Combining sourdough tanginess & bagel chewiness, these sourdough bagels are a step above & a great way to use sourdough starter discard!
So, I hadn’t used my sourdough starter discard for two weeks.
I didn’t feel like making pizza dough or focaccia…you know, my go-to recipes. But it was a bitter cold day and I wanted to bake something (my oven is a very effective heater in our small apartment).
Then I came across Sally’s Baking Addiction's recipe for homemade bagels, and the wheels started turning.
How about I substitute in my unfed sourdough starter for some of the flour and water and make Sourdough Bagels?
Challenge accepted!
Thinking up creative ways to use sourdough starter discard can be fun, like Sourdough Pretzels or Sourdough Gingerbread, and when inspiration hits, experimentation follows.
However, there’s some work to be done.
(Wait, there's math?)
No worries, grasshopper!
Jump to:
Alter a recipe to sourdough
The trick for adapting a recipe to used sourdough is to weigh the amount of sourdough starter discard you have using a kitchen scale, then divide it by half.
The result is the amount by weight of flour and water you need to remove from the recipe.
(Side Note: this calculation is based on a sourdough starter that's 50/50 flour and water. If your sourdough starter has a different makeup, use your ratio to figure out how much flour and water you'll be replacing.)
For example, for Sourdough Bagels the original bagel recipe called for 4 cups of flour and 1½ cups of water (that’s 17 oz of flour and 12 fluid oz, respectively).
Since I had 2 weeks’ worth of sourdough starter discard (14 oz), I needed to remove 7 oz each of flour and water from the recipe.
I appreciate it when a recipe writer provides the ingredient amounts in weight measurements, not just volume. It makes things so much easier. If not, I do the conversions for myself (and for you, of course).
Does your brain hurt? I’m sorry. Here, have a sourdough bagel.
How to make Sourdough Bagels at home
After making the necessary ingredient substitutions, the rest of a sourdough bagel recipe, as they say, is history.
Ok, that's not what they say.
After making the bagel dough and letting it rise, portion it into eight wedges and shape each into a disk. Poke your finger into the center, then widen the hole to about 1- to 2-inches in diameter .
It's a similar process to making Jerusalem Bagels, just not with such a big hole.
Boil the shaped bagels in a bath of water and honey. This step pre-cooks the dough, giving the bagel it's characteristic chewiness.
If desired, roll the boiled bagels in toppings before baking.
Make a variety of bagel flavors
You don't just have to make plain Sourdough Bagels. Here are some ideas for different bagel flavors to get you started:
- Everything Bagels: Use a pre-made Everything bagel topping or Mix 2 tablespoons poppy seeds, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon dried minced onion, 1 tablespoon dried garlic flakes, and 1 tablespoon coarse salt all in a bowl (from Homemade Everything Bagels)
- Sesame Seed Bagels: Use ⅓ cup sesame seeds. After brushing with egg wash in step 9, top with or dunk each bagel into topping. Use more as needed
- Poppy Seed Bagels: Use ⅓ cup poppy seeds. After brushing with egg wash in step 9, top with or dunk each bagel into topping. Use more as needed
- Salt Bagels: Use ⅓ cup coarse salt. After brushing with egg wash in step 9, top with or dunk each bagel into topping. These are pretty salty, so feel free to go lighter on the salt
- Cheese Bagels (Asiago, Cheddar, etc): Add ½ cup of shredded cheese to the dough when you add the flour. After brushing with egg wash in step 9, sprinkle with extra cheese
These Sourdough Bagels have a wonderful sourdough tang from the sourdough starter discard, yet still retains that bagel chewiness.
Also, my apartment smells like a bagel shop when I make them. That alone is worth it!
You can toast your bagels with a shmear of cream cheese (my way) or eat them warm and whole (my husband's way). Or another way entirely.
However you enjoy your sourdough bagels, try making them yourself!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
When you maintain a sourdough starter, you have a dilemma. What do you do with your unfed sourdough starter discard? I've got lots of suggestions for sweet and savory ways to use your fed sourdough starter and the sourdough starter discard. Here are a few samples...
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a comment further down the page.
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Recipe
The Best Homemade Sourdough Bagels
Equipment
- 4- to 8-quart stock pot
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 cups bread flour, or more as needed, see Recipe Notes
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard, unfed, at room temperature, see Recipe Notes
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed, either light or dark
- 2¾ tsp yeast, instant or rapid rise, see Recipe Notes
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ¾ to 1 cup water, warmed between 100°F to 110°F, see Recipe Notes
- 1 large egg white, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- Everything bagel topping, or other toppings as desired (optional)
For the Water Bath
- 8 cups water
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Use a kitchen scale to measure out your ingredients. That way you will get consistent results. Otherwise, use the "spoon & level" technique to measure your flour by spooning flour into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Don't scoop flour or pack it into the measuring cup or you'll end up using too much flour. See the Recipe Notes if you're using Active Dry yeast for an alternate way to start the dough.
- Prepare the Dough: Combine the flour, sourdough starter discard, brown sugar, yeast, and salt together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
- Pour in ¾ cup (170g) of warm water. Beat the mixer on low speed for 2 minutes, then knead for 4 to 5 minutes. Add in additional flour or water in one tablespoon increments to get the dough to the right texture.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes or until double in size (the inside the oven with just the light on works well).
- Line two half sheet baking pans with a Silpat Silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Shape the Bagels: Punch down the dough to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, then shape each piece into a ball. Press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter. Loosely cover the shaped bagels with a kitchen towel and rest for a few minutes as you prepare the water bath.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Prepare the Water Bath: Fill a 4 to 8 qt stock pot with 2 quarts of water and whisk in the honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Drop the bagels in, 2 to 4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side (2 minutes per side if you want a chewier bagel). Remove from pot and drain slightly. When cool enough to handle, gently reshape into bagel shape if needed.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Dip in toppings, if desired. Place 4 bagels onto each lined baking pan.
- Bake the Bagels: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cover leftover bagels tightly and store at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Sally T says
there does not seem to be enough liquid in this recipe. the dough never formed a ball. I continued to knead to try and get it to ball, but after 30 minutes still just a bowl full of dusty gravel.
scotchscones says
Hi Sally, I'm sorry this recipe didn't work for you. I have found that different sourdough starter discards can have different hydration levels...in mine the flour is fully hydrated, so adding more water tends to be overkill. Also, the humidity level of the day you're baking can also effect how much water the flour can absorb, i.e. if you're baking on a relatively dry day, you might need to add more liquid. All that said, I've updated the recipe to give a range of the amount of water you can add...just start with the lessor amount and add more, a tablespoon at a time, as needed until you get the dough to the right consistency. I hope this helps!
Heather Olsen says
I would suggest going by weight rather than cups since the weight of a cup of flour can vary greatly depending on how packed down the flour is. You can end up adding way more flour than necessary if you go by the number of cups.
Tammy says
I agree with you! My kitchen scale is probably my favorite kitchen tool (besides my knife, of course). This is why I always include the weight measurements on my recipes as much as possible.
Theresa Healy says
I love this bagel recipe! Thank you for sharing the boiling secret too. Btw.. when selecting 2x or 3x the oz and grams don’t change dynamically like the teaspoons and cups measurements.
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Theresa, I'm glad you're happy with this recipe. I've updated it to now include conversions from volume to metric units. Now the recipe will scale both as you flip back between the two. Thanks for pointing this out. Happy baking! 😉
Theresa Healy says
Great comment Heather.
Sally T says
Thanks for the tip. I will try this again.
Teresa says
Hi! I just discovered your site and looks great! However, I was looking for a naan recipe, and when I try your link, it goes to bagels. Hahah, which now I also want to try, but not today. Where would I find naan?
scotchscones says
Hi Teresa, thanks for your kind words. I'm not sure what link you followed...could you let me know so that I can fix it? In the meantime, I have a great Sourdough Naan recipe that you can find here. If that doesn't work, copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://www.scotchandscones.com/sourdough-naan-bread/
Happy baking!
Anne says
When I click on several of the links in "more recipes using starter," it sends me to the bagel recipe. It happened with the Naan recipe and the foccacia recipe.
Tammy says
Hi Anne, Thanks for letting me know! I've updated the links, so they all should point to the right page now. If you refresh your page, it should work. Happy baking!
Mimi says
Just wanna say thank you for this recipe! I had so much discard and even one with 50% hydration rye (to enhance the tang of my sourdough). Worked out the math to add in the required bread flour and it turned out beautifully. And the taste of the tang is there too! love love love it!
Tammy says
Hi Mimi, I'm so pleased you like the bagels! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Tamara says
Have only AP and wheat flour. Will this work??
Tammy says
Hi Tamara, Thanks for asking a great question! Yes, all-purpose flour is fine...the bagels just might be a little less chewy. With whole wheat flour, you might need to adjust the amount of water as it tends to absorb more than AP. Add water as needed by the tablespoon to achieve that smooth dough consistency (see the video for an example of what I mean). Happy baking!
TV Nguyen says
Excellent recipe! I doubled the recipe, with 3 tsp yeast total, and it worked really well!
