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Picture this: Homemade Sourdough Bagels that are perfect for breakfast, toasted and slathered with cream cheese. Or if you prefer, make yourself a delicious bagel sandwich for lunch (or try my viral sourdough bagel bread for a sliceable bagel loaf!). This easy to follow, sourdough bagel recipe walks you through making sourdough bagels that are mixed, fermented, boiled and baked to perfection.
Now, I know the three-day thing might sound a bit much (use my discard bagel recipe if you’re short on time), but trust me, these bagels are worth every second. They are easy to make and taste like the real deal. I can’t wait for you to try them! Or if you’re looking for something sweeter – you’ll love trying my Sourdough Donuts!
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Why You’ll Love Sourdough Bagels
- Customizable – This is my basic recipe for easy sourdough bagels, but you can customize it with your favorite toppings. My favorite variations are these Cinnamon Crunch Sourdough Bagels and my Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bagels.
- 100% Sourdough – Just like my breakfast favorite recipe for The Best Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls, this recipe is 100% sourdough, which means it uses no commercial yeast and takes longer to rise, but the sourdough benefits make it so worth it.
- Grab & Go Breakfast – These bagels freeze beautifully and make for an easy breakfast to grab on your way out the door. I especially love this modification for Sourdough Blueberry Bagels as a breakfast option!
Important Ingredients
- Ripe Sourdough Starter – Use an active/ripe sourdough starter (doubled in size/bubbly/mild sour aroma) to mix the levain
- Pure Maple Syrup – Barley Malt Syrup is traditionally used in bagels, but it’s not an ingredient I often have on hand. I use pure maple syrup instead with great results.
- Vital Wheat Gluten – Vital wheat gluten is an easy way to increase the protein content needed for bagels. You can use high protein flour in place of the bread flour and vital wheat gluten if desired (use 850 grams high protein flour instead).
- Diastatic Malt Powder – A small amount of this powder helps encourage fermentation, impart flavor and gives a caramelization color to the bagel dough. If you want to make bagels without it, you can leave it out.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Pure Maple Syrup: Substitute honey or sugar if desired. Do not use pancake syrup.
- Vital Wheat Gluten: Use bread flour and leave out the vital wheat gluten if you don’t have it on hand. You may need to compensate with a little extra flour when mixing the dough.
- Diastatic Malt Powder: Leave it out if you don’t have it. The dough will take a little longer to go through the fermentation process.
- Toppings: The best part about this recipe is that it is fully customizable. I like to add everything bagel seasoning, flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dehydrated onion – so many possibilities! You can also sprinkle cheddar cheese on top, or check out one of my other bagel recipes for other inclusion ideas (like these Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels)
Sourdough Baker’s Timeline
Bread made with 100% natural yeast takes extra time. Because of this I like to start my sourdough recipes with a sample schedule so I can get an idea for what the timing looks like for making this bread.
Please note that sourdough is very temperature dependant. This sample schedule assumes you are using a ripe/active sourdough starter and keeping your dough at a temperature of 78-80ºFahrenheit.
| Day 1 | Overnight or 12 hours |
| 8:00 PM -8:00 AM | Mix Stiff Levain |
| Day 2 | Mix/Bulk Fermentation/Cold Fermentation |
| 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM (15 minutes) | Mix Bagel Dough |
| 8:15 AM -11:45 AM (3.5 hours) | Bulk Fermentation |
| 11:45 AM -12:00 PM (15 minutes) | Shape Bagels |
| 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM (2-3 hours) | Proof |
| 2:00 PM- 8:00 AM (19 hours) | Cold Fermentation |
| Day 3 | Boil and Bake |
| 8:00 AM (50 minutes) | Boil and Bake |
If you are new to sourdough, learn how to make a sourdough starter from scratch and how a sourdough starter works in my Free Sourdough Beginner Guide. Using naturally fermented sourdough will take much longer, but you will love the fermentation benefits and the flavor!
How to Make Sourdough Bagels
Mix the Levain
Step 1: Mix the Levain. Combine sourdough starter, flour, sugar, and water. Knead stiff sweet levain until it forms a cohesive ball and place it in a clear jar or measuring cup. Allow to rise for 10-12 hours (overnight) in a warm 78ºF place (Images 1 & 2).
