Easy Sourdough Bagels [instructions for discard + overnight]
This post may contain affiliate links.
These easy sourdough bagels can be made using discard and will have you wondering why you haven't made them before!
Trust me, you'll never buy them from the store again - especially if you make a double batch and stash half in the freezer.
You can personalise these easy sourdough bagels by topping them with your favorite seeds and seasonings or you might like to try these sourdough pumpkin bagels, jalapeño cheddar sourdough bagels, sourdough rye bagels, cinnamon raisin sourdough bagels or these sourdough egg bagels! And if you love things bite sized don't miss these sourdough discard bagel bites with honey cream cheese dip!
Get your sourdough starter ready ... because you are going to want to make these immediately!
What Makes A Good Bagel?
Made famous in New York, bagels are a Jewish food which translated in German mean "bracelet".
The defining factors of a bagel, in comparison to other breakfast rolls, are that it has a chewy crust, a hole in the middle and a rather dense crumb.
A good bagel will have a distinctive crust - not crunchy, but glossy and chewy. The crumb is soft, but dense and chewy.
They are not traditionally made with eggs or sugar, but rather water and malt. But in more modern times anything goes - and you'll find bagels made with eggs, sugar, milk and a myriad of flavors to boot.
Bagels can be made with a flavored dough, but are more often than not sprinkled with seeds or salt - poppy seeds, sesame seeds and of course "everything bagel seasoning" being the most popular (you've got to try making it yourself with this homemade Everything Bagel recipe).
You can read more about the history of bagels here.
How To Make Sourdough Bagels
Making sourdough bagels is incredibly easy!
It's a lower hydration dough which is really easy to work with.
Using a stand mixer makes the kneading easy and I highly recommend doing this.
Here's how to make sourdough bagels:
- Add sourdough starter (discard), water, flour, sugar, yeast (if using) and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer and bring together to form a shaggy dough.
- Allow the dough to rest for around 15 minutes.
- Knead the dough (you'll need to use a dough hook for stand mixers) for around 10 minutes until it is smooth and supple. This is a stiff dough (much like sandwich bread dough) so it won't be super elastic, however it should be smooth and not sticky.
- Once the dough is sufficiently kneaded, you'll need to allow it to rise or ferment.You want the dough to double and be puffy and soft.
- Once the dough has risen, you'll need to shape the bagels. It's quite simple, you just need a little patience.Divide the dough into 12 pieces weighing 80g each. Shape each piece of dough into a small ball.
- Take each ball and poke a hole in the middle. Gently stretch the hole out and then place each bagel on a sheet of baking paper to rise.
- Cover the bagels with a dish cloth and allow them become lovely and puffy.
- While they are puffing up, bring a pot of water with 40g of honey added to the boil and preheat your oven to 200C/392F.
- When the water is boiling, carefully place 3-4 bagels into the boiling water at a time. You want to boil them for around 30 seconds each. They should float to the surface and that's when you know to take them out.If you prefer really chewy bagels, boil them for up to 2 minutes each.
- Carefully remove the bagels from the boiling water using a slotted spoon.If you want to add seeds or seasonings, dip the wet bagel into the seeds/seasonings before placing on a baking tray. You can leave them plain if you wish. I like to do a mix of seeded and plain.
- Bake the bagels for around 20 - 25 minutes at 200C/392F. Remove them from the oven when they are golden brown.
- Allow them to cool before you enjoy them!
Video on How To Shape Sourdough Bagels
Are Bagels Sourdough Normally?
Traditional bagels are not sourdough. They are made using commercial yeast.
Bagels can easily be made using a sourdough starter however, because the commercial yeast is simply replaced by the yeast in a sourdough starter.
Bagels using commercial yeast are normally allowed to rise very slowly to give them that distinct flavor and texture.
Bagels are traditionally a lean dough, but if you prefer egg bagels, try this easy Sourdough Egg Bagel recipe.
Discard or Starter?
You can make these sourdough bagels using discard or fed starter.
I love making them with fed, bubbly starter and leaving the to bulk ferment on the counter overnight. It gives them such a lovely, distinct sourdough flavor.
If you would like to use discard, I recommend adding just a pinch of yeast, particularly if you're still in the establishment stage of your sourdough starter.
This means you can still leave them on the counter overnight if you want to.
Adding more than a pinch of commercial yeast will make them rise much faster - and this is good if you need them in a hurry (tell me it's not just me that wakes up craving bagels for breakfast?).