Tammy says
I'm glad you made the recipe work for you! Thanks for sharing 😉
Carey Ellen Smith says
I'm out of yeast, do you think it will work if I let the dough rise overnight at room temp instead of the fridge?
Tammy says
Hi Carey, thanks for your question. It depends on how active your starter is. If it's fed & vigorous, then you can still retard the dough in the refrigerator after letting it rise in a warm place for a couple of hours (when the dough has doubled). If your starter isn't active, then I'm afraid you'd end up with bagel door stops regardless of where you let the dough rise. Let me know how it goes, and good luck!
Carey Ellen Smith says
Did half the recipe with fed starter, no yeast, but added additional rise time, and fridge overnight. They turned out great!
Tammy says
Excellent! So glad the recipe worked for you, even without yeast 😉
Jane says
This recipe is fantastic!!! The bagels came out chewy with just the right amount of bite in the crust and tender on the inside. It was a tad salty for my taste and will decrease the salt on my next go, but otherwise absolutely perfect with excellent instructions. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Tammy says
Hi Jane, I'm so glad you liked the bagels! Thanks for your kind words 😉
Laceydawn Loeppky says
HI there, I am just wondering if I do the long rise in the fridge overnight, do I need to let it come back to room temp before using the dough the next day?
Tammy says
Hi Laceydawn, thanks for the question. Yes, it's generally better to let your dough sit out on the counter for about an hour if you can. It will be easier to work with if it's not cold. That being said, if you do work with it straight from the fridge, the second rising time will take longer than normal. Either way, there will be extra time involved.
Jean says
Hi Tammy, I’ve tried this recipe a few times and love it, though I feel I should be getting a better rise in the oven. I was reading through comments to see if i could get any pointers and found this comment mentioned a second rise. Is the second rise after the shaping? And how long for? I promise I have read the recipe over multiple times but I just can’t see it, so sorry if it seems obvious. Thank you!
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Jean, there isn't a second rise called for in the recipe, and I find it isn't needed (maybe because the bagels are resting while I heat the water bath). You might allow the dough to rest a bit longer in a warm place after you've shaped the bagels and before the water bath. Let me know if that helps, and happy baking! 😉
Cara says
Such an amazing recipe! I did the overnight method and it turned out amazing. Delicious bagels that taste like they are from a bakery. Super happy with this recipe and I will be making these again.
Tammy says
Hi Cara, I'm so glad you liked this recipe!Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Lindsay F says
The dough is coming out quite sticky for me. I am new to baking and the taste is great just having trouble working with the dough. Any advice so that it is less sticky or is that how it should be? Thanks for a great and tasty way to use sourdough discard!
Tammy says
Hi Lindsay, thanks for your question. If the dough is sticky, try adding flour in 1 Tbsp increments until it is tacky but doesn't make a mess on your hands. You can do this by kneading it by hand or in the mixer. The other thing is to let the dough rest for about 20 minutes after you first knead it to let the flour absorb more of the liquid. Remember, baking bread is as much about the environment in your kitchen that day (humidity) and the type of flour you're using as it is about stated amounts. I hope this helps!
Laurie says
Easy to follow! Great instructions!
This, as all of my sourdough baking, comes out a little gummy. What am I doing wrong?
Tammy says
Hi Laurie, if your finished product is coming out gummy, it could mean that you either have too much water in the dough, or you're not getting enough rise from your yeast. If it's the former, then you'll know if your dough is sticky after the first rise...it should be tacky but still bounce back when pressed.
If it's the yeast, then I'd make sure it's is fresh and active. The best way is to "prove" your yeast by sprinkling it over a bit of the warmed water with a tsp of sugar and let it sit for about 5 minutes. If it gets foamy, then the yeast is active. Oh, and make sure your water is not over 110degF (like warm, not hot, bath water). If the water is too hot, it kills the yeast before it has a chance to work.
If you're finished product is still gummy, then write back and we can troubleshoot what's happening. Good luck and happy baking!
Kristyna Landt says
I love this recipe and have made it twice. Both times, I used half whole wheat with a little spelt and half bread flour. I used 6 g salt and added 1.5 tsp of non diastatic malt powder to the dough, and also used 2 tbsp of the non diastatic malt in the water bath. The last time I made it, i substituted 50 g of active sourdough starter instead of the yeast and subtracted 25 g each of water and flour from the recipe. Both times, the results were perfect!!! This recipe is now a household staple:
Tammy says
Kristyna, that’s wonderful! I love how you’ve adapted this recipe to your preferences. Well done! 😉
Beth Bartel says
I've made these once already and they are great, and so fun to make! Except for burning my arm during boiling water bath, but that's another story...
Question, how the heck do you only end up with one cup of starter discard per week??? I do keep mine in the fridge and take out once a week, but still have lots. I'm a new sourdough baker. Teach me your ways!