Why use a stiff levain? I like using a stiff levain for these bagels because it gives me a longer window of time to proof and bake them. If you don’t want to use a stiff levain and prefer using active sourdough starter – you can do that! See the recipe notes in the recipe card for details.
Mix The dough
Step 2: Mix the Dough. Set the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook on a kitchen scale and add the ripe levain and all the ingredients to the bowl. Start the mixer and knead the dough together for about 8 minutes until smooth. The dough should pass the windowpane test and be smooth before moving to the bulk fermentation.
Note: If you don’t have a mixer, you can knead this dough by hand. It is a low hydration dough, meaning it doesn’t have as much water in it as typical doughs – so it will take some vigorous kneading to get it cohesive, elastic and smooth!
Bulk Fermentation
Step 3: Bulk Fermentation. Move the dough to a container for the bulk fermentation (Image 4). Do your best to keep the temperature of the dough at 78-80ºF. I use a bread proofer in the winter to help the dough develop at the right temperature. Cover the container. The entire bulk fermentation will take about 3-4 hours. By the end of bulk fermentation, you may have noticed the dough is more cohesive and strong. It will not have doubled in size but will have expanded to fill the container (Image 5).
Shape the Dough
Step 4: Shape Sourdough Bagel Dough. Prepare a baking sheet by sprinkling cornmeal liberally over the sheet. This will help the bagels not to stick to the pan while they rise. Separate the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 130 grams each (Image 6). Take each piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter using your hand in a cupping shape (see video here) to seal the balls and create tension (Image 7). Let the balls rest for a minute on the countertop before shaping into bagels. Press your finger into the center of each ball of dough, creating a hole (Image 8). Use your fingers to widen the hole, moving the dough around in a circle as you stretch it (Image 9). Place shaped bagels on the cornmeal-dusted, parchment-lined baking sheet.
Proof and Cold Fermentation
Step 5: Proof the Dough. Cover the bagels with a kitchen towel and let the bagels rise on the baking sheet for about 2-3 hours at 78ºF. They will puff up a little and rise. (Images 10 & 11).
Step 6: Cold Fermentation. After about 2-3 hours, stick the covered sheet of bagels into the refrigerator for an overnight cold fermentation.
Note: If you prefer to boil and bake the bagels right away, let them rise another hour or two until puffed up and doubled in size. Then boil and bake.
Boil Bagels & Top with Toppings
Step 6: Boil. Place a large pot of water, about half full, on the stove and turn the heat to high. Have a slotted spoon and a cooling rack ready. As soon as the water comes to a boil, place a bagel into the water (Image 12). It should float within the first 10 seconds or so of placing in the water. If it doesn’t, this is a sign of being under-proved. Allow the rest of the bagels to proof and rise a little bit longer. Add as many bagels to the pot of water as you can without stacking bagels on top of each other (they should each have a little personal space in the water). Boil for about 40 seconds per side (Image 13). This will give the bagels a nice and chewy crust. Using the slotted spoon, remove the bagel from the boiling water and place on the cooling rack to drip dry for a minute (Image 14) before topping and placing on a baking sheet.
Step 7: Top. We love topping bagels with shredded cheese, Maldon Flaky Sea Salt and of course our favorite Everything but the Bagel Seasoning. You can top them with whatever your favorite toppings are (Image 15).
Note: I’ve found that bagels that are still wet hold toppings fairly well. If your bagels are dry or the toppings are falling off, brush with a little bit of egg white and then dunk in the toppings.
Bake the Bagels
Step 8: Bake. After preheating the oven to 475 degrees F, take 1/2 – 1 cup of ice cubes and put them in a baking pan. Place the baking pan on a lower rack of the oven to produce steam. Place the sheet pan of bagels directly into the oven and close the oven door. These ice cubes quickly turn into steam with the hot oven, encouraging the bagels to rise and giving a nice crispy crust to the exterior of the bagel. If you don’t want a crispy crust, you can leave out the ice cubes and bake without the steam they provide. After 10 minutes of baking, open the oven door and rotate the pan of bagels 180 degrees. Turn the oven temperature down to 450 degrees F and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the bagels are sufficiently browned and baked all the way through. Let the bagels cool for about 20 minutes before slicing (Images 16 & 17).
How to Store Leftovers
Place leftover sourdough bagels in a ziplock bag after they have cooled completely and freeze them for up to 3 months. We love pulling one out of the freezer, toasting it up and enjoying a bagel that tastes like it was just pulled out of the oven.
