Simple step by step tutorial for homemade sourdough bagels made with whole grains – mix with your favorite ingredients or toppings to make your own. If you like this recipe, you’ll also like the Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread recipe on the Best Bread Recipes page.
After many attempts at making bagels, I finally found a great whole wheat-yeast bagel recipe from my friend Gina. But then my sourdough started taking off and I found I was making most of our bread with my sourdough starter, so I needed to create a way to replicate the successful recipe to work with my starter.
I tweaked two sourdough recipes and combined them with Gina’s method to develop what I think are the perfect sourdough bagels- in fact, my family loves it when I make these!
Simple Sourdough Bagels Tutorial
It’s always best to start with a really active sourdough starter. I’ve written previously about how I grew my sourdough starter and the tips I use to keep it active without a lot of work and I’ve managed to keep it alive for many years doing this.
The picture above was taken in the morning after I had gotten the starter out of the fridge the night before, fed it and left it on the counter so it was ready to go in the morning.
When all the ingredients are mixed, you will notice that this dough is much stiffer than other doughs, pulling cleanly away from the bowl. It really gives the mixer a work out!
TIP: Sourdough does take longer to rise, though, so I usually plan to mix it in the morning and finish it in the evening right before dinner.
When it’s ready to shape, transfer it to a floured surface (I use a towel whenever I’m dealing with bread- it’s easy clean-up and less flour needed).
Separate the dough into 12-18 pieces.
TIP: In order to get somewhat equal pieces, I like to flatten the dough with a rolling pin- approximately a 10×13-inch rectangle is good – and use a sharp knife to cut into equal (or as equal as you can) pieces. Then it’s easy to cut a little from the bigger pieces and add to the corners.
I used to make a dozen, but found that the bagels just were too big (I think store-bought ones are too big, too – it’s part of my real-food-in-moderation philosophy), so now I cut the dough into 18 pieces.
There are two ways to form bagels:
- The first is to roll each piece of dough into a rope and pinch the ends together creating the bagel.
- I find the second way to be the quickest: pinch each piece together creating a ball, like my Soft 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls, and then:
Simply use your thumb to punch through the center of the dough ball, stretching a bit as you do in order to create the classic bagel shape.
It’s not perfect (but that’s hardly ever my goal, remember?), but it will puff more during the boiling and baking stages.
After all the bagels have been shaped, set them aside to rest for about an hour under a dampened towel.
The classic ingredient to add to the water for bagels is malt syrup. Right. Obviously most of us never have that around.
That’s one of the reasons I loved Gina’s yeast recipe- she used baking soda and it turned out wonderful bagels that weren’t all misshapen like the others I had tried that used honey as a replacement. For some reason using just soda alone creates the most uniform bagels for me.
Boil the bagels for one minute, turning them at the halfway mark.
The bagels on the right have been boiled, those on the left not. You can see that they puff up a bit during this stage. It’s OK to put them close together on the baking sheet, as they won’t puff up much more during baking.
Bake as is, or coat with a bit of milk or an egg glaze (water+beaten egg) and the topping of your choice- sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion flakes. Even a bit of kosher salt is yummy on these sourdough bagels.
Click the arrow for the full printable sourdough bagel recipe!
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Joni says
April 9 at 4:54 amHi Jami,
I made these topped with “Everything” bagel seasoning and they came out wonderful and were a huge hit! I want to make them with the seasoning mixed in this time so the bottom gets more of the flavor. Should I add the seasoning (or any other add-ins like cinnamon/raisins) before or after the rise?
Jami says
April 11 at 9:27 amGlad you like them, Joni! You can add flavorings when you add the ingredients, before kneading.
Suzette says
February 9 at 8:35 amThey came out soooo good! This is the first bagel recipe I have tried where my bagels didn’t collapse after baking. Thanks so much! I used all-purpose flour and butter instead of oil because its what I had on hand. And I let the dough sit all day on the counter because I was working. They were still amazing!
