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These Sourdough Everything Bagels are made completely from scratch. They have a crisp, chewy exterior and fluffy insides just begging to be smothered with cream cheese or butter!
This recipe originally appeared on my blog where it received dozens of rave reviews. It is now available exclusively on Substack for supporting members. Here’s what one reader had to say about this recipe:
Tell me the truth: the idea of making bagels from scratch sounds totally complicated right? And the thought of SOURDOUGH bagels is even more intimidating?
My friends, I’m about to blow your mind because bagels are one of the easiest things to make with your sourdough starter. The only thing you need is time. Homemade sourdough bagels are not for people in a hurry but trust me, the wait is worth it.
How Long Does It Take to Make Sourdough Bagels?
It takes two days to make sourdough bagels from scratch. BUT, 95% of that time is inactive and when you’re actually doing something it’s not complicated.
Day 1: Make the dough with your sourdough starter. Then let the dough ferment in a warm spot overnight.
Day 2: Shape the bagels and let them rise for 2 hours. Then boil them in a baking soda bath, add your toppings and pop them in the oven.
In a society used to getting everything immediately, two days may seem impossible to bear. But unless you’re doing a sourdough discard recipe, most sourdough baked goods will take a couple of days. Luckily, as I said, most of this is inactive time.
More Winning Sourdough Recipes
If you’re into sourdough, you’ll probably love these recipes too:
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need to make sourdough bagels from scratch. Make sure you scroll down to the recipe for a printable list of ingredients and instructions.
The list is not long:
Sourdough starter: You will need 1/2 a cup of active, recently fed starter for this recipe.
Water
Honey: You can also use agave if you prefer.
Kosher salt
Flour: The amount of flour you need will depend on how much liquid is in your starter and the humidity in your area. I have included tips for navigating this in the instructions below.
Everything Bagel Seasoning: This is optional. My kiddo and I love it, but my husband is not a fan so we always make a couple bagels without any toppings for him. (How I married a man who doesn’t like everything bagels is beyond me. Though to be fair, he didn’t tell me until we had been married for 15 years.)
Baking soda: This is for the water bath.
Sugar: Also for the water bath.
Why Do You Boil Bagels Before Baking?
Bagels are quickly boiled in water so that the outside crust sets before the bagels are baked in the oven. The longer you let your bagels boil, the thicker and chewier your crust will be. In this recipe we boil the bagels for 30 seconds per side before they are placed in the oven.
Boiling also influences the inside of the bagels. A longer boil time makes the interior more dense, while a shorter boil time makes the insides of your bagels more fluffy.
Baking soda and sugar are added to the water bath in this recipe. They help give the bagels their golden color and also add flavor to the crust.