Recipe Tip
To boil/bake the bagels the same day, shape the bagels and let them proof for 3-4 hours at 78ºF until puffed up and almost doubled in size. The bagel dough should feel airy (not at all dense) if you skip the cold bulk fermentation. If the bagels sink in the water and don’t float, let the remaining bagels rise a bit longer. They should float in the water when boiling.
Frequently Asked Questions
This can be a sign of underproved dough. That means your dough needed to rise a little longer. Make sure your bagel dough is puffy and soft before putting the bagels in the fridge for cold bulk fermentation. If you notice your bagel sinks, let the rest of the bagels warm up a bit and rise longer before boiling and baking.
Yes. Use a high-quality bread flour and substitute the bread flour for the vital wheat gluten. You may also want to reduce the water by 20-30 grams to account for the lower protein content depending on the flour you use. I would not use all-purpose flour.
These bagels do not require anything extra added to the boiling water. The water itself gives the chewy crust to these easy homemade sourdough bagels. No sweetener is required, but if you’d like to add some sweetener, use the measurements from my cinnamon crunch sourdough bagels.
If you don’t like the crispier outside – decrease the oven temperature to 425ºF. Do not add the ice (steam) to the oven and bake bagels for about 25-30 minutes.
Sourdough Bagel Recipes you’ll love
If you tried these Easy Homemade Sourdough Bagels or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Easy Homemade Sourdough Bagels
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Equipment
- large pot
- slotted spoon
- cooling rack
Ingredients
Stiff Sweet Levain (peaks in about 10-12 hours at 78-80ºF)
- 24 grams ripe sourdough starter, about 5 teaspoons
- 20 grams granulated sugar, about 1.5 Tablespoons
- 60 grams water, about 1/4 cup
- 120 grams all purpose or bread flour, scant 1 cup
Easy Homemade Sourdough Bagels
- 200 grams ripe levain, about 13 Tablespoons
- 475 grams water, about 2 cups
- 30 grams pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup, about 1.5 Tablespoons
- 820 grams bread flour, see recipe notes, about 6 cups
- 30 grams vital wheat gluten, see recipe notes, about 1/4 cup
- 7 grams diastatic malt powder, see recipe notes, about 2 teaspoons
- 18 grams salt, about 1 Tablespoon
- cornmeal for sprinking
- any desired toppings
Instructions
Day 1: Make Levain (10-12 hours/overnight at 78ºF)
- Stiff Sweet Levain: Mix together ripe, 100% hydration sourdough starter with granulated sugar, water and all purpose flour. This will be thicker than a traditional 100% hydration levain and will require a bit of kneading to incorporate the sourdough starter. Place the freshly kneaded levain into a clear jar and cover lightly. Let it sit at 78ºF for about 10-12 hours until levain has doubled in size, is rounded on the top and full of bubbles. See recipe notes for using sourdough starter in place of sweet levain.
Day 2: Mix/Bulk Fermentation/Cold Fermentation
- Mix the Dough (15 minutes): Set the bowl of a stand mixer on a kitchen scale. Add ripe levain and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Start the mixer and knead the dough together for about 8 minutes until smooth. The dough should be smooth and pass the windowpane test before moving to the bulk fermentation.You can also knead this dough completely by hand for about 10-15 minutes until smooth.
- Bulk Fermentation (about 3.5 hours): Move the dough to a container. Do your best to keep the temperature of the dough at 78 degrees F. I use a bread proofer in the winter to help the dough develop at the right temperature. Cover the container. The entire bulk fermentation will take about 3.5 hours. The dough will be more cohesive and strong, although it may not have risen very much.
- Prepare a baking sheet: Sprinkle cornmeal liberally over the sheet. This will help the bagels not to stick to the pan while they rise.
- Shape Bagels (15 minutes): Separate the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 130 grams each. Take each piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter using your hand in a cupping shape (see video here) to seal the balls and create tension. Let the balls rest for a minute on the countertop before shaping into bagels. Take your finger and press it directly into the center of the ball of dough until it goes through to the other side, creating a hole. Use your fingers to widen the center hole, moving the dough around in a circle as you stretch it. Let the dough relax and repeat with the next bagel. After you've put holes in all the bagels, stretch them out again as desired and place on the cornmeal dusted baking sheet.
