Sourdough Bagels - A Plain Bagel Recipe Made With Your Starter

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

---

I do not like bagels. I never have. And if you know me, you know that being allergic to dairy and loving cream cheese the way I do made bagels feel like a special kind of cruelty. So for most of my life, I just skipped them entirely.

But my Uncle Danny loves bagels. I mean really loves them. I know this because I watched his cats while he was out of town, and when I opened his refrigerator, an entire shelf was dedicated to cream cheese. At least ten different containers. It was impressive, honestly.

He had gone down to Florida to visit my Aunt Pauline. Her husband Rhett, who was Uncle Danny's brother, passed away a while back. My uncle and my dad have made a quiet habit of making sure she still feels looked after and connected to the family. It is one of those things you do not make a big deal about. You just do it. I think that says everything about the kind of people they are.

Aunt Pauline made oatmeal every morning while he was there. He loved her and he loved the oatmeal. But he was also very ready to get home to his bagel.

So when he got back, I decided to make him some. I had been practicing my sourdough skills with Janet, my sourdough starter, and I figured bagels were the next step worth taking.

I made the first batch and spread some non-dairy butter on one for myself, mostly out of curiosity. I was not expecting much.

It was really good. Like, stop-and-think-about-it good.

My husband tried half of one and told me it was the best bagel he had ever had. He is not dramatic, so I believed him.

I have made three batches since then, adjusting and tweaking until I landed on this final version. These are the ones I am sharing today.

Jump to Recipe

Why Sourdough Bagels are Different

Store-bought bagels are fine. But sourdough bagels are a completely different thing.

The fermentation process gives them a depth of flavor that commercial yeast cannot replicate. The crust has that subtle chew. The crumb is tender but structured.

And because you are working with a live culture, the flavor develops slowly in the refrigerator during the overnight rest. That is where most of the flavor comes from.

A Note on Size

Most bagel recipes call for 150g to 170g of dough per bagel. That gives you the large bakery-style bagel most people picture.

I use 100g per bagel.

My Uncle Danny mentioned he prefers bagels that are not oversized, and honestly, once I made them at 100g, I agreed. The size is just right. You get a proper bagel with a good hole and a satisfying chew without it being a full meal on its own.

How to Make Sourdough Bagels

Step 1: Mix the Dough

Add your warm water, active starter and maple syrup to your stand mixer bowl. Add the flour, sugar and salt. Mix until the dough comes together. Knead briefly until smooth.

This is a stiffer dough than you are used to with sandwich bread. That is completely normal. Bagel dough is meant to be firm.

Step 2: Rest and Refrigerate

Knead your dough briefly, then cover and let it rest on the counter for at least one hour.

After that hour, your dough will feel a bit more relaxed. Briefly knead your dough again.

Then transfer it to the refrigerator overnight.

When you pull it out the next morning, your dough should be doubled in size before you move on to shaping. Do not rush this step.

Step 3: Divide the Dough

Turn your dough out onto your work surface and divide it using a bench scraper into 100g portions. A kitchen scale is not optional here. Consistent weight means consistent bagels every time.

OXO kitchen scale

Step 4: Shape into Balls

Roll each portion into a smooth tight ball. Pinch any seams closed underneath.

Step 5: Shape the Bagels

Poke your thumb through the center of each ball and gently stretch the hole to about 1.5 to 2 inches wide. Place each shaped bagel on a small square of parchment paper. Cover and let rest until puffy.

Step 6: Rest Until Puffy

Place shaped bagels in covered containers on small squares of parchment paper. Let them rest until they look noticeably puffy before moving on to the boil.

Step 7: Boil the Bagels

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 50g of maple syrup. The maple syrup gives the crust its subtle shine and a faint sweetness on the outside.

Boil each bagel for 30 seconds per side. Do not overcrowd the pot.

Step 8: Egg Wash

Place your boiled bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush each one generously with beaten egg. This is what gives them that golden glossy finish you see in the photos.

Step 9: Bake and Cool

Bake at 425 degrees for 18 minutes until deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack immediately.

Let them cool for a full hour before slicing. Slicing too soon compresses the crumb and changes the texture.

Tips Before You Start

Your starter needs to be active. If my starter Janet has not been fed recently, I feed her and wait until she is bubbly and at peak before beginning. Janet starter maintenance blog

Weigh your portions. Every single time. A kitchen scale is the difference between bagels that look like yours and bagels that look like someone else's. OXO scale

Do not skip the maple syrup in the boiling water. It makes a noticeable difference in the finished crust.

The 30 second boil per side is right. Do not go longer. Over-boiling makes the crust too thick and tough.

Cool for the full hour. This is the hardest part and also the most important part. You do not want "gummy" textured bagels.

These freeze beautifully. Slice before freezing and they go straight from the freezer to the toaster.

How I Like to Eat Them

Plain sourdough bagels are a blank canvas. Here is how they get eaten in our house.

With non-dairy butter. This is my version. Warm bagel, generous spread, nothing else needed. It was the first thing I put on one and I have not needed to change it since.

With cream cheese. My husband's version. He does not have the same dairy restrictions I do, so he gets the full experience. If cream cheese is your thing, a plain sourdough bagel is going to make you very happy.

As a breakfast sandwich. Bacon, egg and cheese if that is your world. The structure of a sourdough bagel holds up to a full breakfast sandwich without falling apart on you.

---

What's Coming Next

Blueberry sourdough bagels are already on my list. Follow along on Pinterest so you do not miss it when that post goes live.

---

Save this Recipe to Pinterest