10:00 PM: In a clean glass jar, dissolve your 10g of starter culture into 40g of water. Stir in 40g of bread flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let ferment at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until it triples in volume.

8:00 AM: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 190g of cold water, 25g of honey, and 80g of active overnight starter. Whisk together cleanly.

Dump all 450g of high-protein bread flour and 8g of salt directly over the liquids.

The Stiff Knead: Attach your heavy-duty dough hook. Mix strictly on low speed for 10 to 12 minutes. Warning: Bagel dough has a very low hydration level and will feel exceptionally stiff and dense; do not increase your mixer speed, or you risk overheating the motor. Knead until the dough forms a completely unified, tight, smooth mass.

The Inclusion Fold: Stop the mixer, add all 100g of blueberries, and run the machine on low speed for exactly 1 minute just until the berries are mixed through. (Some fresh berries will burst slightly, bleeding gorgeous purple streaks into the dough matrix—this is perfectly normal!).

Cover the bowl and let the dough bulk ferment for 4 hours at a warm room temperature of 76–80°F (24–26°C) until it expands and feels slightly puffy.

12:30 PM – Precision Shaping: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust it lightly with flour. Divide the dough mass cleanly into 8 equal pieces weighing roughly 110 to 115 grams each.

Roll each piece firmly against your counter under a cupped hand into a smooth, tight ball.

Flour your thumb. Plunge it straight down through the exact center of a dough ball to create a hole. Lift the ring and gently rotate your fingers inside the gap, pulling outward until the center hole measures roughly 2 inches in diameter. Repeat for all 8 pieces.

Arrange the shaped rings onto your prepared baking sheet. Cover the tray securely with plastic wrap and slide it straight into the refrigerator for an 8 to 14-hour overnight cold fermentation retard. This long chill slows down the yeast while allowing natural acids to build up, creating those signature micro-blisters on the crust.

6:30 AM: Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C).

Fill a wide pot with 2 quarts of water, add 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and bring to a steady rolling boil.

Pull your cold bagels straight from the refrigerator. Slip 2 or 3 bagels carefully into the boiling water bath. Boil for exactly 1 minute, flip them over with a slotted spoon, and boil for 1 additional minute on the second side.

Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to lift the boiled bagels out, letting any excess water drain off, and place them right back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Slide the tray into the hot oven immediately and bake at 425°F (218°C) for 20 to 22 minutes until the outer crust turns a deep golden brown and feels perfectly firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and smearing with cream cheese!