Sourdough Bagels

New York is the heart of bagel making. It was said that immigrants brought bagels to the US and that the bagel business thrived in New York City. Today some of the best bagel bakeries are located in the city!

New York bagels are made with malt and are cold-fermented (proofed) to enhance the crust of bagels. The preparation method for classic New York bagels consists of boiling the bagels before they get topped with seasonings and baked.

Bagels can be served any time of the day, including a savory brunch, fun breakfast idea, or filling dinner! Serve it with a tossed salad for lunch or a meaty deli sandwich for dinner!

The most traditional way to make bagels is to boil them in water. Newer equipment has been developed to steam the bagels in the oven creating a similar chewy effect. Here is how to either method at home;

Boiling Bagels- bring a pot of water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Malt syrup or honey can be used in place of the malt. Boil the bagels until they float to the top (about 30 seconds) and remove with a slotted spoon.

Steaming Bagels- to skip the boiling method, place a small pan of water onto the bottom oven rack. Spray the tops of your bagels with water and add any toppings. Bake over the pan of water.

Baker’s Tip: bake your bagels at a high oven setting of 450°F-500°F. They will bake quickly and create a beautiful bakery-style bagel crust.

To make sourdough bagels or any bagel recipe in general follow these easy steps;

1. Mix and knead the ingredients to form a dough.
2. Shape the dough to form a traditional bagel shape: to make dough round with a hole in the middle, take a piece of dough and form a small rectangle, roll up into a log then roll the log into a 14-inch long piece. Next, wrap the long dough around your hand and roll to pinch the edges together. (Making a log first makes for smother bagels.)
3. Proof the bagels in a warm spot then move them over to the fridge.
4. Boil each bagel in the boiling water bath.
5. Bake bagels anywhere from 400°F-500°F.

Some Water Bath Additives include lye, barley malt syrup, honey, and brown sugar. 

A sourdough starter is cultured flour, which basically means you are combining flour and water to sour (leaven) the sponge. Starters are usually wet, similar to a sponge. To start your own sourdough starter, mix equal amounts of flour and water for up to 21 days or until the starter passes the float test. This can take 7-21 days depending on the flour and climate.

I’ve had the best and strongest starter when using all unbleached white flour. When I would occasionally add wheat flour to my starter it was much weaker and resulted in many flat loaves of bread. Unfortunately, I had to discard that starter.

Then, I was given a sourdough starter that was originally maintained for years and years by a relative. My aunt had asked a baker to share some and from then on, she’s maintained it and shared it with others. It is the strongest sourdough starter that I’ve ever had! This stuff foams after I feed it!

My advice is to start a sourdough starter that perhaps someone has already kept up with, if not make your own using all unbleached bread flour for the best results.

I’ve had the most active sourdough starter by feeding it 1 heaping cup of unbleached bread flour and 3/4 cup of warm water mixed together first, before whisking it into the sourdough starter. The warm water helps the starter, culture quicker rather than using cold water. These proportions have worked successfully in a quart-sized starter to a gallon-sized sourdough starter, which I currently have.

The bigger the sourdough starter, you’re likely going to have to dump the starter into a large bowl to feed it so it won’t overflow on you (I’ve had that happen where my sourdough starter was 3/4 full in the jar and after I fed it I came back to a jar of starer that overflowed.

My given feeding amount always stays the same, no matter how much starter I have. My sourdough starter is the best it has ever been and I will continue to do this. I’ve heard people discarding sourdough starter in order to feed it because they stick to specific proportions of feed, but I don’t do that, and why would I? If I have the most active starter that I’ve ever had!

Need a quick sponge to use as a sourdough starter? Mix 1/2 cup unbleached bread flour and 1/2 cup of warm water. Stir in 1/2 tsp of yeast and allow the sponge to ferment anywhere from 2 hours to overnight at room temperature.

1. To shape the bagel dough use 135 grams of bagel dough.
2. Place it onto a working surface and pat it into a small rectangle.
3. Roll into a log about 14-15-inches long.
4. Wrap the dough around your fist and using the palm of your hand roll the dough back and forth until the edges have pressed down against the dough.
5. Place all hand-shaped bagels onto a cornmeal-lined baking sheet (18×13-inch pan.)

Like naturally leavened bread it will take a little longer than yeast, but I’ve never had such a crisp and chewy crust from another bagel recipe! This Sourdough Bagels recipe takes about 7 hours to make and proof before refrigerating overnight.

Keep in mind most of the process is hands-off and just requires proofing. This is what I love about this recipe!

To add the most flavor to your bagel, use a good sourdough starter instead of dry yeast. The recipe may take some extra proofing time but is so worth all the effort!

• Unbleached Bread Flour- all-purpose flour can be used. For the best results use high gluten or high protein flour. I used King Arthur bread flour.
• Sourdough Starter- is much needed. To make a quick sourdough starter mix 1/2 cup warm water and 1/2 cup of flour. Add 1/2 tsp yeast and allow the mixture to sit a day in a warm place.
• Water- I use warm tap water to speed up the proofing time.
• Salt- much needed
• Malt- maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar can all be used to substitute dark malt syrup.
• Sugar- granulated sugar for extra flavor, highly recommend!
• Dry milk- proven to be a dough enhancer as seen in my Domino’s Pizza Dough Recipe
• Plain or Everything Bagel Seasoning: onion powder, garlic powder, sesame seeds, poppy seeds.

Combine the following spices to make a homemade bagel blend:

• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp garlic Powder
• 2-3 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 2-3 Tbsp poppy seeds

All measurements are tablespoons.

Here are some homemade bagel topping variations that are popular at bagel shops;

• sesame seed bagel
• everything bagel
• poppy seed bagel
• Asiago cheese bagels
• Jalapeno and Cheddar bagel
• onion bagel

• Labneh (Greek or plain yogurt in a roasted garlic sauce from olive oil.)
• Cream Cheese and herbs
• Lox
• Flavored cheese spreads
• Cottage cheese and honey

• 2 PM: the sourdough starter should have been fed at least an hour ago. Begin mixing and kneading the dough. Rest the dough for 1-2 hours in a warm place.
• 4 PM: Line an 18×13 baking sheet with cornmeal. Divide and shape the dough. Proof the dough for 2-4 hours.
• 8 PM: Cover bagels with plastic wrap and place them into the refrigerator. Allow bagels to proof overnight.
• 5 AM: Make a water bath early the next morning boil and bake the bagels.

You do not need to wake up as early as me:)

• Manhattan Bagel
• Breakfast Egg Sandwich with bacon and cheese (or sausage)
• Asiago Bagel Sandwich with swiss cheese and ham
• Avocado Toast
• Individual Bread Pizza bagels

For dessert bagels spread jam or Nutella over the bagels!

Some commercial bagel industries par-bake the bagels to finish baking later at home or a business. Bagels keep best for up to 2 days at room temperature. To help bagels from getting stale keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Bagels freeze best and retain their freshness when cooled and frozen the same day of baking. Don’t wait until the bagels get stale. Use how many you think will be eaten and freeze the rest!

Storing: store bagels at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate or freeze bagels to retain the bagels from getting stale.

Reheat: toast refrigerated bagels.

Yes! To freeze bagels, you could either par-bake the bagels and cool them before freezing or place fully baked and cooled bagels into a freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheating- Thaw in the refrigerator before toasting.

To par-bake bagels undercook them for 5 minutes. Cool and flash freeze. To prepare the par-baked bagels heat in a 350°F oven for 7-8 minutes.

Malt syrup can be substituted with lye, brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey.