These sourdough bagels are thick and chewy, but not too dense. I use a combination of sourdough discard and instant yeast to get that delicious sourdough flavor in just a couple hours!
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.
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.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and lightly cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise at warm room temperature (72-75°F) for 60-90 minutes until the dough is puffy and doubled in size.
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.
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.
Place your shaped dough balls onto your lined baking sheets and let rest for about 30 minutes.
While the dough balls are resting, preheat your oven to 425°F 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).
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).
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.
Lightly brush the tops of your bagels with egg wash and sprinkle on your desired toppings.
Bake at 425°F 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.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
These sourdough bagels will stay fresh at room temperature for about 2 days. If you can't eat 12 bagels in 2 days, they freeze great! Once the bagels are fully cooled, slice them in half and wrap in aluminum foil/plastic wrap/wax paper/etc and then seal in an airtight freezer bag. To thaw, simply remove the bagel from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes then pop in the toaster! The bagels will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.