I feel like I've tried every single sourdough bagel recipe out there. So many recipes call for tons of work after a long rise which simply doesn't make sense for our schedule! I want to be able to wake up and make bagels within the hour so I can have them hot and fresh for the boys to enjoy for breakfast.
After tons of experimentation I created this recipe that never lets me down. After the initial rise, they can be ready for boiling in 20-30 minutes and then ready in another 30.
It's super forgiving. This past Saturday I realized I was late for a coffee date and ran out of the house, leaving them to rise for 3 hours (!) and they were totally fine.
I make these bagels at least 3 times a week.
Easily substitute some of the bread flour with kamut (I fresh mill mine) without issue. For fresh milled hard red wheat, see notes below (:
This recipe never fails!
Suggested Schedule:
when you wake up in the morning (7 am): feed your starter
Before you get dinner going (around 4/5 ish): assemble the bagels
While you're making dinner: run your mixer (dough hook, 2 minutes on 2, every 10 minutes for a series of 4)
I've tried countless sourdough bagel recipes and didn't like any of them. This one never fails. I'll often use a percentage of fresh milled kamut and bread flour and don't need to adjust the recipe at all. For fresh milled hard red wheat flour, see notes.
Mix your starter and water and whisk with a fork to dissolve the starter, add in the beaten egg
Mix dry ingredients separately (flour, salt and sugar) and whisk. Add in the melted butter (add the butter here so it’s separate from the egg and you don’t get scrambled eggs!
Add the butter/dry ingredients into the starter/ water/ egg mixture.
Mix roughly with your hands to combine, cover with a wet tea towel and let sit for 30 minutes
You can either do a series of stretch and folds (every 10 minutes for a series of 4)OR use the dough hook on your mixer. 2 minutes on level 2, every 10 minutes for a series of 4.
Cover with a wet towel and let rise. I find they turn out best when they have about 12-16 hours to rise
After the rise, form a ball and then divide into 6 balls on a floured surface. Cover with a wet towel and let rise at least 1 minutes (I’ve let them sit up to an hour and they’re fine)
Form into bagels, cover and let rise another 10 minutes (I’ve let them sit up to 2 hours here)
Boil a pot of water and preheat your oven to 500
Add 1 tbsp of brown sugar and one tbsp baking soda to boiling water (add the baking soda slowly so your pot doesn’t over boil!)
Boil bagels, 3 at a time for about 2 minutes each side.
Brush with egg wash and add toppings (everything, poppy seeds, the boys are in a jalapeño cheese kick)
Lower the oven to 450 and add a baking pan filled with at least a cup of water (I never measure) 🔑 to keeping them soft!
Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes
Recipe Note
* If you are using a percentage or full measurement of fresh milled hard red wheat, I've found that you need one more egg and another 50 grams of warm water. Add more water as needed to get the right consistency (fresh milled flour tends to absorb more moisture so you'll need to add a bit more). During stretch and folds, it should look smooth like bread dough
* I easily substitute a percentage of fresh milled kamut for some bread flour without issue
* I store bagels in an airtight bag for up to 3 days. If making jalapeno cheese, serve right away