So there's a few options I've given - and I've put them in a little table to make it easier to understand:
| Starter | Yeast | Bulk Ferment |
| Fed, Active Sourdough Starter | No | Overnight (or until the dough has doubled). |
| Sourdough Discard | Pinch | Overnight (or until the dough has doubled). |
| Sourdough Discard | Up to 7g | Around 1-2 hours (or until the dough has doubled). |
If you're confused about the difference between sourdough starter and discard, you'll find a full explanation of sourdough discard here.
Why Do You Boil Sourdough Bagels?
Sourdough bagels are different from other types of rolls because they are boiled in water before being baked in the oven.
They can be boiled in plain water or water with baking soda, lye, malt syrup or honey added.
I find they taste best when boiled in honey water. The honey gives them the most lovely golden crust once baked.
The boiling of the bagels sets the crust and gives them their signature chewiness. The longer you boil them, the chewier the crust will be.
They will look a little lumpy and bumpy after boiling. This is normal and they will still bake as per normal.
Once they are boiled, you can dip them in any seeds you'd like to top them with.
The boiled bagels will be wet and a little sticky so the seeds will stick to them.
Do You Have To Use A Stand Mixer?
I highly recommend using a stand mixer for sourdough bagel dough.
It's quite low hydration and is a stiffer dough than a regular sourdough bread.
I mix this dough in a Thermomix and use the knead function for around 3 to 4 minutes.
If you are using a regular stand mixer with a dough hook, 5 to 10 minutes at speed 2 will get the dough mixed. Just remember to give the machine a break every 2 minutes to protect the motor.
You can knead this dough by hand but it will take lots of muscles to get the dough worked through. But it's definitely doable!
Whatever you do - do not add extra water to the dough as this can make the dough too soft and you will not be able to shape the bagels correctly.
Timeline for Sourdough Bagels
It's really good to have a timeline worked out for baking sourdough bagels - so that you can have them baked fresh for breakfast.
It can be overwhelming to schedule sourdough, so here's the timetable I work to when making these for breakfast. Remember this is an example only!
DAY 1
Lunchtime - feed sourdough starter.
7pm - mix the bagel dough and set aside to ferment overnight.
DAY 2
6am - shape sourdough bagels and set aside to get puffy.
7.30am - preheat oven and put on pot of boiling water.
7.45am - boil bagels and then into the oven by 8am
Using this timetable, you could be eating warm bagels by 8.30am!
If you are using discard with a little yeast, this timetable will still work - just make sure it's literally just a pinch or they will over ferment overnight.
You'll find a full guide to creating sourdough baking timetables here.
How To Eat Sourdough Bagels
Bagels can be enjoyed with both sweet and savory toppings. You can pretty much put anything you like on a bagel.
Traditionally they are eaten with cream cheese or lox - but these days, pretty much anything goes!
Some of the most delicious toppings for your bagels include:
- Cream cheese, deli ham and sliced tomato with lashings of black pepper.
- Smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese topped with some fresh dill.
- Seeded bagels are delicious with this whipped garlic and herb butter.
- Plain bagels work well with this cream cheese fig spread (seriously yummy) or this cultured butter.
How To Store Sourdough Bagels
Sourdough bagels are best eaten fresh. Allow them to cool a little and then slice them open.
They should be consumed within 12 hours of baking for the best crust and crumb experience.
They do freeze well. I use a large ziploc bag and place the bagels in. You can then remove them as you need.
Allow them to defrost completely before toasting or warming slightly in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Flat sourdough bagels are generally a result of under fermentation or under proofing. This means you haven't allowed the sourdough starter or yeast to fully rise the dough which means they won't puffy up properly when you bake them. They will dense and much more chewy than they should be. The solution for this is to allow the bagels plenty of time to rise, particularly after shaping.
Bagels are often boiled in honey, sugar or even malt syrup. All of these ingredients are high in sugar. Bagels are then placed onto a baking tray where the bottom is in contact with the tray. As they are quite small, bagels don't take long to bake and the extra sugar sitting on the crust can cause premature browning. Just keep an eye on your bagels while baking to ensure you can turn the temperature down if necessary.
No you can't over knead bagel dough, particularly because bagel dough is generally very low in hydration which means you really do need to work the dough hard to ensure it's fully combined and the gluten network develops sufficiently.
