Some recipes refuse to sit still, and bagels kept pulling me back to the bench with questions. What if the levain carried some of the sweetness instead of dumping it all into the final dough? What if I swapped the single flour for a blend with more character—some whole grains, a little lower protein for more tenderness and openness? What if I shaped them differently and gave the dough an overnight rest in the cold, then boiled them with something other than water?
This version answers all of those questions. It’s a recipe, much like My Best Sourdough Bread, where the sum of all the little parts of the process, when seen from up close, don’t look like a big deal, but when seen as a whole, certainly do.
And, I’ve been reworking this formula for a while now, one variable at a time, the way you do when a recipe is close but not quite there. The flour blend was the first thing to change: a mix of high- and medium-protein white flours, some whole wheat, and a little whole rye. Then the levain, which I created with a small amount of sugar to skew the balance toward a yeast-heavy culture for less sourness carrying through to the finished bagel. Then the shaping—I moved to the poke method, which is simpler for a higher-hydration dough. And finally, the overnight retard, which changed the crust and flavor in a way I didn’t fully expect. The crumb opened up slightly, the crust developed more blisters, and the whole thing tasted more complex in the oven, with a delightful crispness and color. More like what I want a bagel to be.
This isn’t a radical departure from the original. It’s the same bread, just sharpened a bit.
Video: Watch Me Make These New Wave Sourdough Bagels
How Are These Bagels Different From Your Cookbook?
The sourdough bagel recipe in my first sourdough cookbook is more of a traditional New York-style bagel: chewy, with a slightly thicker crust and a closed crumb.
This “new wave” sourdough bagel, as I like to call it, leans more toward what you might find at newer bagel shops (like the uber-popular Courage Bagels in Los Angeles): a lighter bagel with a glossy, blistered crust that’s slightly crispy, a little less uniform in shape and structure, and a more open crumb.
Tips for Shaping, Boiling, and Baking Sourdough Bagels
A few things I’ve learned after making more batches of these than I care to count:
Use the poke method for shaping. Instead of rolling a rope and joining the ends (which can come apart during boiling and is harder to do with higher hydration doughs), I poke a hole through the center of each ball and gently stretch it open. It’s faster, more forgiving, and produces a more even ring. I’ll walk through it in detail in the method below.
Don’t skip the overnight retard. You can bake these same-day if you’re in a rush, but the cold overnight rest does contribute. The flavor deepens, and the scheduling is better: you shape one evening, boil and bake the next morning.
Get the boil water right. Adding lots of barley malt syrup to the water is the classic move, and it makes a real difference. The malt contributes to crust color and adds a layer of flavor you can’t replicate any other way. I also add a teaspoon of baking soda to increase alkalinity and further help with crust coloring. After everything is added, the water should look quite dark.
Boil time and intensity matter. I keep the boil short, for about 20 to 30 seconds per side. A shorter boil gives you a thinner, crispier crust. A longer boil builds more chew and a denser, more traditional skin. I prefer the shorter end for this particular dough—the crust still has plenty of bite without turning leathery. Since the boil is so short, be sure the syrup water is at a vigorous rolling boil, too.
Bake on a preheated stone or steel. Just like with sourdough pizza or hearth bread, intense direct heat from below is what gives bagels their explosive rise and bottom crust. A baking steel is ideal, though a thick stone works well too. Preheat it for at least 1 hour.
Steam the oven. I like adding some steam to the oven (just like I do when steaming bread dough) right after loading the bagels. I find that the steam further encourages microblisters to form on the bagel’s crust.
My goal with this version was to create a new wave sourdough bagel that felt deliberate. I wanted them to be light, subtly chewy, a touch crispy on the outside, malty, and with enough whole grain to give them extra personality. Something you’d actually want to eat with just a smear of cream cheese, no distractions.
Baking Schedule
These sourdough bagels are made over the course of three days, but the schedule is flexible. The night before you want to mix, make the sweet levain (a preferment with a little sugar added) and let it ferment overnight. The next morning, mix the dough, bulk ferment it, and then cold proof (retard) it in the fridge until the next day. The bagels can be proofed and baked any time the next day, though I typically make them in the morning or early afternoon.
If you’d like, you can skip the overnight cold proof and let the bagel dough proof on the counter after shaping for 2 to 3 hours, until it passes the poke test.
Flour Selection
The flour blend here is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. High-protein white flour (I use one in the 12–14% protein range, like King Arthur Bread Flour or Central Milling Great Northern) makes up just under half the total and gives the bagels their signature chew and structure. Central Milling’s Artisan Bakers Craft—a medium-strong, finely milled bread flour—brings the next 40 percent. If you can’t find it, substitute any quality medium-protein white flour with at least 11% protein.
Whole wheat and whole rye make up the remaining 15 percent. They’re not there for health points. They’re there for flavor. The whole wheat adds a warm, nutty depth, and the rye brings a subtle earthiness and helps with fermentation activity and crust color. Together, they give the bagel a complexity you don’t get from white flour alone, without making the bagel feel heavy.
Bagel Barley Malt Syrup, Diastatic Malt, and Sugar
This formula has three sweeteners, each contributing differently.
Barley malt syrup goes into the final dough as an inclusion (in addition to using it in the boil). It’s the signature bagel flavor: malty, a little sweet, slightly bitter, deeply savory. It also promotes browning in the oven.
Diastatic malt powder is an entirely different tool. Unlike barley malt syrup (which is non-diastatic and adds flavor), diastatic malt powder contains active enzymes that break down starch into sugars during fermentation and baking. This helps with crust color, oven spring, and a slightly more open crumb. A little goes a long way, and compared to other bread doughs, 1% is pretty high. This is my favorite diastatic malt, and I use it in just about all my bakes.
Superfine (caster) sugar goes into the levain, not the final dough. The “sweet levain” or “sweet starter” here helps encourage yeast activity for maximum rise with very little sourness transferring to the final dough.
New Wave Sourdough Bagel Recipe
Vitals
This recipe makes 12 bagels, each weighing 130 grams. The formula is scaled to a total dough weight of 1,620 grams to account for some loss during dough prep. You can halve or double the formula as needed using baker’s percentages.
| Total dough weight | 1,620 grams |
| Prefermented flour | 10.0% |
| Hydration | 68.0% |
| Yield | Twelve 130-gram bagels |
Total Formula
With this dough, I shoot for a final dough temperature of 76–78°F (24–26°C).
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 406g | High-protein white flour (12–14% protein) | 45.0% |
| 361g | Medium-protein white flour (Central Milling Artisan Bakers Craft (or strong bread flour) | 40.0% |
| 90g | Whole wheat flour | 10.0% |
| 45g | Whole rye flour | 5.0% |
| 18g | Fine sea salt | 2.0% |
| 23g | Barley malt syrup (or honey) | 2.5% |
| 18g | Superfine (caster) sugar | 2.0% |
| 9g | Diastatic malt powder | 1.0% |
| 542g | Water 1 (levain and mix) | 60.0% |
| 72g | Water 2 (mix; bassinage) | 8.0% |
| 18g | Fine sea salt | 2.0% |
| 36g | Ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 4.0% |
New Wave Sourdough Bagel Method
1. Prepare the Levain — Day One, 9:00 p.m.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 90g | Medium-protein white flour | 100.0% |
| 81g | Water | 90.0% |
| 18g | Superfine (caster) sugar | 20.0% |
| 36g | Ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 40.0% |
Mix the levain ingredients in a clean, tall jar (this levain will rise quite high, so use taller jars!). Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the starter is fully incorporated. Cover and leave at room temperature, around 74–76°F (23–24°C), to ripen overnight, about 12 to 14 hours. The levain is ready when it’s risen significantly, super bubbly on top, and smells sweet.
2. Mix — Day Two, 9:00 a.m.
Final Dough Ingredients:
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 406g | High-protein white flour (12–14% protein) |
| 271g | Central Milling Artisan Bakers Craft (or bread flour) |
| 90g | Whole wheat flour |
| 45g | Whole rye flour |
| 23g | Barley malt syrup (or honey) |
| 9g | Diastatic malt powder |
| 460g | Water 1 |
| 72g | Water 2 |
| 18g | Fine sea salt |
| 226g | Ripe levain (from above) |
With a mechanical mixer (like the Ooni Halo Pro): Add the flour, levain, barley malt syrup, diastatic malt powder, salt, and Water 1 to the bowl. Mix at low speed for 1 to 2 minutes until the ingredients come together into a shaggy mass. Increase to medium speed (120 to 130 RPMs) and mix for 5 minutes. The dough will be stiff, drier than most sourdough bread. Rest for 5 minutes. Resume mixing at medium speed, slowly adding Water 2 over 5 minutes. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth, strong, and pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl. It should feel firm and slightly tacky but not sticky.
By hand: Combine all the dry ingredients and flour in a large bowl. Add the levain, barley malt syrup, diastatic malt powder, and Water 1. Mix thoroughly with wet hands or a dough whisk until no dry flour remains. This dough is stiff, so expect some resistance. Knead using the slap-and-fold technique on your work surface for 5 to 6 minutes. Rest 5 minutes. Add Water 2 gradually and continue kneading for another 4 to 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and cohesive. Toward the end, you may need to knead the dough like you would pasta: press the dough against the work surface to stretch, then fold it over and repeat. Transfer to a bulk fermentation container and cover.
Target a final dough temperature of 76–78°F (24–26°C).
3. Bulk Fermentation — 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (3 hours)
At a warm room temperature of 74–76°F (23–24°C), bulk fermentation should take about 3 hours.
Since we mixed this dough quite heavily and it’s rather stiff, it will not need any stretches and folds during bulk fermentation. Let the dough rest for this time.
4. Divide and Shape — 12:30 p.m.
Sprinkle medium cornmeal on two 13 x 18-inch half sheet pans. I like using cornmeal because it doesn’t absorb water from the dough, making it much easier to remove the bagels later. Iff you don’t have any cornmeal, use white flour.
Gently scrape the dough out to your work surface and divide it into twelve 130-gram pieces. (You’ll have a small amount of scrap left over.)
Shaping bagels by poking takes place in two phases:
1) Ball the dough:
Form each piece of dough into a tight ball by folding the sides into the middle, then rolling it down. Then, push the dough against the work surface with the side of your hand to create a smooth surface on top. Flip the dough over and pinch the seam closed. You want a perfectly round, smooth, and closed-seam ball. Repeat for the remaining pieces.
2) Poke and make the ring:
Starting with the first piece you balled, gently pat it to flatten just a bit. Then, use your index finger to press through the center of the ball to create a hole. Pick up the dough and using both hands, gently stretch the dough as you rotate it around to form an enlarged ring with a center hole about 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter. The hole will shrink during proofing and baking, so make it a bit larger than you think you need.
Place each shaped bagel on a sheet pan, leaving an inch or two between them and six to a pan.
Repeat with the remaining pieces.
5. Overnight Retard — 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m (Day Three Morning)
Cover the sheet pans with lids (these pop-on lids are my favorite) and place them into the refrigerator.
This next step is flexible. If you need to bake them a few hours earlier or later the next morning—or even into the afternoon—the dough is forgiving.
6. Proof — Day Three, 9:00 a.m.
The next day, when you want to make bagels, remove the two dough trays from the refrigerator and let them proof at warm room temperature for two hours.
About halfway through proofing, place a baking steel on the middle oven rack and preheat to 500°F (260°C) in convection (if you don’t have convection, 525°F/270°C). Give the oven at least one hour to preheat.
7. Boil — 11:00 a.m.
Set up your boil station:
To a large, wide pot, add 1 gallon of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and bring to a rolling boil. Then add 5 tablespoons of barley malt syrup to the water and stir until dissolved. The malt water should be at a vigorous boil before you start.
Prepare a wire rack set over a sheet pan (or a clean kitchen towel) for the boiled dough. Have your toppings ready in shallow bowls or plates: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything seasoning, flaky salt—whatever you like.
To boil:
Working in batches of 2 to 3 (don’t crowd the pot; I usually do 2 at a time), gently lower the bagels into the boiling malt water, smooth side down first. They should float—if one sinks and doesn’t come back up within a few seconds, it may be underproofed. Boil for 20 to 25 seconds on the first side, then flip with a slotted spoon or spider and boil for another 20 to 25 seconds.
Using a slotted spatula, lift each bagel out of the water, let excess water drip off for a moment, and place it on the wire rack. If you’re adding toppings, dip the top of the wet bagel into the seeds or seasoning now, while the surface is still tacky. Place topping-side up on a parchment-lined sheet pan or directly on your peel.
8. Bake — 11:15 a.m.
Transfer one sheet pan with 6 pieces of dough to your preheated baking steel.
Bake for 10 minutes. Then, rotate the pan and reduce the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C) for 5 more minutes. The bagels are done when the crust is deep golden brown. The barley malt syrup in the dough and the boiled water will help them color beautifully—don’t pull them too early. A pale bagel is an underbaked bagel.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes before slicing. I know. But a bagel that hasn’t finished setting up will gum up when you cut it, and you’ve put too much time into this to rush the last step.
The bagels will keep well on the counter for up to a week. After baking and cooling, they can also be frozen and reheated later in a low oven after defrosting overnight in the refrigerator.
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New Wave Sourdough Bagels
- Prep Time: 16 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 16 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 bagels
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: American
Description
Crispy and chewy new wave sourdough bagels with a glossy, blistered crust and tender crumb. Built on a multi-grain flour blend, sweetened levain, and an overnight cold retard. Shaped with the poke method and boiled in barley malt water before baking on a steel.
Ingredients
Levain
- 90g medium-protein white flour
- 81g water
- 18g superfine (caster) sugar
- 36g ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration
Main Dough
- 406g high-protein white flour (12–14% protein)
- 271g medium-protein white flour (or all purpose flour)
- 90g whole wheat flour
- 45g whole rye flour
- 23g barley malt syrup (or honey)
- 9g diastatic malt powder
- 460g water 1
- 72g water 2
- 18g fine sea salt
- 226g ripe levain (from above)
Boil Water
- 1 gallon water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 5 tablespoons barley malt syrup
Toppings (optional)
- Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything seasoning, flaky salt, or plain
Instructions
- Prepare the levain (Day One, 9:00 p.m.)
Mix the levain ingredients in a clean, tall jar (this levain rises quite high). Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the starter is fully incorporated. Cover and leave at 74–76°F (23–24°C) to ripen overnight, about 12 to 14 hours. The levain is ready when it’s risen significantly, super bubbly on top, and smells sweet. - Mix (Day Two, 9:00 a.m.)
With a mechanical mixer: Add the flour, levain, barley malt syrup, diastatic malt powder, salt, and Water 1 to the bowl. Mix at low speed for 1 to 2 minutes until combined into a shaggy mass. Increase to medium speed (120–130 RPMs) and mix for 5 minutes. Rest 5 minutes. Resume at medium speed, slowly adding Water 2 over 5 minutes. Mix until smooth, strong, and pulling cleanly from the bowl. Target a final dough temperature of 76–78°F (24–26°C). - Bulk fermentation (Day Two, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 3 hours)
At 74–76°F (23–24°C), let the dough rest undisturbed for the full 3 hours. This dough was mixed heavily and is quite stiff, so no stretches and folds are needed. - Divide and shape (Day Two, 12:30 p.m.)
Sprinkle medium cornmeal on two half sheet pans (cornmeal won’t absorb water from the dough, making removal easier; use white flour if you don’t have cornmeal). Scrape the dough onto your work surface and divide into twelve 130g pieces. Shape in two phases: *Ball the dough:* Fold the sides of each piece into the middle, roll it down, then push against the surface with the side of your hand to smooth the top. Flip and pinch the seam closed. You want a perfectly round, smooth, closed-seam ball. *Poke and make the ring:* Starting with the first piece you balled, gently pat to flatten slightly. Press your index finger through the center to create a hole. Pick up the dough and gently stretch it with both hands, rotating to form a ring with a center hole about 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter (the hole shrinks during proofing and baking). Place on the prepared sheet pans, six per pan, with an inch or two between them. - Overnight retard (Day Two, 1:00 p.m.)
Cover the sheet pans with lids and refrigerate. This step is flexible—a few hours earlier or later the next morning, or even into the afternoon, the dough is forgiving. - Proof (Day Three, 9:00 a.m., 2 hours)
Remove the trays from the refrigerator and proof at warm room temperature for 2 hours. About halfway through, place a baking steel on the middle rack and preheat to 500°F (260°C) convection (525°F/270°C without convection). Give the oven at least 1 hour to preheat. - Boil (Day Three, 11:00 a.m.)
Add 1 gallon of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda to a large, wide pot and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in 5 tablespoons of barley malt syrup until dissolved. Working in batches of 2 to 3, gently lower bagels into the boiling water smooth side down. They should float; if one sinks and doesn’t come back up, it may be underproofed. Boil 20 to 25 seconds per side, flipping with a slotted spoon or spider. Lift out, let excess water drip off, and place on a wire rack. Dip tops in toppings while still wet, if desired. Transfer topping-side up to a parchment-lined sheet pan or peel. - Bake (Day Three, 11:15 a.m.)
Transfer one pan of 6 bagels to the preheated steel. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and reduce the temperature to 450°F (230°C) for 5 more minutes. The bagels are done when the crust is deep golden brown. Don’t pull them too early—a pale bagel is an underbaked bagel. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes before slicing. Repeat with the second batch.
Notes
Storage: Keep in a sealed bag on the counter for 3 to 4 days. Slice and freeze for longer storage; toast directly from frozen.
Same-day option: Skip the overnight retard. After shaping, proof at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a bagel floats in water within a few seconds.
Sourdough Bagel FAQs
How can I make my sourdough bagels less sour?
These sourdough bagels shouldn’t be overly sour, and I use a sweet levain in this recipe partly for this reason. If yours are too sour, be sure you’re not using your sourdough starter when it’s too ripe when making the levain. You can also remove the whole rye flour from the recipe.
How can I get an open crumb with my sourdough bagels?
The crumb on these bagels should be quite open and light, but if you want an even more open crumb, try increasing the hydration 3-4% (or more, depending on your flour). Note that the higher the hydration, the harder the dough will be to handle when boiling.
Why are my bagels flat?
Usually, one of three things: the dough was over-fermented during bulk (or left too long in the fridge), the shaping wasn’t tight enough, or the boil water wasn’t at a rolling boil. A bagel that goes into lukewarm water will spread and flatten. Make sure the water is at a vigorous, aggressive boil before you drop them in.
Can I bake these the same day without the overnight retard (cold proof)?
Yes. After shaping, let the bagels proof at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours. The dough should pass the poke test when it’s ready to boil. Same-day bagels will be slightly less complex in flavor but still very good.
How long should I boil bagels?
It depends on what you’re after. A 20 to 25-second boil per side yields a thinner crust. A 30 to 60-second boil on each side builds a thicker, chewier skin with a denser interior. I lean toward 20 seconds per side for this dough, but experiment and find what you like.
Do I need diastatic malt powder? Can I leave it out?
You can leave it out and still make good bagels. But the diastatic malt helps with oven spring, crust color, and crumb texture. It’s a small addition with an outsized effect. If you bake regularly, it’s worth keeping in the pantry.
What toppings work best?
The classics: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything seasoning (sesame, poppy, dried garlic, dried onion, flaky salt), or just coarse salt. Dip the bagels right after boiling, while the surface is still wet and tacky, so the seeds stick without any egg wash. For a plain bagel, skip the toppings entirely.
What’s Next?
Making bagels like this at home really shouldn’t be possible. With their thin and crispy, blistered crust and open, tender interior, they’ll surprise you each time you have one. Perfect with just a thick slick of cream cheese, or piled high with lox, capers, and dill—all fantastic with the right bagel base.
If you’re looking for a more New York-style bagel with a thicker crust, chewy interior, and still incredible flavor, see my original sourdough bagel recipe.
Big thanks go out to my baking friend Josh Fairbanks, who helped me hone this recipe. If you’re up in Portland, OR, and want some of the most gorgeous sourdough bread and bagels, definitely seek him out!