★★★★★
Jami says
February 11 at 3:15 pmGlad to hear it, Suzette! And that’s one of the pros of working with sourdough – it’s not so crucial to stop the rise as it is with yeast doughs, and often they do better with a longer rise.
Lisle says
January 30 at 2:15 amI msde your bagels yesterday, and wow, they were the best I’ve every made. First time using sour dough for the levain. I’ve had trouble with yeasted bagels collapsing after the bake. Not these! They are just perfect. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Jami says
January 30 at 9:44 amYeah!! I love hearing this, Lisle, so thank you for leaving a comment!
Rochelle says
December 12 at 7:59 pmDoes the starter need to be fed first or can it be used straight from the fridge?
Thanks!
Jami says
December 13 at 8:59 pmIt should be fed first and doubling in a couple of hours first. 🙂
Sheila says
November 11 at 6:19 pmI’ve made these twice now……and they’re delicious!!! Came out perfectly both times. I’ve also made your easy sourdough artisan bread a few times and that’s come out wonderfully as well. Not all recipes have worked out for me…..but I’ve been a complete success with your recipes! Thanks a bunch!
Jami says
November 12 at 10:04 amI’m SO happy to know this, Shelia – thank you for letting me know!
★★★★★
Bobbi Jo says
July 30 at 1:36 pmI forgot to ask… do I need to add more water because of the minced onion? I’m assuming the dehydrated onions will soak up some of the water.
Jami says
August 1 at 8:23 pmHmm, I don’t know – I wouldn’t at first and see what the dough is like.
Bobbi Jo says
July 30 at 1:18 pmI am wondering if you have an amount you use of minced onion and powdered onion in the recipe for the onion bagels. I’ve made the plain and cinnamon raisin a lot and someone ask me if I would make them some onion bagels. I found a recipe that says 1/2 c. minced onion and that just seems like a lot and it didn’t say anything about onion powder. I love the bagels and my family and friends do as well. I make some at least once a week.
★★★★★
Jami says
August 1 at 8:22 pmIf it’s dehydrated onion, I’d agree with you that 1/2 cup seems too much. I’d go with 1/4 cup and maybe just 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder the first batch – if you feel it needs more you can make a note to up it later.
Linda Compton says
July 30 at 11:04 amFantastic recipe, made the starter from scratch and actually made a batch of bagels yesterday. Turned out great! Really prefer the texture taste they have from the store bought ones. Want to try english muffins and more bagels. Had put the rest in the refrigerator, took it out again this morning, added flour and water. I guess my question is how many days should I wait again before I can use it? Thanks again
★★★
Jami says
July 30 at 12:09 pmCongrats! Nothing like fresh sourdough bread from scratch is there? 🙂
You’ll want to wait until the starter doubles in size from a feeding. Often after refrigeration, this will take a couple feedings.
★★★★★
Laura says
May 19 at 7:00 amThis recipe is amazing! Hubby and I eat a lot of bagels but I don’t love buying from the grocery store bakery. I add a whole grain blend to half Andy everything seasoning to the other… looking forward to branching out and trying more flavors. These are perfect for us! Haven’t delved into making a loaf of bread yet, but I’m curious, could this recipe be used to make a loaf pan or Dutch oven type of sourdough? Or would I need to adjust ratios?
Thanks! 🙂
★★★★★
Jami says
May 20 at 8:50 pmI’m glad you like these, Laura! I haven’t tried making anything else with the dough, since bagel dough is different than bread. I do have a really good sourdough artisan bread, though: Sourdough Artisan Bread Give it a try!
Audrey says
March 5 at 11:15 amI must be missing it in the recipe, but I don’t see what temperature to bake the bagels at?
Thanks!
Jami says
March 6 at 8:30 pmClick the arrow to the full printable recipe, either at the top or bottom of the article, Audrey!
