Sourdough Discard Bagel Recipe

Assorted bagels topped with everything seasoning, melted cheese, and salt sitting on a decorative towel-lined wicker basket

4.92 from 12 votes

Sourdough Discard Bagel Recipe

These quick and chewy Sourdough Discard Bagels are perfect for when you want that classic sourdough flavor without the long wait. With a faster rise time (thanks to a little commercial yeast) and a signature chewy crust, you’ll have homemade bagels ready to enjoy in no time!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Rise Time14 30

Total Time15 20

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: bagels

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

stand mixer
2 baking sheets
parchment paper
pot of water

Ingredients

Sourdough Discard Bagel Dough

200 grams sourdough discard heaping 3/4 cup, see recipe notes
300 grams water warmed (80ishºF) about 1 1/4 cup
20 grams maple syrup about 1 Tablespoon
3 grams instant yeast about 1 teaspoon, see recipe notes
12 grams salt about 2 teaspoons
5 grams diastatic malt powder about 1 teaspoon, see recipe notes
600 grams bread flour about 4 1/3 cups
semolina or cornmeal for sprinkling

Boil Bath

800 grams water about 8 cups
30 grams brown sugar about 2 Tablespoons

Toppings as desired

cheese
sesame seeds
everything but the bagel seasoning
flaky sea salt

Instructions

Mix the Dough: Set the bowl of a stand mixer on a kitchen scale. Add sourdough discard, water, maple syrup and instant yeast to the bowl. Let the instant yeast activate for a minute. You will notice a yeasty smell and the yeast beginning to dissolve. Add the salt, diastatic malt powder and bread flour to the bowl. Start the mixer and knead the dough together for about 5-7 minutes until smooth. The dough should feel smooth, tacky to the touch and not sticky. If it is sticky, add a little extra flour to the dough.
This dough can also be kneaded by hand for about 8-10 minutes until smooth.
First Rise: Place the dough in a container and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until risen and doubled in size. This should take about 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen and dough.
Prepare 2 baking sheet: Line the pan with parchment paper and sprinkle cornmeal on top to keep the bagels from sticking.
Shape Bagels: Separate the dough into 10 equal pieces, about 115 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. To make the bagel shape, take your finger and press 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. The dough will spread back out a little and the hole will close up a bit, don't worry. You will have a chance to widen it again before boiling and baking. Place the bagels on the baking sheet and cover with a baking sheet cover or plastic wrap.
Refrigerate: Place the covered bagels in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours to rise in the refrigerator. This develops flavor and texture of the bagels and makes it easy for you to boil and bake the bagels in the morning.
Note: You can skip the refrigeration step and let the bagels proof on the counter until puffed up and just about doubled in size before boiling and baking. See recipe notes for adding more instant yeast to the dough if you want to boil and bake them the same day.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Boiling: Place a pot filled with 8 cups water 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, add brown sugar to the water. Gently widen the hole of the bagel again and place it into the boiling water. It should float within the first 10 seconds or so of placing in the water. 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 and then flip. Boil for 40 seconds on the other 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 placing back on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Topping: Prepare shallow bowls of toppings - sesame seeds, everything but the bagel seasoning and flaky sea salt are our favorites. Dunk the top of the damp bagel into the toppings, swirling it around so the toppings stick to it. Place on a baking sheet, 5 bagels to a baking sheet. This leaves enough room for the bagels to rise while baking. We also love adding a slice of cheese or shredded cheddar on top of the bagels before baking them.
Bake the Bagels: Bake for 25– 30 minutes until bagels are golden and baked all the way through. If your bagels are too dark on the bottom, place a baking stone or baking sheet on the rack underneath the bagels to help.
Cool: Let bagels cool for about 20-25 minutes before serving. Bagels can be stored for 12-24 hours at room temperature and then frozen. Enjoy!

Notes

Sourdough Discard: Use 100% hydration sourdough discard. For less tang, use fresh discard or active sourdough starter. For more tang, use discard that’s been sitting in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Diastatic Malt Powder: A small amount of this powder helps encourage fermentation, impart flavor and gives a caramelization color to the bagel dough when baked. If you want to make bagels without it, you can leave it out – substitute for bread flour instead.

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. This imparts sweetness to the bagels. Do not use processed pancake syrup.

Instant Yeast: I use a small amount of instant yeast in this bagel recipe because the bagels will be rising for a long time in the refrigerator overnight. If you prefer to make the bagels right away, increase the instant yeast to 2 teaspoons or 6-7 grams so the bagels will rise faster at room temperature.

Dry Active Yeast: Dry active yeast can be substituted for instant yeast. Make sure to activate it in warm water with a little bit of the maple syrup (or sugar). Don't add it into the dough until it is frothy, bubbly and active.

Toppings: If you have trouble with toppings sticking (sesame seeds are notorious for this), brush a little egg white on top of the bagel before sprinkling or dunking in the topping to help it stick.

Replacing the Yeast: If you prefer to make these 100% sourdough, try this recipe for sourdough bagels or replace the discard with active starter and leave out the instant yeast – you will need to give more time for the rolls to rise.

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