Want More Recipes?
Need more sourdough breakfast recipes? Why not try some of these ideas:
- Sourdough Egg Bagels
- Soft Sourdough Pretzels
- No Wait Sourdough Waffles
- Sourdough English Muffins
- Easy Sourdough Granola
Sourdough Discard Bagels Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer recommended
- Baking Trays
- Stock Pot for boiling bagels
- Slotted Spoon
Ingredients
- 100 g Sourdough Starter can be discard or fed and bubbly
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 250 g Water Warm
- pinch Instant Yeast if using sourdough discard
- 30 g Sugar
- 10 g Salt
For Boiling
- 2 Litres Water
- 40 g Honey
Instructions
- I recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe as it is a stiff dough and can easily be kneaded in a stand mixer.Add sourdough starter (discard), water, flour, sugar, yeast (if using) and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer and bring together to form a shaggy dough (you can use the paddle for this part).If using a Thermomix, just knead the ingredients for 30 seconds til it forms a shaggy dough.
- Allow the dough to rest for around 15 minutes.
- Knead the dough (you'll need to use a dough hook for stand mixers) for around 10 minutes until it is smooth and supple. This is a stiff dough (much like sandwich bread dough) so it won't be super elastic, however it should be smooth and not sticky. Remember to give the stand mixer a break every few minutes.If using a Thermomix, knead the dough for up to 4 minutes.
- Once the dough is sufficiently kneaded, you'll need to allow it to rise or ferment.You want the dough to double and be puffy and soft.
- Once the dough has risen, you'll need to shape the bagels. It's quite simple, you just need a little patience.Divide the dough into 12 pieces weighing 80g each. Shape each piece of dough into a small ball.
- Take each ball and poke a hole in the middle. Gently stretch the hole out and then place each bagel on a sheet of baking paper to rise.
- Cover the bagels with a dish cloth and allow them become lovely and puffy.
- While they are puffing up, bring a pot of water with 40g of honey added to the boil and preheat your oven to 200C/392F.
- When the water is boiling, carefully place 3-4 bagels into the boiling water at a time. You want to boil them for around 30 seconds each. They should float to the surface and that's when you know to take them out.If you prefer really chewy bagels, boil them for up to 2 minutes each.
- Carefully remove the bagels from the boiling water using a slotted spoon.If you want to add seeds or seasonings, dip the wet bagel into the seeds/seasonings before placing on a baking tray.You can leave them plain if you wish. I like to do a mix of seeded and plain.
- Bake the bagels for around 20 - 25 minutes at 200C/392F. Remove them from the oven when they are golden brown.
- Allow them to cool before you enjoy them!
Do you have a conversion table for your recipes? Ounces, cups, tsp,Tbsp?
Love this recipe for discard bagels! Dough is easy to work with and shape. Found other sourdough bagel recipe doughs sticky and a little frustrating.
I see you were up late doing yours! I was too. Haven’t tried mine yet, my first.
How long does this take to double? Can I leave it over night?
When I moved the bagels to the boiling water they deflated and lost their puffiness. How do I avoid that? I was bummed after all that work.
Can I make a double batch of discard bagels?
You sure can!
Can these be long fermented like bread? For 3ish days? I need them to be as low glycemic load as possible.
I love love love this recipe. The family thought I bought them from the bakery! My husband wants me to make blueberry and/or raspberry bagels. Any advice on incorporating?
So glad you love the recipe. You can certainly add blueberry and raspberries - I'd probably add dried fruits as they won't bleed. I'd knead them in just before bulk fermentation 🙂
Can whole wheat flour be partially substituted?
Can you use all purpose flour vs bread?
thanks
Jeanne
This was the first time I have made bagels and they were AMAZING. These give New York bagels a rub for their money and defiantly beat any of my local chain bagel shops. I will be making these again next weekend!
Any suggestions if not browning?
never mind lol will try again —-oven didn’t get to temp. Thanks for this recipe
I am trying to bake with healthier flours; can you use fresh ground hard red wheat berries?
My bagels always stick. What am I doing wrong? I've done with and without parchment.
I've never had an issue with them sticking, however maybe try spraying some olive oil spray on the parchment paper to prevent this in the future 🙂
My bagels stuck to the parchment/baking paper when they were rising but the tops dried out. Any suggestions? They look a bit of a mess now, but still taste good so I'd like to try again.
