Homemade Sourdough Bagels

A whole wheat sourdough bagel is on a parchment lined baking sheet.

5 from 12 votes

Chewy with a slight sourdough tang, these Whole Wheat Sourdough Bagels are easy to make and a perfect breakfast treat! Slather them with cream cheese or butter! You'll never buy store bought bagels again after you make homemade bagels!

Prep Time10 10

Cook Time30

Total Time10 40

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: Bagels

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Lynn Polito

Equipment

Ingredients

175 g Sourdough Starter 100% hydration, active and bubbly
325 g Water Filtered
24 g Honey Divided
550 g Whole Wheat Flour
12 g Salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add the water and sourdough starter. Mix well. The dough is very stiff.
Add the whole wheat flour, salt, and 12 g of honey. Close the stand mixer and let it mix for 5-6 minutes.
When the dough forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let it rise for 8-10 hours or until it doubles in size.
In the morning, lightly flour your surface and turn the dough onto the surface. Cut the dough into 8 pieces for larger bagels, 10 pieces for smaller bagels.
Shape the dough into small balls and let them rest on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.
Push your finger through the dough ball and shape into a bagel. Let the dough rest for 30-40 minutes on the baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Fill a Dutch oven ¾ of the way full with water and bring it to a simmer. Add 12 g of honey to the simmering water and let it dissolve.
Carefully add 2-3 bagels at a time to the boiling water. Let them boil for 30 seconds and remove the bagel. Continue until all the bagels are boiled.
Place the bagels back on the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Notes

The bagels should float when they are added to the simmering water. If they sink, gently lift them off the bottom of the Dutch oven so they do not sink. The longer you let them simmer, the chewier the bagels will be.
Don't rush the rising of the dough! If your kitchen is colder, it can take up to 12 hours for the dough to rise. If your kitchen is warmer, the dough may be ready in about 6 hours. Just keep an eye on the dough.
The bagels will be chewier the longer you boil them for. If you prefer bagels with a slight less chew, boil them for only a few seconds.
A stand mixer makes really easy work of mixing the dough. This tends to be a very stiff dough, so it can be difficult to mix by hand. It's not impossible though, so if you don't have a stand mixer, feel free to knead it by hand.
Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. Since we are not using any commercial yeast, it's really important that you do the float test to make sure the starter is ready. Fill a small bowl with water and add one tablespoon of your starter to the bowl. If it floats, it's ready to bake with. If it sinks, you should feed it again before mixing it into the bagel dough.

Nutrition