Homemade Sourdough Bagels
These Homemade Sourdough Bagels are unbeatably tasty. They have a chewy yet crispy crust with a soft, open, and slightly irregular crumb. AND they're super easy to make! Minimal handling required!
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Large bowl
- Brød & Taylor proofer box (optional, but recommended)
Ingredients
Levain
- 50 g active sourdough starter
- 50 g water
- 50 g bread flour
Main Dough
- 600 g bread flour
- 320-360 g water start low, add more if needed
- 150 g levain
- 35 g barley malt syrup
- 10 g salt
For Boiling
- 3 liters/quarts water
- 45 g sugar
- 1,5 tbsp baking soda
Other
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 1 tbsp water for egg wash
- seeds/toppings of your choice
Instructions
Levain
- Add the active sourdough starter, water, and flour to a bowl. Mix until combined, cover, and rest in a warm spot for four hours or until the levain has doubled in size.
Main Dough
- Add flour, water, and levain to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. I recommend starting with the minimum amount of water recommended (320 grams.) Every flour is different, so adjusting the hydration may be necessary.
- Turn the mixer on, and mix for about 2 minutes until the dough comes together. Cover the bowl and autolyse/rest for 30 minutes.
- Turn the mixer on again and add the salt and barley malt syrup. Knead for 10 minutes at medium speed. After about 10 minutes, the dough should be strong and bouncy (should not stick to the fingers).
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled, large bowl: cover, and rise in a warm spot (ideally at 75°F/24°C) for four hours. You want to do two coil folds during this time—one after 1 hour and one after 2 hours.
Shape
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it into ten equal pieces (about 110g each). Shape all the pieces into seamless rounds. Press a finger through the center of each round. Use two fingers to widen the hole to about 1,5 in/3,5cm.
- Place the shaped bagels on a lined baking tray, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Boil & Bake
- In the morning: Take the bagels out of the fridge and leave them on the counter for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 430°F/220°C, and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- After 30 minutes, add sugar and baking soda to the boiling water. Boil the bagels, 3-4 at a time, for 1 minute on each side. Transfer the bagels to a clean kitchen towel.
- Brush each boiled bagel with egg wash and sprinkle on your desired toppings. I used poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and flakey salt on mine. Place the bagels on two baking trays lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.