Oh my gosh. Tried bagels for the first time today and they turned out amazing! My boys loved them. I didn’t have much for toppings but I added plain old grated Parmesan to some, and they were the best!
How long should the bagels rest after they are shaped? The recipe reads as if it’s just while the oven preheats and the water boils so that’s what’s I’ll do today and I guess we will see if I’m right 🙂
I made bagels once before many years ago to the first time I made yours with the sourdough. These were so easy to make, and so delicious. I’m not going to make any other kind of bagels moving forward.
I was wondering though if I didn’t want to make it as a sourdough bagel, is there a specific number of grams of yeast that I can use instead of the 100g of sourdough starter?
These were fantastic! They tasted great and the texture was perfect. I don't think I can go back to store bought bagels anymore 🙂
If I wanted to make cheddar jalapeno bagels, can I mix the cheese right into the dough instead of just grating it on top?
Yes I’ve added the cheese right into the dough, I find adding my inclusions into the dough with the wet ingredients is easier
Hi,
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant?
I made them for the first time today. I started them last night and let the dough rise in the refrigerator. I think it took a bit longer for them to rise again as a bagel but the overnight method is perfect if you want fresh bagels in the morning,
These might be the best thing I’ve made! I used an AP flour active starter and followed the recipe to a T. They’ve got the perfect bagel texture and blistering on top. This is now my go-to bagel recipe!
I'm a little confused about timing if not using discard. Mix together and leave on counter or in fridge overnight?
I used bubbly and active starter and let the dough rest overnight. Made 8 bagels and they were about palm sized. It was delicious and fairly easy! Definitely will make again and double so I can freeze bagels.
The only 2 notes I had for next time would be
1. to roll out the dough into logs and THEN form circles for the bagel shape. I did the ball then whole in middle method for half my dough- after proofing they basically looked like rolls again lol.
2. Have parchment paper squares to place your bagels. Easy to dump into the boiling water and remove paper
Hi there! Wondering what your thoughts are on subbing honey in for the sugar? Also wondering what the difference is in flavor to your egg bagels
Thoughts on freezing them after they've been shaped for quick access to freshly baked bagels? I know you Mentioned freezing them after they've been baked, but freshly baked is something else. Upon my hubby's request I'm asking if you've tried this or think it would work.
These sourdough bagels are so good! Worth having the oven on in the middle of a Michigan summer!
How long do you let them rise and ferment for, normally??
There's no set time here, but this is a very low hydration dough so it does take longer to ferment than my regular sourdough bread recipe. Warmth is the key here - if you are wanting a faster ferment, try to leave the dough somewhere a bit warmer 🙂
So I have made this recipe a couple times. The flavor is always good, but it seems like when I am using sourdough discard I struggle with my dough rising well and getting puffy. Then when I boil them they immediately sink to the bottom of my pot. What might I be doing wrong? I've made bagels many times just using active dry yeast and never have this issue, but anytime I use sourdough discard the bagels seem dense.
Did you ever figure out why? I’m dealing with the same issue and I’m following every instruction too!
Love the bagels Question? Would it be ok for them to ferment/proof overnight? vs the 2 hours Should I put them in the refrigerator than countertop? Or all night counter top?
Thanks
Jeanne
If dough is left to ferment overnight in the fridge, should it be handled any differently in the a.m. for shaping? Should it be left out to get to room temp first?
Should the overnight rise be (1) in the fridge or (2) on the counter? Which is best? I am using active starter. The recipe doesn't specify. A comment said they used the fridge but it made a.m. rise longer.
on the counter, bulk fermentation is always done on the counter 🙂
How long is the bulk fermentation approximately? The recipe says 2 hours for “time” at the top, but then the timeline you give days to mix, knead and bulk ferment overnight?
Can you over ferment? What happens? I think I did (on counter) and they also may have overproofed (got home late) and came out flat. Thoughts?
Can I use AP flour for these instead of bread flour? I have been making them with BF and they are phenomenal but today when I made them I didn’t even realize I was scooping from the AP until it was too late. Wondering if I should toss it or if it’s ok to continue?
Could you use the dough cycle in a bread machine to start these?
Yes for sure you can do that 🙂
I look forward to giving this a try! How would you suggest I adapt the recipe for fresh ground 100% whole wheat or other whole grain?
I've made 3 batches, one of which was the cinnamon raisin receipe.
I took a mix from the kast 2 batches to my sewing group.
