Sourdough Bagels

One of my biggest projects in this weird time, has been perfecting my recipe for sourdough bagels! When I was working in the office everyday, I would pick up bagels on my way home all the time! But now that I'm not going into DC everyday, it's just not worth the drive. However, if you live in the DC area, Bullfrog Bagels is the best and you should definitely check them out! So since I've been stuck at home I've been working on how to get the taste and texture of my homemade bagels to match that of a good bagel shop! It's been quite the challenge but I think I finally perfected it.

These sourdough bagels are thick and chewy, but not too dense. I'm obsessed! I use a combination of sourdough discard and instant yeast to get that delicious sourdough flavor in just a couple hours. Don’t have a sourdough starter? Never fear! Just check out my Sourdough Guide for all my tips and tricks!

Note: For all of my sourdough recipes, I measure the ingredients in grams because it's more accurate. If you don't have a kitchen scale*, I highly recommend getting one! They have tons of super affordable ones on Amazon that work great!

Let's Make Sourdough Bagels!

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter discard, the water, and 200 grams of flour and let rest at warm room temperature for 1-2 hours until the surface is bubbly.
   • This first step is technically optional, but I promise it's worth it! It really helps develop that sourdough flavor and strengthen the dough.
2. Add in the rest of the flour, the instant yeast, sugar, malt powder, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. The dough should come together into a cohesive ball that pulls away from the side of the bowl. The dough will be very smooth and elastic but still a little bit tacky.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and lightly cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise at warm room temperature (72-75 degrees) for 60-90 minutes until the dough is puffy and doubled in size.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, then turn the dough out onto a clean surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. The total dough weight should be about 1200 grams, so you're shooting for 100 gram pieces.
5. Shape each piece of dough into a tight round. Pull the edges of each piece of dough towards the center and then pinch them shut. They should look like little round dumplings. Cup your hand so that just your fingertips touch the work surface and the ball of dough is beneath your palm. Make a circular motion with your hand, dragging the dough against the surface of the table. This motion will build surface tension along the top of the dough and tighten it into a ball.
6. Place your shaped dough balls onto your lined baking sheets and let rest for about 30 minutes.

7. While the dough balls are resting, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and prepare your water bath. Bring a large pot of water to a slow rolling boil and then add in the baking soda (it should foam up for a minute).
8. Shape the bagels by pushing a lightly floured finger through the center of the dough ball. Twirl the dough around your finger to enlarge the hole until it's about 2 inches in diameter (this will look too large, but the holes will shrink when the bagels are boiled and baked).
9. Boil the bagels for 1-2 minutes on each side and then place back on your parchment lined baking sheets. Depending on the size of your pot, you will only be able to boil 3-4 bagels at a time.
10. Lightly brush the tops of your bagels with egg wash and sprinkle on your desired toppings.

11. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until the bagels are golden brown. Make sure to rotate the trays halfway through baking so that the bagels cook evenly.

Make your own everything bagel seasoning!

Everyone knows that Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Seasoning is the best! However, the closest TJ's is about 30 minutes away from me and I used to stop on my way home from work. But now that I'm working from home, I haven't been to Trader Joe's in like 3 months so we finally ran out of all that seasoning I had stocked up.

But then I realized that it's insanely easy to just make my own! All the ingredients can be found in the baking aisle at your local grocery store. You'll need:

• ½ cup dried minced garlic
• ½ cup dried minced onion
• ½ cup black and white sesame seeds (or ¼ cup each)
• ¼ cup poppy seeds
• flaky kosher salt (start with 1-2 tablespoons but add more if desired)

Just mix it all together and store in an airtight container!

If you make these sourdough bagels, please leave us a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. Happy baking!

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