stiff Dough Rule: This dough is exceptionally stiff at 53% hydration; the mixer will labor, but continue until the dough forms a completely smooth, dense, and uniform ball that clears the sides cleanly).
  3. Primary Bulk Proof: Shape the tight dough into a ball and place it into a clean bowl. Cover tightly and let it ferment at a warm room temperature of 76–80°F (24–27°C) for roughly 4 hours. Because of the low moisture levels, the dough will not double dramatically but should look visibly puffy, relaxed, and lighter to the touch.
Day 2 (Afternoon) – Portioning, Shaping, and Cold Retard
  1. 12:30 PM – Dividing the Portions: Tip the firm dough out onto a clean, completely un-floured work surface. Using a bench scraper and a kitchen scale, divide the dough mass cleanly into 8 equal portions (weighing roughly 110–115g each).
  2. Tension Ball Preshaping: Take a portion of dough, cup your hand over it, and roll it firmly against the counter in a tight circular motion to form a perfectly smooth, taut ball. Repeat for all 8 portions. Cover them with a damp towel and let them rest on your counter for 15 minutes to relax the tight gluten.
  3. The Finger-Poke Ring Shape: Dust your counter lightly with flour. Take a rested dough ball, flatten it slightly, and push your thumb straight through the exact center to create a clean hole. Insert both index fingers into the opening and spin the dough in mid-air or against the counter to stretch the hole outward until it expands to about 2 inches in diameter. Repeat for all 8 rings.
  4. Cold Fermentation Retard: Place the shaped bagel rings onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper that has been lightly dusted with cornmeal or flour. Cover the entire tray tightly with plastic wrap to prevent a dry skin from forming, and slide it directly into your refrigerator for a long, cold retard lasting 14 to 24 hours.
Day 3 – The Alkaline Boil & High-Heat Bake
  1. Next Morning – Boiling Station Setup: Preheat your home oven to 425°F (218°C). Bring a large, wide pot of water to a rolling boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon of honey (or barley malt syrup) and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Set up a wire cooling rack next to the pot.
  2. The Active Gelatinization Boil: Remove the cold bagel tray from the refrigerator. Drop 2 or 3 bagels carefully into the boiling water bath at a time. Boil for exactly 1 minute, then flip them over using a slotted spoon and boil for 1 additional minute on the reverse side. (The Puff Factor: The hot water expands the internal gasses while gelatinizing the exterior surface starch).
  3. Dressing and Baking: Retrieve the bagels with your slotted spoon, letting excess water drain for 5 seconds, and place them back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. If applying toppings like everything seasoning, sprinkle them on immediately while the bagel skin is still wet and sticky.
  4. The Blister Bake: Slide the tray immediately onto the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 20 to 25 minutes until the crust turns an incredibly deep golden-brown with tiny surface blisters. Transfer to a wire rack to cool down for at least 20 minutes before slicing!

Nutrition

Calories242kcalCarbohydrates49gProtein8gFat1gSaturated Fat0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat0.5gMonounsaturated Fat0.1gSodium488mgPotassium63mgFiber2gSugar1gVitamin A1IUVitamin C0.01mgCalcium11mgIron1mg

Notes

  • The Thermodynamic Secret to the Perfect Chewy Texture: Bagels owe their signature dense, chewy bite to a strict combination of low dough hydration (53%) and the boiling water step. Boiling the raw, cold dough right before it enters the oven instantly cooks and gelatinizes the exterior wheat starches. This forms a structural shield that traps expanding gasses inside, forcing the interior crumb to remain dense and tightly packed rather than expanding into airy, light bread.
  • Why Baking Soda and Honey belong in the Boiling Water: Adding baking soda to the boiling water increases its alkalinity, which dramatically speeds up the Maillard browning reaction in the oven, giving your bagels their iconic deep, glossy mahogany color. Meanwhile, the honey or barley malt syrup adds a subtle sweetness and creates a sticky exterior coat that securely anchors your seeds or seasonings to the crust.
  • Preventing the Dreaded Hole Close-Up: When executing step 7, stretch the center hole of your dough rings until it seems excessively wide (about 2 inches across). Sourdough dough has powerful elastic memory; as the bagels proof in the fridge and hit the boiling water, the surrounding dough will swell inward significantly. Stretching the holes widely ensures they don’t seal up entirely during the oven spring.