- Proof Bagels (2-3 hours): Cover the bagels with a kitchen towel and let the bagels rise on the baking sheet for about 2-3 hours at 78ºF. They will puff up a little and rise. After about 2-3 hours, check on the bagels. They should puff up a bit and not feel dense. If they do, give them another 30 minutes to an hour and check them again. Stick the sheet of bagels into the refrigerator for a cold bulk fermentation. If you prefer to boil and bake the bagels right away, let them rise another hour or two until puffed up and very soft. Then boil and bake.
- Cold Fermentation (12-24 hours): Place the covered bagels in the refrigerator overnight for a cold fermentation. This dough can stay in the refrigerator for up to about 24 hours. If you go much longer than that they are prone to overpoofing.
Day 3 Boil and Bake
- Pull the bagels out of the refrigerator to rest at room temperature while you prepare the water bath.
- Prepare the Oven: Place a baking stone in the bottom of your oven. You can bake these without a baking stone, but they will be more susceptible to burn on the bottom. Preheat oven to 475ºF.
- Prepare the Baking Sheets: This recipe makes 12 bagels. To allow the bagels full room to expand while they bake, I use 2 baking sheets. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and place 6-8 bagels per baking sheet.
- Boiling: Place a large pot of water, about half full, on the stove and turn the heat to high. Have a slotted spoon and a cooling rack ready. As soon as the water comes to a boil, place a bagel into the water. It should float within the first 10 seconds or so of placing in the water. If it doesn't, this is a sign of being under-proved. Allow the rest of the bagels to proof and rise a little bit longer. Add as many bagels to the pot of water as you can without stacking bagels on top of each other (they should each have a little personal space in the water). Boil for about 40 seconds per side. Using the slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the boiling water and place on the cooling rack to drip dry for a minute before topping and placing on a baking sheet.
- Topping: Quickly top bagels with your favorite toppings. Our favorites: sharp shredded cheese, Maldon Flaky Sea Salt and Everything but the Bagel Seasoning.
- Baking: Place about 1/2 – 1 cup of ice cubes in a baking sheet or baking pan. Place the pan on the bottom rack of the oven and then quickly slide the bagels into the oven and close the oven door. This creates steam for baking the bagels. If you prefer less crispy bagels, omit this step. Bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees F. Then rotate the pan and decrease the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until bagels are golden and baked all the way through. Note: For softer bagels, bake at 425ºF for 30 minutes – no ice, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
- Cooling: Let bagels cool for about 20-25 minutes before serving. Bagels can be stored for 24 hours at room temperature and then frozen. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are the best bagels! Perfection! If making them as 24 mini bagels should I shorten the proof time after shaping? Boil them any less?
I think the proof time would probably be about the same, but you would want to decrease the bake time by a few minutes.
I have made bagels before but this recipe made perfect bagels. Perfect shape and perfect chew. Didn’t have the diastatic so skipped this and baked them same day. I’m making them again. If they come out perfect again, I’m calling this recipe fool-proof!
I’m glad they turned out great! Enjoy!
everything went perfectly until i went to boil the bagels and then they deflated. Taste is fine. They’re just flatter than would be preferred.
That’s so frustrating! That usually means they were slightly overproofed going into the boil, so they lost structure in the water. Next time, try boiling them a bit sooner while they still feel slightly puffy but not overly airy—they should hold their shape better.
Why can’t I get mine “fluffy”/larger!? They always turn out kind of flat. 😭 I just can’t figure out what’s wrong.
I do feel like the cornmeal made them a little soggy? When pulled out of refrigerator top side was kind of crisp and bottom side was wet. 😵💫
Flat bagels can be so frustrating! It’s usually related to proofing—if they’re underproofed, they won’t puff up much, but if they overproof in the fridge, they can deflate and spread instead of rising. You’re looking for them to feel slightly puffy and pass the float test before boiling.
For the soggy bottoms, that can definitely be from the cornmeal holding moisture. You could try using parchment paper instead, or just a light dusting of flour/semolina, and make sure they’re not sitting too long in condensation in the fridge.
I have made these and they are so very delicious. I want to make more of a mini bagel. Would you have suggestions on weight and any other baking modifications? Thanks in advance.
I think that would be fun to experiment with! You can shape them into whatever smaller size you want. I haven’t tried it, so I don’t know what weight I would use.