Tammy says
Hi Beth, I hope your arm is ok! Regarding the sourdough starter, I have about 2 cups of starter in my crock at any given time. Each week (usually Monday...I set a reminder), I measure out 8 oz (1 cup) of the dormant (unfed) starter, then add in 4 oz of flour (about a cup) and 4 oz of water (1/2 cup) back into the crock. I stir it in then let the crock sit on the counter until the starter is nice and bubbly (i.e. fed). I can then remove some to make a true sourdough bread (and feed the remainder again) or just put the crock back into the refrigerator until the following week.
Meanwhile, I still have that 1 cup of starter discard sitting out. I can use it to immediately make any of the discard recipes I have on the blog (and I have a bunch now!), or put it in the refrigerator with the crock until I'm ready to use it.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions or need something clarified. I'm here to help! 😉
Theresa Healy says
I followed your grams recipe, as I have a scale, backing into % used for each ingredient. I didn’t have much sourdough discard. Everything from your process, recipe and bake time rocks! We absolutely love’m. No more Noah’s.
Thank you Tammy! #scotchandscones
Kindest Regards, Theresa
Tammy says
Hi Theresa, I’m so glad you were able to adjust the recipe to suit your needs! Thanks for your kind remarks. Happy baking! 😉
Joanne says
I have had great success with this recipe. The third time I used the suggestions at Epicurious for the water bath which was part honey, part baking soda, part salt. They are delicious!
Tammy says
I'm so glad you liked the recipe, and you adapted it to fit your preferences. Thanks for sharing! 😉
Ally says
If I want to do the overnight method, do I still have to proof the dough for 60-90 minutes at room temperature before putting it in the fridge? Or do I put the dough in the fridge right after I put it in the oil-coated bowl?
Tammy says
Hi Ally, thanks for your question. Yes, I'd still do the first rise as it really gives the yeast a chance get active before slowing down in the refrigerator. The flavor will really develop during that slow overnight rise. Happy baking! 😉
Patty says
I'm always trying to figure out what to with my discard. Thank you for figuring out the calculations so that I could use my discard. I used up all my discard in this recipe and the recipe was easy to follow. Bagels are my favorite so this will definitely be my go to discard recipe.
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Patty, I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Sourdough discard adds a nice tang to bagels, and it’s great not having to waste it. Thanks for letting me know! 😉
Laura says
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I made them yesterday with the discard after feeding the sourdough! They came out perfect!!! My kids loved them so much, they said they don't want me to buy bagels from the grocery store anymore!! Lol!! I will definitely be using this recipe again!!! Any idea how to make cinnamon raisin bagels with this recipe??!
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Laura, Thanks for your kind words...I'm glad your family likes these bagels! I've never made a cinnamon raisin version, but you might try mixing together 2 teaspoons of cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, then kneading the cinnamon sugar and 3/4 cup of raisins into the dough after it has together (before the first rise). Let me know how it goes, and happy baking! 😉
Kris Bingham says
I’m intrigued—and always have sourdough discard these days. Have you made these with blueberries? Blueberry bagels are a favorite of mine. Any suggestions before I dive in? Thanks!!
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Kris, Thanks for your question. I haven't tried making blueberry bagels, but I suspect the appraoch would be similar to the cinnamon raisins in the comment above. Try combining 1 teaspoons of cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, then kneading the cinnamon sugar and 3/4 cup of blueberries into the dough after it has together (before the first rise). The extra liquid from the blueberries may make the dough wetter, and you might have to add in additional flour (in 1 tablespoon increments) to get the consistency right. If you try it, please let me know how it goes. 😉
Kris says
Thanks! I will let you know!
Anna says
We made these last week and they were a massive hit! Delicious and not too difficult. If I wanted to make the bagels slightly bigger (perhaps making 6, instead of 8, from the 1x recipe), would I change the baking time at all? Thanks!
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Anna, I'm so glad you liked these bagels! In response to your question, I'd probably add about 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time, depending on how much bigger you make the bagels. And if they're not done then, add a couple of minutes at a time until they are. I haven't done this myself, so please share your results if you do. Happy baking! 🙂
Anna says
Thank you!
Meghan L Donaghy says
If I don’t have a stand mixer can I knead by hand?
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Meghan, Thanks for your question. You can most assuredly knead the dough by hand. You’ll want a smooth, slightly tacky dough. Depending on your strength (and stamina), it’ll probably take about 5 to 10 minutes. Let me know how it goes, and happy baking! 😉
Meghan L Donaghy says
It worked!!
Tammy Spencer says
Excellent! Enjoy 🙂