So good!
I will make them again.
Sourdough Bagels recipe and instruction from The Pantry Mama was terrific! I have been terrified to try these and bought other peoples, but now I can make and customize my own!
YAY! That's so awesome! xo
Pantry mama, you are awesome!!!
Made these several times already — they are my husband’s fave! Is the sugar an essential component to this recipe or could I leave it out?
Can I refrigerate the dough once I shape the bagels and boil them the next morning?
You sure can! You'll add them to the fridge after shaping and then allow them to proof at room temperature before boiling.
Loved making the sourdough bagels! super easy to make, the first time I made them they worked out perfectly. Made them again this weekend and for some reason when I put them into the boiling water they didnt sink just stayed floating on the top? Made absolutely no difference to the taste of them, just wondered why that happend?
It's fine if they stay on top of the water, mine don't sink at all 🙂
This was a very easy recipe to follow. My shaping needs work (practice) but the bagels were really good. I made whole wheat honey. Another successful bake for me.
I made the cinnamon raisin bagels. They were excellent, and the recipe and tips were very easy to follow. Love all the recipes from PM I’ve tried! Having a lot of fun in my kitchen and I send my thanks!
Hi! Could I ask the amount of raisin and cinnamon you used? Also, did you change the amount of any of the other ingredients?
Thank you 😊🙏
I've written up a recipe for sourdough cinnamon raisin bagels 🙂 I hope this helps 🙂
I made these today using your recipe but adding about a cup of Craisins during initial kneading, and doing a final kneading on a surface lined with a sprinkling of flour, sugar, and cinnamon.
We just went through hurricane Ian here in Cape Coral, FL, and we still have no power. Forced to innovate, I baked these supported by a wire trivet in a Dutch oven on a propane fired Cajun cooker set to as low a flame as possible. I could only bake 4 at a time so it took me a while, but these turned out perfect! I saved a couple for breakfast tomorrow so my wife can try them, but the rest I have to the family next door. I will bake a double batch tomorrow to share with other neighbors suffering in the hurricane aftermath. Your recipe is providing comfort food to people seriously in nerf right now. Thank you SO much for posting it!
I made the dough using discard and "pinch" of yeast as pr recipe and after an hour of proofing no rise I had a lump of playdough. So I watched the video which said up to 7 grams. So I started again with 7 grams of yeast and it worked. They are not very attractive lol I haven't got the knack of handling them yet but they are delicious. Very chewy and bagel like. Once I perfect my technique they will be 5/5
I used discard and the amount of yeast I used was like 3 pinches (using all five fingers to pinch) of yeast.
I then used my stand mixer to knead it and my dough was pretty warm by the end of mixing so I just chucked it in the fridge for like 16hrs as I made it around 5pm the day before. My dough rose well during its bulk ferment in the fridge.
Easy to shape as well since it was cold, then I did some errands. Proofed for like 1.5hrs to get it nice and soft:)
It looked so simple I decided it'd be my first sourdough recipe... and I think I failed miserably! it hasn't risen at all, even though the starter was so nice and bubbly! he's 3 weeks old and doubles well... idk what went wrong 🙁
Hi!
I was wondering how much is a “pinch” of commercial yeast to use with the discard? 2 or 3g? I’m afraid I’ll put too much. I tend to be heavy handed sometimes with my pinches of spice when I cook. I want to be able to leave the dough overnight on my counter and not risk over proofing.
Thanks! 🙂
I’m not sure what went wrong, I followed the recipe and let the dough rise on the counter overnight. I woke up and the dough didn’t rise/was play dough. I used an active start that was fed about 7 hours before.
The dough turned out very sticky is this normal? Difficult to roll and shape even with the use of rice flour.
Rave reviews from all who tasted them - including me! 😍🥯 Thank you for this recipe - Five Stars! ⭐️
Heyyyy! I have been making your discard bagel recipe forever, and I love them. Just recently I discovered that this recipe also makes the most delicious sourdough loaf as well! I don’t even have to do coil folds. Just ferment overnight, pop in fridge and bake later. The sourdough flavor is out if this world!! Thanks Pantry Mama.
I am a bagel freak and I LOVE THESE BAGELS! They are Amazing and yes as good as a Jewish Bakery in the US. The dough was beautiful and everything worked out as per the directions. I let mine cook to the 2 minutes because I like the chewy. TPM never disappoints!