Jaclyn says
February 26 at 4:33 pmThis recipe is FANTASTIC! It wasn’t until I started baking with sourdough that I was able to successfully make a true loaf of sandwich bread. When I came across your recipe, I knew I had to try it. My family loves these bagels! I’ve made them several times, always at least doubling the recipe (family of 8), always with the intention of freezing some, but they never last that long! Even for a novice sourdough baker, this recipe was easy to follow and came together beautifully. I do have a dough hook, but, always make these by hand. I find kneading dough to be relaxing.
★★★★★
Jami says
February 26 at 5:44 pmI’m so glad you like these as much as we do, Jaclyn and that the directions were easy to follow. It truly is my desire to have everyone be successful at baking and cooking. 🙂
Katherine says
April 14 at 7:35 pmJaclyn, do you mind if I ask how long you knead these for? I have a dough hook and mixer, but last time I made these my mixer was really struggling and I don’t want to kill it accidentally.
★★★★★
Jaclyn says
April 17 at 11:48 amHi Katherine!
I normally knead the dough around 6 minutes by hand – it’s more of a feel than a time though. It just starts to look and feel right. But when I first started making these (I’ve lost count of the number of times and my 14 yr old daughter even made rainbow bagels), I timed it to between 4 and 6 minutes. I hope this helps!
Katherine says
April 17 at 3:42 pmPerfect! Thank you!
Joyce says
February 18 at 1:00 pmMy husband is gluten sensitive and can only tolerate sourdough breads that have and overnight ferment. Can these be refrigerated overnight, if so at what point would I put them into the fridge? Thank you for all your help. Joyce
Jami says
February 18 at 5:24 pmSourdough is usually really forgiving like that, Joyce, so I would think this would work although I haven’t tried it. To experiment, give it an overnight rise at step 3 instead of the 4 hour. Then I’d bring it back to room temp before continuing and see how that works. If the bagels are flatter than you’d like, you may want to do the full 4 hr. rise after refrigerating.
Katey says
March 11 at 2:47 pmI mix my dough and let it sit on the counter overnight to ferment. Always works perfect for me.
Nikki says
November 18 at 3:19 pmCan I use discarded starter that was saved up in fridge?
Jami says
November 20 at 3:52 pmYes, I just use it to make things that don’t need strong rising, like crackers or waffles.
Dan says
November 12 at 6:32 pmHey I love this recipe!
Cayla says
August 3 at 2:23 amI love this recipe! I use one fifth rye flour as well as a little vital wheat gluten. Eventually, after making them about six times, I ordered some barley malt syrup — it makes for a lovely colour, but your original recipe tastes just as good.
Jami says
August 3 at 2:55 pmThat’s so good to know, Cayla! I always thought they tasted similar. 🙂
Lorie says
July 2 at 7:04 pmJust wanted to drop a note to say I baked these today and they turned out great! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Jami says
July 3 at 10:18 amThank you for taking the time to let me know, Lorie, I’m so happy you liked them!
Miriam Holleb says
June 14 at 7:18 amI was so excited when I found this sourdough bagel recipe when looking for recipes other than a loaf for my starter that was growing quickly. I’ve made these multiple times now and everyone LOVES them. My family and friends can’t get enough. I’m making them for father’s day because he loves them especially! Thank you so much for sharing!
Jami says
June 14 at 4:05 pmWow, that’s awesome, Miriam! I sure know that feeling of “we can only eat so much loaf breads…” 😉
Wendy says
April 15 at 1:18 pmThank you so much for this recipe! A friend gave me a sourdough starter and I could not get my family to enjoy the flavor of sourdough bread. These were a HUGE hit and will stay a regular in our house! I’ve made 3 batches(onion/garlic, cinnamon, and plain) and they’ve turned out perfectly every time. I do not feel the need to ever buy another store bought bagel. 🙂
Jami says
April 17 at 9:53 amWow, you do not know how happy that makes me, Wendy! I love helping people be free of as many store-bought things as possible. 🙂
Alana says
January 24 at 3:23 pmcould you make these into a bun and stuff them…thanks!
Jami says
January 25 at 11:57 amI haven’t tried that, Alana, but I don’t see why not!
A_Boleyn says
December 8 at 5:25 pmBeautiful bagels.