Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels
Includes a shaping demo and all the flavor + topping ideas
About five years into my sourdough journey, I finally worked up the courage to make bagels from scratch, and found they were much easier and way more delicious than I expected!
These fresh milled sourdough bagels are chewy on the outside, soft on the inside, and make the most satisfying, nourishing base for an array of toppings.
I love that this recipe is made a day ahead, and when you wake up the next morning, all you have to do is boil the bagels, roll them in your seasoning of choice, and bake. Our favorite bagel flavors are:
Plain with flake salt - versatile
Everything bagel - classic
Cinnamon sugar - delicious
Once baked, the bagels can be arranged on a plate or tray alongside a toaster or toaster oven with a variety of topping options. This can be as simple or elaborate as you would like.
Some of our family’s favorite bagel toppings to include on the bagel bar are:
Cream cheese
Butter
Bacon
Smoked salmon or lox
Arugula or micro greens
Fresh dill, chives, or fennel fronds
Lemon wedges
Avocado
Fresh figs (when in season)
Jam
Nutella
Honey
Some of our favorite combos are:
Bagel breakfast sandwich - with bacon, sausage, or ham + eggs and melted cheese
Loaded avocado toast bagels
Classic with cream cheese, lox, and chives
Toasted with nutella and peanut butter
Butter, cinnamon, and honey for a sweet treat
…the sky’s the limit.
These bagels are best served right out of the oven, but once cooled, can be stored in a bag or covered cake stand for 2-3 days. You can slice, freeze, and reheat the bagels in the toaster or oven as well.
Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels
makes 12 medium sized bagels
Ingredients for bagels
650 grams fresh milled hard wheat
405 grams water
150 grams sourdough starter
50 grams honey
12 grams salt
for the boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp honey
Mix dough. Combine all bagel ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and knead with the dough hook attachment for 8-10 minutes. You can also knead by hand for 10-12 minutes. The dough will be more stiff than bread dough.
Bulk Ferment for 6-8 hours. Let the dough sit, covered, on the counter for 6-8 hours.
Divide into balls.. After the dough has been bulk fermenting for between 6-8 hours, dump it out on the counter and using a bench scraper and kitchen scale, divide the dough into balls weighing about 100-105 grams each. For larger bagels, you can divide into balls 130-140 grams each, but the recipe will only make about 8 bagels if you opt for the larger size.
Shape bagels. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch your finger through the center of each dough ball, stretching and rolling it into a bagel shape with your hands (see video below). Set bagels 1-2” apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Cover and move to the fridge to cold proof. Cover the bagels with a kitchen towel + bees-wrap or plastic wrap, and place in the fridge overnight.
Preheat oven + boil water. The next morning, preheat the oven to 475º.
Fill a large pot with water, leaving 2-3” of space at the top. Once water comes to a boil, add 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tbsp honey and stir.
Set a cooling rack on top of a kitchen towel.
Boil bagels. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 3-4 bagels at a time into the boiling water, and boil for 30 seconds on each side, transferring to the prepared cooling rack. Repeat until all bagels are boiled.
Roll in toppings of choice. Roll each bagel in topping of choice, and move back to the parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake. Turn oven temp down to 425º. Place baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake. Bagels should be just starting to turn golden.
Cool and slice. Let bagels cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a serving plate or tray.
Bagel Shaping Demo
The girls were watching their favorite movie of all time, Parent Trap, while I was shaping these the other night, so enjoy the real life background noise.
Let me know if you make these, and please share your favorite flavor and topping combinations in the comments!
These bagels look beautiful, Hannah! Going to start a batch for breakfast tomorrow. 😍