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43 Comments

    2. Thank you for sharing your bagel recipe.
      I made the recipe, but the result is not ok, but the taste is good, I try again to do it

      Reply

      1. They were awesome my first ones were accrued looking but boy they were wonderful. I have a question if you get your dough made up to where you let it rest until it bubbles an emergency arises, can you put it in the refrigerator till the next morning and still be successful

      2. Bonnie, thank you fir your feedback!
        You definitely can keep the dough till the morning, then shape them, proof for about 2 hours, put back to fridge to chill down, then boil them and bake 🙏

  4. Thank youuu dearest 💕❤️💕❤️💕

    I’m already in the process. Shaping!!!
    Tomorrow cooking and baking.

    You are the best! So generous girl. 💥💥💥💐💐💐💐💐

    Reply

  6. Just tried this out and my house smells wonderful. I followed everything to the T but couldn’t get that lovely dark caramel color you achieved! I even left it in for an extra 12 min to get a darker color but was still somewhat pale. Any suggestions? Thanks for an otherwise easy to follow recipe!

    Reply

    1. Jennifer, hi!
      Sorry to hear you didn’t get that lovely brown color. Most likely they were underproofed. (Result is pale bread)
      With stronger starter fermentation will go faster, with weaker, it will go slower.

      Reply

  8. These were absolutely amazing! I will be making these again for sure! I used semolina to dust as I didn’t have any cornmeal and they worked well too.

    Reply

  11. Love your no-knead batards. Sadly, this dough was tooooo wet. Impossible to handle despite 3 or 4 coil folds over the course of 7 hours. Very slack. Going back to sourdough bagel recipe from Littespoon Farm. Actually looks the same—but 45g less water.
    I make the levain early in the day, then mix dough in evening and let rest overnight. In morning I form, boil, & bake.
    https://littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-bagels-recipe/

    Reply

    1. Sorry it didn’t work out for you. Maybe the flour was weaker, then the one I’m using.
      Anyway, thank you for your honest feedback 🙌

      Reply

  12. I’ve tried these bagels for the first time and they came out perfect! This is the first recipe I didn’t have to throw away my dough and redo anything. Thank you for sharing your recipe. House smells divine and they taste AMAZING!!

    Reply

  13. Hi!! What is the purpose of refrigerating the bagels after shaping them? I usually put the dough in the fridge after bulk ferment, then take them out and shape them and let them proof a couple hours at room temp and then put them right in the boiling water. They always come out good this way but I’m wondering if I’m missing out on anything! Thanks

    Reply

    1. Katie, hi!
      That’s how I was trained to do. Apparently it should help them to keep the shape. But now I want to try your way, without fridge. Thank you.

      Reply

  14. Hi Natasha, this is my first time trying one of you recipes although I have been following your amazing work for two years.
    unfortunately I did not quite succeed to achieve the perfect result. the dough was too wet and hard to control although i followed the same exact recipe but maybe i needed more details of how long should I mix the ingredients . the dough was too hard to shape as well and it did not proof well in the fridge so i should check my starter health probably. thanks a lot Natasha for sharing your work. I hope next time it work out well

    Reply

  17. Hello Natasha,
    I have a question about your Sourdough Bagels recipe. When you call for 10g of sourdough starter are you talking about a refreshed starter at its peak or do I need to build a Levain or can I just use the sourdough starter from my refrigerator?
    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi!
      Yes!
      I’m using starter on its peak.
      And please give your starter at least 2-3 refreshments after fridge

      Reply

  18. Hi there, thank you for this recipe, but I have a question about what is the difference between sourdough starter and starter??? I don’t know

    Reply

  19. Hi Natasha!
    I tried it and the dough was a bit hard to shape on an unfloured surface… and the dough would stretch and bounce back, making it hard to shape the rings. Any thoughts? I thought I may have let the dough overproof a bit but would like to hear your opinion!

    Reply

  21. First time bagel maker. First time dough-hook user lol. I didn’t know how long to mix the dough in my mixer so I went with my gut. Also I’m not sure if overnight I’m covering it with moist tea towels, plastic, air tight….. Excited for the end result!

    Reply

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