Sourdough Bagels were one of the first sourdough recipes I tried after mastering the sourdough loaf. Don’t get me wrong, I love a simple, rustic loaf of sourdough, but bread can come in so many other forms! This is why I want to encourage you to experiment with all things sourdough this spring! I will be posting many of my favorite recipes this spring: everything from sourdough focaccia to cinnamon rolls. You can also visit my sourdough recipes page for lots of recipes and inspiration.

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These sourdough bagels are so chewy, tangy, and soft! They are the perfect base for a creative sandwich, flavored schmear, or salted butter. I love to make a huge batch for my family on holiday weekends or for myself before a busy week. I love this recipe because half of it is done the night before and you can simply wake up, get started, and serve within an hour!

Shaping Sourdough Bagels

When it comes to bagels, people can be very passionate about tradition. I know certain flavors and shapes have been rejected over the years, especially by New Yorkers. I wanted to let you know that I am not a bagel purist but rather enjoy all flavors and shapes. This is why I twisted this batch into beautiful swirls. Yes, the twists look great in pictures, but they are also a great way to infuse a little fun into shaping your bagels. If this resonates with you, I have included photos below of how I twisted my dough. If this does not resonate with you, feel free to shape your dough as usual! One of the beautiful things about sourdough bagels is the variety of flavors and toppings that can be utilized. Feel free to get creative and top your bagels with whatever you are craving!

A note on sourdough starter: be sure you have an active, bubbly starter before you bake! You can read more about how to achieve this below

Sourdough Starter Tips

Sourdough Bagel Twists

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Sourdough

Keyword Sourdough Bagels

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

wait time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 13 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings 8 bagels

Ingredients

Bagel Dough

• 500 g organic flour use any combination of bread, all purpose, or freshly ground!
• 225 g warm Water
• 100 g Starter
• 10 g Salt
• Bagel toppings of choice- everything bagel seasoning, cinnamon sugar, egg wash (for plain), or anything else you like!

Water Bath

• a large pot of water
• 1 TBS Sugar -I used turbinado because of it’s depth of flavor

Instructions

THE NIGHT BEFORE

• Weigh and sift flour into a large bowl
• Add warm water to a medium-sized bowl and stir in starter until mostly dissolved
• Combine everything and allow dough to hydrate for a few minutes before kneading
• Add salt and knead your dough by hand for 5-7 minutes or with a stand mixer for 3-5 minutes. The dough will be very thick and a little stiff. Work the dough in your hands until a smooth dough is formed
• Allow the dough to rest overnight for 8-12 hours

THE NEXT MORNING

• Turn dough out onto a clean work surface
• Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces
• To create bagel twists, use your hands to roll a dough piece into a long snake, being careful not to break the dough or pop any bubbles
• Fold your snake in half and twist the two pieces together
• Secure the two ends of the twist by pinching them together
• Repeat for all the bagels Cover the bagels with a damp towel to rest for 30 minutes or until puffy
• While the bagels are resting, preheat your oven to 425 F and bring your large water pot to a boil and add the sugar
• Once the bagels are puffed up a bit, gently add them (only a few at a time) to the large pot for 2 minutes. Once each bagel is pulled from the water bath, add your toppings of choice to the slightly wet bagel
• Repeat will all 8 bagels
• Once your water bath is complete, place your bagels on a baking stone and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown
• Serve and enjoy! I usually can’t even wait 10 minutes for them to cool down before digging in, so I won’t ask you to do the same…