I try not to talk about bagels with friends. Talking about them always starts innocently, a little witty banter about the crust, crumb, and color traits and past eating experiences: “that bagel I had in New York that one time,” or “there was this one bagel shop down the street…” This jovial chat slowly evolves into a friendly argument about more-sweet versus more-savory and crunchy versus soft; maybe one even mentions steaming the bagel instead of baking it (😱).
Finally, the once innocuous chatter results in the participants either forming a stronger friendship over common bagel zealotry or the unfortunate end to the friendship altogether. It’s like the old axiom: never play Risk with a friend you want to keep. Exaggeration? Perhaps. But bagels do seem to rouse an enthusiasm rarely seen with other food (I’d argue pizza might be a solid contender, though). They carry a different meaning depending on where you’ve grown up, what local shops were in the area, and ultimately, where your preferences lie. But these sourdough bagels seem to transcend almost every bagel I’ve had, especially the mass-produced ones—oh yes, definitely those.
While these bagels are more along the New York Bagel style, I’m also a fan of the newer wave bagels with a super thin, glossy, and crispy crust. In fact, I have a recipe for those glossy bagels, too, if that’s more your thing.
I recall occasionally eating those bagels from the bag at the market: that ultra-chewy (from end to end) vehicle was mostly there to convey cream cheese, or schmear, from package to mouth. Rest assured, these sourdough bagels are not that in the slightest. They have a very thin and crisp exterior, not tough or hard, but rather, a little crunch that gives the chewy bagel a textural counterpoint. You see, the interior is as chewy as you’d expect a bagel, but if the entire thing is chewy, you end up with just a big chewy thing. But if you have a contrasting texture, it seems to amplify the chewy thing, much like adding an acid elaborates other flavors.
And overall, these bagels are pretty darn easygoing. Unlike bread dough, there’s no need to be overly critical of each motion when shaping, and in the end, the bagel rings puff up uniformly, boil beautifully, and bake easily. Speaking of the boil, perhaps one of the things that keep many from making them, but it’s such a simple thing. And while I often draw parallels between this dough and my sourdough pretzel—mostly in that they each have a stiff dough and a pre-bake step—there’s far less prep before baking bagels than pretzel—not that those sourdough pretzels aren’t worth the effort, because they certainly are.
First, let’s look at some tools I use when making these sourdough bagels.
Tools and Ingredients
First, a few of the tools and ingredients I use for this recipe
- Barley malt syrup – this is the classic sweetener added to a bagel dough and it has a very unique flavor and aroma. I like the Eden brand, but any should work well.
- Diastatic malt powder – see the post on diastatic vs. nondiastatic malt and why it’s used in baking.
- Everything bagel topping – I love this mix of seeds and dried spices for topping bagels.
- Cornmeal – traditionally used to keep the bagels from sticking to the baking sheet during proofing (and they add extra starch to the boiling water).
- Half baking sheet – I use this to proof all 12 dough pieces to save space in a home refrigerator.
- Full baking sheet – perfect for baking all 12 bagels, with room in between, on a single baking sheet for even baking.
Flour Selection
Many bagel recipes, mine included, call for high-protein white flour to get that characteristic chew and structure.
I’ve tried this with Tony Gemignani’s Pizza Flour (15% protein), and while there was a bit more chew, I wouldn’t say it was necessary to order some for making sourdough bagels. I like to use Central Milling High Mountain, King Arthur Bread Flour, or Bob’s Red Mill Bread Flour.
Baking Schedule
These sourdough bagels take three days to make: from creating the levain at night on day one to boiling and baking them in the morning on day three. I know—three days!?—but the good news is, most of the time you’re not actively handling the dough, it’s fermenting in one stage or another.
All-in-all, this is a straightforward schedule. It’s also quite flexible by a few hours here and there once the dough is chilled and in the fridge: if you can’t boil and bake first thing on day three, it’ll hold a few more hours (or perhaps longer).
Sourdough Bagel Formula
For tips on how to calculate baker’s percentages or how to modify this formula, see my post on baker’s percentages (baker’s math).
| Total Dough Weight | 1,600 grams |
| Pre-fermented Flour | 12.00% |
| Yield | 12 x 125g bagels |
Total Formula
Desired dough temperature: 78°F (25°C). See my post on the importance of dough temperature for more information on dough temperatures.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 964g | High-protein white flour (~13% protein, Central Milling High Mountain, King Arthur Flour Bread flour, or Bob’s Red Mill Bread Flour) | 100.00% |
| 530g | Water | 55.00% |
| 29g | Sugar, caster | 3.00% |
| 29g | Barley malt syrup | 3.00% |
| 18g | Salt | 1.90% |
| 7g | Diastatic malt | 0.75% |
| 23g | Sourdough starter (100% hydration; 40% rye, 60% white flour) | 2.40% |
Sourdough Bagel Method
1. Prepare Levain – Night before mixing, 9:30 p.m. (Day one)
Mix the following ingredients together in a container and leave covered to ripen for 12 hours overnight. It mixes up to a stiff consistency so I like to mix and knead the dough in a mixing bowl, then I transfer to a narrow and tall jar.
Try to hit a final dough temperature of 78°F (25°C) for this levain.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 116g | High protein flour | 100.00% |
| 58g | Water | 50.00% |
| 23g | Ripe sourdough starter | 20.00% |
23.18% Levain In Final Dough Mix.
2. Mix – 9:30 a.m. (Day two)
A note on mechanical mixing: This dough is low hydration and comprised of high protein flour—it’s a firm dough! I used my Haussler Alpha mixer to mix this for 5 minutes on speed one. You could use a KitchenAid stand mixer to mix this dough for a few minutes in the beginning, but I wouldn’t push it too far and risk damaging the mixer—ultimately you make the call. After mixing in the KitchenAid, you could then turn the dough out to the counter to finish kneading like pasta dough, as described below.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 848g | High protein flour |
| 472g | Water |
| 29g | Sugar, caster |
| 29g | Barley malt syrup |
| 18g | Salt |
| 7g | Diastatic malt |
| 197g | Levain (see Prepare Levain, above) |
Make the malt syrup slurry: This will help the sticky, viscous barley malt syrup incorporate more easily into the dough. To a small mixing bowl, add a bit of the mixing water, barley malt syrup, sugar, diastatic malt powder, and salt. Stir until everything dissolves.
To your mixing bowl, add the malt syrup slurry, flour, water, and ripe levain. If using a mechanical mixer (see the note, above), mix on low speed for approximately 5 minutes until the dough strengthens and begins to smooth. This dough is so firm it doesn’t need much.
If you do choose to use a mechanical mixer, you might need to cool the mixing water to ensure you hit the FDT of 78°F (25°C). I used cold water straight from my fridge.
If mixing by hand, mix everything in the bowl until well incorporated. Turn the dough out to a clean work surface and knead the dough like pasta: fold half over onto itself and push the mass away from you with the palm of your hand. Continue folding over and pushing away for 8-10 minutes until the dough firms up, and it becomes hard to knead any further.
Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover.
3. Bulk Fermentation – 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Give this dough a single fold after 1 hour and 30 minutes into bulk fermentation. For the fold, turn the dough out to a clean work surface and do your best to fold it into thirds. Place the dough back into the bulk fermentation container with its seam side down, and cover. Let the dough rest, covered, for the remainder of bulk fermentation.
4. Divide and Shape – 12:45 p.m.
Use a half baking sheet (so it fits into your refrigerator) to hold the 12 pieces of shaped dough. Later, after boiling the dough, I upsize to a full baking sheet to help the dough evenly bake. Spread a thin layer of cornmeal on the half sheet to prevent the bagel dough from sticking during proofing.
Divide the dough into twelve 125g pieces.
First, degas the piece by tamping down a bit with your hand. Then, do your best to form the piece into a rough rectangle and cinch down from the top, so the dough ends up in a little tube. This cinching doesn’t have to be forceful, and it helps to get the dough into a tube shape.
Next, roll your hand in the center a few times to create a bulb at each end. Then, switch to two hands and roll outward to about 12 inches and a tube that’s mostly the same thickness all the way through. If you prefer a bagel with a large hole, roll out the tube, so it’s longer.
Once rolled out to a long tube, wrap it around the backside of your hand between your knuckles and wrist. Overlap the two ends of the dough in the palm of your hand, and gently press the two ends together. Next, press your palm down on the work surface, and in a repetitive motion, roll the dough on the work surface repeatedly to seal.
Here’s a video on my YouTube channel of me shaping one of the pieces
After shaping a piece, transfer it to the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining pieces, and you will end up with four rows of three.
5. Proof – 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. (2 hours room temperature, then retard overnight)
Cover the baking sheet with a large, reusable plastic bag and seal shut. Let the dough proof at room temperature, around 72-74°F (22-23°C), for 2 hours. The dough should puff up slightly after this time but not excessively. If the dough still feels very dense to the touch, give it another 15-30 minutes and check again.
After 2 hours, place the covered baking sheet into the fridge overnight at around 39°F (4°C).
6. Boil and Top – 9:30 a.m. (Day three)
Oven prep: Before you begin boiling your bagel dough, preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) with convection or 500°F (260°C) without convection. Place one rack at the bottom third of the oven. Place a baking stone or baking steel on the rack to preheat. I steam my oven as described on my oven steaming method post, so place a roasting pan on the bottom filled with lava rocks to prepare to steam. I also fill a cup of ice and place it next to my oven (I will pour this over the lava rocks to steam the oven).
Bagels are unique because you boil the dough before baking. This boiling gelatinizes the starches in the flour and gives them a little more chew and helps them achieve a shiny crust. This gelatinization is very similar to how you make a tangzhong or roux. But for a bagel, the longer you boil them, the thicker the crust and chewier they will become. There is a limit to the boil duration, though, as they will degrade in the water after a while. I have found boiling the dough 40 seconds on each side, for a total of 1 minute and 20 seconds, to be just right.
Many places like to add barley malt syrup or honey to the boiling water, but in side-by-side testing I didn’t find the added syrup to give them any more shine. The cornmeal brought into the boiling water might also add starches, much like when making pasta.
Boiling equipment prep: Fill a wide pot with enough water so the bagel dough can float without touching the bottom (in my 7qt Staub Dutch oven, this was about 1.5 gallons). Bring to a low boil. Next to your stovetop, place a half baking sheet with a cooling rack inside, this will hold the wet bagels for a minute and allow them to drain. Next, line a full baking sheet with parchment paper — this will hold the dough as it bakes. Finally, grab any toppings you’d like (poppy, oat, everything bagel mix, sesame, etc.) and place them in bowls on your work surface.
Boil: Once the water is at a low boil, boil the proofed sourdough bagel dough straight from the fridge, about 40 seconds per side. Using a spider strainer, transfer each piece to the cooling rack inside the baking sheet to drain while you boil the rest of the dough.
Once the pieces are all boiled, move quickly to top them, if desired, and get them onto the final baking sheet.
This dough should float immediately when dropped into the boiling water. If the dough sinks and doesn’t pop up within a few seconds, it’s likely under proofed. Give it more time to proof at warm temperature and try again.
Once the bagels have drained for a minute on the baking rack, transfer them to the full baking sheet lined with parchment paper for baking. Top them with whatever toppings you’d like at this time.
7. Bake – 9:45 a.m.
Slide the full baking sheet with boiled dough into the preheated oven directly onto the baking stone or baking steel. Pour the cup of ice onto the pan with lava rocks and quickly close the oven.
Bake at 475°F (245°C) convection (500°F (260°C) without convection) for 10 minutes with steam. After 10 minutes, vent the oven and remove the steaming pan, rotate the baking sheet 180°, and bake for 5 minutes longer. After this 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 450°F (235°C) and bake for 5 minutes longer for a total of 20 minutes. Remove the sheet when the bagels are nicely colored.
Let cool 15-20 minutes on a wire rack. These are fantastic the first day they’re baked and hold well for a few days after that in a bread box. I also like to wait till they are room temperature, slice in half, and then freeze in a freezer bag. They can be reheated in the toaster, as described in my post on how to store bread.
Conclusion
When you take a bite of these bagels, you’ll first discover a fleeting crispness that gives in to chewiness, a textural dance that eventually leads to a subtle, onset of sourness. This mellow tang creeps in and propels you to keep going with it, to keep taking bite after bite until you’ve finished the entire bagel without the thought of stopping.
The entire eating experience is scary in how it takes over, and it’s exactly what I want in a bagel.
The whole eating experience is scary in how it takes over, and it’s exactly what I want in a bagel. That pop of flavor at the end of the bite is not something you find in mass-produced bagels, and I just love it. And while there are sugar and barley malt syrup added to the dough, it does not carry through to make these bagels sweet. There’s a beautiful balance in the eating experience of these sourdough bagels.
After making these bagels the first time, you’ll get the hang of the process. Subsequent batches become easier and more natural, and it’s no stretch to think these could become a weekly staple—and they freeze incredibly well (I slice them in half and place them in a freezer bag) if, by chance, there’s any left.
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Sourdough Bagel
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Total Time: 24 hours
- Yield: 12 bagels
Description
My recipe for flavorful and chewy sourdough bagels with a thin and slightly crispy crust. Delicious topped with an everything bagel mix, coarse sea salt, oats, seeds, or anything else you can dream up!
Ingredients
Levain
- 116g high protein flour
- 58g water
- 23g sourdough starter, ripe
Main Dough
- 848g high protein flour
- 472g water
- 29g sugar, caster
- 29g barley malt syrup
- 18g salt
- 7g diastatic malt
- 197g levain
Instructions
- Levain (the night before mixing, 9:30 p.m.)
Mix all the Levain ingredients in a container and leave it at a warm temperature for 12 hours. - Mix (9:30 a.m.)
Add a splash of the mixing water, sugar, barley malt syrup, diastatic malt powder, and salt to a small bowl and mix together. To your stand mixer’s mixing bowl, add the malt syrup slurry, flour, water, and ripe levain. Mix on low speed for approximately 5 minutes until the dough strengthens and begins to smooth. Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover. - Bulk Fermentation (9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.)
Give this dough a single fold after 1 hour and 30 minutes into bulk fermentation. - Divide and Shape (12:45 p.m.)
Use a half baking sheet (so it fits into your refrigerator) to hold the 12 pieces of shaped dough. Spread a thin layer of cornmeal on the half sheet to prevent sticking. Divide the dough into twelve 125g pieces. First, degas the piece by tamping down a bit with your hand. Then, form the piece into a rough rectangle and cinch down from the top, so the dough ends up in a little tube. Roll the tube out to a 12″ long tube. Wrap the dough around the backside of your hand and pinch it together in the front. Roll a few times on the counter to seal. Transfer to the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Repeat for remaining dough pieces. - Proof (1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Cover the baking sheet with a large, reusable plastic bag and seal shut. Let the dough proof at room temperature, around 72-74°F (22-23°C), for 2 hours. The dough should puff up slightly after this time but not excessively. If the dough still feels very dense to the touch, give it another 15-30 minutes and check again. After 2 hours, place the covered baking sheet into the fridge overnight at around 39°F (4°C). - Boil and Top (9:30 a.m., Day Three)
Oven prep: Before you begin boiling your bagel dough, preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) with convection or 500°F (260°C) without convection. Place one rack at the bottom third of the oven. Place a baking stone or baking steel on the rack to preheat. Place a roasting pan on the bottom filled with lava rocks to prepare to steam. I also fill a cup of ice and place it next to my oven (I will pour this over the lava rocks to steam the oven).
Boiling equipment prep: Fill a wide pot with water and bring to a low boil. Next to your stovetop, place a half baking sheet with a cooling rack inside, this will hold the wet bagels for a minute and allow them to drain. Next, line a full baking sheet with parchment paper — this will hold the dough as it bakes. Finally, grab any toppings you’d like (poppy, oat, everything bagel mix, sesame, etc.) and place them in bowls on your work surface.
Boil: Once the water is at a low boil, boil the proofed sourdough bagel dough straight from the fridge, about 40 seconds per side. Using a spider strainer, transfer each piece to the cooling rack inside the baking sheet to drain while you boil the rest of the dough. Then, transfer the boiled bagels to the full baking sheet and top, if desired. - Bake (9:45 a.m.)
Slide the pan with all the bagel dough into the oven and pour the cup of ice over the roasting pan with lava rocks. Quickly close the oven.
Bake at 475°F (245°C) convection (500°F (260°C) without convection) for 10 minutes with steam. After 10 minutes, vent the oven and remove the steaming pan, rotate the baking sheet 180°, and bake for 5 minutes longer. After this 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 450°F (235°C) and bake for 5 minutes longer for a total of 20 minutes. Remove the sheet when the bagels are nicely colored. Let cool 15-20 minutes on a wire rack.
Notes
- These are wonderful topped with an Everything Bagel mix, rolled oats, sesame seed mixture, or any other topping you’d like.
If you use this sourdough bagel recipe, tag @maurizio on Instagram and use the hashtag #theperfectloaf so I can take a look!
What’s Next?
Regardless of your bagel preferences, I’m confident these sourdough bagels will rank up there with the best you’ve had—and what could be better than making your own with your sourdough starter? And who knows, perhaps they’ll mend that friendship severed by staunch bagel ideals—these could be the olive branch; a crisp and seductively chewy one.
Next up, how about a simple bake like sourdough starter discard sugar cookies?
Buon appetito! 🥯
721 Comments
These turned out amazing! I decided to substitute in RYE flour (about 120g) to add extra nutrition. I did notice when I kneaded the doe it did not take in all the flour (not too much left about 50g), but the outcome was that they rose great and are really tasty. First time thru this recipe and I will make it again for sure.
So glad these turned out well for you, Heidi!
As far as the lava rock goes for creating steam in the oven, are we talking about landscaping lava rock I can grab at Home Depot?
They are culinary grade lava rocks. You can find them online!
Just got done making my first batch, was amazed that I was able to make the best tasting bagel I’ve ever had!! I live in Utah so it might not be a high bar, but they were golden brown, nice crunch on the outside, chewy on the inside. Thanks for the detailed recipe that made this possible!!
So glad these turned out well for you!
Wow! Looks amazing! Any recommendations on making these as cinnamon-raisin bagels?
I’ll be publishing a recipe for that soon!
Hello, could you please tell me if I can do a bulk fermentation for 12 hours at rooms temperature, then shape the dough into bagels, let them puffy up for one more hour and finally proceed to baking them?
Thank you
No, they would over proof that long at room temp!
Hello! I somehow managed to forget my bagels that were proofing on a high shelf until 6 hours later instead of the recommended 2 hours. My house is 68 degrees right now. Should I scrap the whole thing or try to bake them tomorrow?
I would have baked them and see how they turn out!
Hi Maurizio! I love this recipe so much, I’ve made it many times and always gotten rave reviews of the product from friends and family—we keep sliced bagels in our freezer always!!
I’m wondering about extending the time overnight in the fridge. If I wanted to boil and bake the bagels later in the day, like 3pm, would I have to make any adjustments to the counter proofing time?
So glad to hear that, Lydia! I think that would work out just fine, the cold temps of the fridge should help prevent over proofing. If you’re worried, you could get it into the fridge sooner!
Hi!! I’ve made this recipe 2 times with great taste but crunchy crust. The first developed a bit too crunchy crust, the second I followed the recipe to a T and moved my oven rack down. I bake on a baking stone placing the boiled dough on parchment paper and directly on the stone (rather than a sheet). To make it a bit chewer and less crunchy, should I lower my oven temp? Or maybe try to get even more steam in the oven? Thank you! I appreciate all the work you put into your recipes ( temp, time, etc!)
Hey, Stephanie! I would try baking at a lower heat, and potentially for a shorter duration overall. Alternatively, you could try a higher heat, but much shorter time (to color the outside, but not so long as to develop a thick crust). My tendency with these is to go for that super golden crust, but most bagels don’t have that, they’re actually quite pale!
Thanks so much!! I will definitely be making them many more times so this is perfect.
This is one of my favourites of your recipes @maurizioleo:disqus . Good for the jaw muscles but that’s important and something we’ve lost over the generations as food has become too soft. Anyway, thank you.
So glad you like it, Dan! The chewiness of these is where it’s at, makes for a really stellar bagel! Enjoy and thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Hi Maurizio, thank you very much for the formula and process. I just wanted to tell you that I subbed 20 percent home-milled whole grain khorasan for an equal amount of white flour, raised the overall hydration from 55.5 percent to 57 percent, and the bagels came out great. No other changes.
You’re welcome, Rob! Right on, thanks so much for reporting back on that. I feel like 20% is a good place to start—I’ll give this a try here again soon as well! Enjoy 🙂
I hear you, fresh flour is just so amazing. Yes, you can use freshly milled. I’d start at 10-15% and work up from there. Use the flour shortly after you mill it.
Hi Maurizio!
I have made your bagel recipe once before and was pretty successful. Do you have any advice or recommendations on how to adapt this recipe for pumpernickel bagels?
Thanks!
Awesome, Sarah! I would simply start swapping out the white flour for pumpernickel in small percentages and see how it goes along the way. Eventually, you’ll likely need to drop the levain percentage to accommodate the increased nutrients in rye, and you might also find you need to increase the water. I’ve played with adding up to 10% whole rye to this recipe and the results were great!
Hi! I’m about to bake my bagels tomorrow and was wondering if there’s an alternative to using steam in the oven? Can I bake them covered in my Dutch oven instead and then uncover?
I would just skip steaming. They’ll still be plenty wet from the bath!
I’d start by working in 15% fresh flour, and working that up. You might find with increased whole grains you’ll have to reduce the levain % or bulk time.
Hi Maurizio! Great recipe, baked them a few times now and always super tasty. I was wondering if it is possible to do this as a same day bake and if so what the taste/texture change is? I want to make a tripples batch but don’t have the fridge space for it. Thank you!
Hey, Nick! Totally possible, but I haven’t tried this. I like using the fridge after shaping them partly because it makes the boiling bath easier, the firm dough is easy to transfer and holds together when boiling. I’m not sure how the dough would handle if not cool!
I have made these every weekend for the past 2 months with much success! They are delicious and my family loves them. My ONE imperfection is that the toppings — especially onion and sometimes the everything seasoning, burn. Last weekend I tented the cookie sheet with foil which seemed to help. I’ve also seen online suggestions to soak the topics the night before to prevent burning. Not sure that would work as I put a ton of toppings on, both the top and bottom of the bagels, so if they’re wet it would be a bit difficult to slop on. Do you have any recommendations? Maybe I need to lower the temperature and bake for longer?
Awesome, Sarah! Yes, unfortunately this happens to me as well and I have not found a solution. They just bake for too long in a home oven and things like dried onion burn. I haven’t tried soaking, but that’s what I want to try next. I’m also going to be trying them in a wood fired oven at higher temp, just to see how it goes! Sorry I don’t have a solution, I’ll update the post if I discover something!
What about trying a “bagel board” ? When the bagel is baking topping-side down, the damp jute is supposed to help keep those toppings from burning.
We were JUST talking about this method in the TPL Members chat! Going to try this soon 🙂
Are there any substitutes for the two malt ingredients if I don’t have them?
Instead of malt syrup you can use honey. No sub for the diastatic malt powder, but you could omit it if you don’t have any on hand.
Excellent, so glad to hear they turned out well! They are a little picky with baking, it seems just minutes can take things too far. Enjoy and thanks for the comments!
Hi Maurizio!
I made this recipe many times in my Rofco oven. It always turns out great with blisters, very nice looking bagels but the skin, outside of the baked bagels, get always super thick. I use king Arthur’s bread flour and boil 40 seconds each side. I bake at 240C for 20 minutes, with the window close the first half, then open the last half. Do you have any suggestion how to make the skin thinner? Do you know what makes the skin (outside of the baked bagels) so think? Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!!
I think the key will be to bake hotter for a shorter period. Typically, the longer you bake the thicker the crust (as the heat begins to penetrate deeper into the bagel). These are very finicky with baking process, you’ll have to keep experimenting with your Rofco to find the right temp & time! I had to do many trials with my home convection oven to get these just right.
Thank you!
Hi! I love this recipe and have made it many times, but I now have a friend requesting blueberry or cinnamon raisin variations… at what point would you recommend incorporating these? Thank you!!
I’d probably try to incorporate them later in bulk fermentation! I know some bakers add cinnamon and raisins at the end of mixing, which would definitely work, but you might have to give the dough longer to ferment (cinnamon can inhibit fermentation). I need to try this out…
Did you try the addition of sweeter fillings?
Great recipe,
Why are you using a stiff levain as opposed to 100% hydration.
I’ve converted your recipe to use a 100% hyd levain, just for ease of use. But I am curious if there is anything to be gained by using a stiffer levain.
Thank you!
Hey, Marc! I’m using a stiff levain to bring dough strength and added flavor to the bagels. A 100% hydration levain will also work, but the dough might exhibit additional extensibility.
Going to try using a stiff levain this weekend, also bought some Diastatic malt. Should shorten my fermentation time. 🙂
Awesome, have fun, Marc! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Thanks for your wonderful website! I am still struggling to get my bagels to rise while proofing, despite a strong starter and Levain. I suspect that my starting dough temperature is too high (I’m not used to working with a mixer) and will use cooler water and a shorter bulk ferment. My question is about additions to the dough. My wife would like cinnamon raisin bagels and while I know I have to add cinnamon, raisins and some vanilla extract early, I’m uncertain as to the amounts. Please provide guidance if you can. Thanks again! Richard
You’re welcome, Richard! I haven’t tested much with adding cinnamon just yet, it can have an adverse effect on fermentation, so it might require additional changes to the preferment percentage and other things. I’d probably start low, around 0.25% to total flour. Another option is so spread on a layer of cinnamon into the dough when you’re going to roll it up, kind of like a twisted cinnamon bagel (just an idea I’ve had!).
Thank you!
This recipe was not a success for me. I followed the recipe exactly, but I think my kitchen may have been warm and the dough overproofed. The bagels spread out and looked more like bialys and no blistering or crispy crust. However, the bagels taste great and the crumb is OK, too.
Ahh, bummer, John! It sounds like yes, over proofed dough in the morning. It could have also been over hydration, especially if the dough felt very slack and weak throughout the process.
Hello!
Thanks a lot for this great recipe! I am planning to try making these bagels soon. I was wondering if I could also boil and bake the bagels in smaller batches, leaving the rest of them to ferment in the fridge for the next days to bake a few each day?
I formerly considered the bagel as a convenient way to convey cream cheese into my mouth. I made my first batch of your sourdough bagels today and have reconsidered. Crunchy outside, delicious open chewy crumb inside. I ate the first two out of the oven as soon as they were cool enough to touch. Toasting and cream cheese are unnecessary. Another triumph for Maurizio!
Amazing, Glenn! So glad you like them and thanks so much for the kind words. I’m mixing a batch of these tomorrow, a good weekend it shall be over here, too 🙂 Enjoy!
Hello Maurizio,
I baked these this morning and my crumb is quite open. Bagels are very blistered. Looks and taste more like a bread loaf shaped like a bagel than an actual bagel. Thoughts on what I need to do different? I followed the recipe/steps to a “T”. One issue may be boiling as once the dough was dropped into the simmering water the temp didn’t get back to a simmer by the time the bagels were ready to come out. I tried to add pictures but I don’t know how to.
Appreciate all the work you do to help us!
Jaq
Sounds like they turned out pretty well, despite the blisters! I, too, get some blistering on the surface. I haven’t been able to 100% eliminate it (and honestly, I kinda like it). My theory is it has something to do with the cold retard of the dough, then the steam in the oven next morning—which are both benefits to this recipe, IMO!
Hi Maurizio!
I made this recipe this weekend and it turned out great!
My Bagels didn’t get as big as yours, but I guess maybe the flour isn’t as strong as the one you use (even I’ve used what here in Switzerland would be Bread Flour) or maybe I should have let them proof a bit longer… I don’t know. I bulk proofed 3hrs, and then 2:15hrs after shaping. They have floated in the water, but haven’t grow too much while boiling, more in the oven.
Ah! When I’ve just started mixing I’ve realized the dough was too warm, so I placed it around 15-20′ in the fridge to get it down to less than 25º and then mixed a bit with machine and finished by hand. I’ve got the right FDT! First time measuring this.
The texture and flavour were GREAT! Exactly as you mention, crunchy crust on the outside and soft crumb inside, which was also nicely airy.
I’ve used NON-diastatic malt, as it was the only I had and I don’t know where to get the Diastatic one (does this make a big difference?) . And I’ve used Maple syrup instead of Barley, as it was what I had.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experimentation. I’m looking forward for that rye or whole wheat version you are working on, or maybe a book 😉
Any input would be appreciated!
Hey, Tamara! Glad to hear they turned out well. Bagels really do need quite strong flour, it helps them achieve that characteristic “chew” and high rise.
Good adjustment popping them into the fridge to cool them off, sounds like you got the temp right on! I do that as well as a last resort if the dough heats up unexpectedly.
The diastatic malt tends to give them a little more color when baking, and it helps fuel fermentation a bit more, but I’d say you can still have great bagels without it.
I think what you’re doing is just fine! And because they turned out great flavor-wise, I’d say you’re on the right track. Perhaps with a few more trials you can eek out a bit more rise, but flavor is most important, anyway!
Hi! I’m planning on making bagels this weekend, and while reading the recipe I didn’t quite understand the baking process. You preheat the baking stone, but do you put the bagels directly onto the baking stone or do you keep them in the baking sheet and then that goes directly onto the baking stone?
That’s right: preheat the baking stone/steel, then keep the bagels on your baking sheet, slide the sheet right onto the preheated baking surface.
i think there’s a typo in the total formula. i think 2.4% starter should be 24%. that said, i haven’t read the entire article, but that stood out as odd.
Hey Daniel! No, 2.4% is correct. That’s the amount of starter in the overall formula, but the starter is added to some flour and water to make the levain, which essentially scales up the preferment.
Hi Maurizio, I have recently started baking with sourdough and your recipes have been so helpful. I am planning to try this recipe however I don’t have any baking steel or lava stones and was wondering if there is an other way I can bake these bagels?
Glad to hear that, Kainat! A baking surface really helps with these, but if you don’t have one, just on a sheet pan will work just fine. You might have to extend the bake time a bit to ensure the bottoms are well-colored. Be cautious, though, the longer they bake the crunchier the crust.
I’m really having fun with your bagel recipe!
To avoid overly browned tops, I bake the bagels top side down for the first 5 minutes, then flip them over for the rest of the steps. I have a water still so I use distilled water in a pan to generate steam. Our home water leaves mineral deposits but the distilled water evaporates with no residue. I also use it in a manual sprayer to help steam the oven.
Just finished a batch of 100% rye with added gluten (I’m a rye fanatic). Good result, a little denser than 50-60%. The taste is excellent but with a hint of bitterness, from all rye (Red Mill dark) or perhaps the added gluten? It’s a tough dough to deal with at low hydration. No mixer here but the Cuisinart can work really well to mix and even knead a half recipe dough. Bit of a learning curve because wet dough can creep up under the stem and jam the blade.
Glad to hear that, Lee! I’ve never flipped them to bake like that, great idea. A “foil tent” is another way to go about it, too.
I’ve been wanting to work some rye into these, I’ll be trying that out soon myself. Probably the whole grain rye that’s adding the bitterness in there, depending on the flour source.
Hi – I have a question about flour selection. You mentioned it’s best to use a high protein flour. If you use a high protein whole wheat flour – would that function differently?
Yes, it would. Whole wheat will lead to a denser bagel and it’ll likely require more water in the mix. I’ve been playing with this!
I’ve been making your recipes for a few years now, and you’re the only source i really trust for my sourdough baking. This recipe hasn’t worked for me. Maybe my fridge is too cold or my room not hot enough, but i haven’t been able to get these to rise as much as they should. They always sink to the bottom when i boil them. I’ll tinker with the proofing time but I’m a bit confused about what else I’ve done wrong or could improve on.
Glad to hear my site has been a great resource for you, Katya! It does sound like these are under proofed. Be sure to give the dough plenty of time out on the counter after you shape them before putting them into the fridge. I’m guessing they’re not quite to the right level before going in there. Also, you could try extending bulk fermentation a bit, too, to make sure the dough gets a good start before dividing and shaping. If you take photos of the bagels doing each step, I can help diagnose next time!
Hi Maurizio,
First, I must say thank you for all of your wonderful content! Your recipes are well-loved in this home and I have learned so much. I am excited to dive into this recipe within the next few days and my enthusiasm led me to purchase High Protein flour from King Arthur @ 14.2%… but as I review the ingredients listed here, I see the flour you use is 13%. Should I expect to see much change with a higher protein flour, or need to make adjustments? Thank you for your help!
You’re very welcome, Jules! That makes me super happy to hear. That higher protein flour will work just fine. You might need to add a touch more water when mixing, as necessary. Also, your mix time will likely be reduced since the flour will likely be stronger feeling. Otherwise, should be similar!
Hi, I was wondering if I could bake them after the second proof once they have been shaped on day 2 rather than leaving them in the fridge until the following day. Will it change the texture and flavor?
I find they’re less flavorful, it’s also more challenging to boil them when they’re not cold from the fridge. It does work, though!