Sourdough Bagels

Step 1

Take 25 grams of sourdough starter out of the fridge. Add 50 grams of water to the starter and stir it around. Then add 50 grams of bread flour to the water and mix it thoroughly until there aren't any dry clumps of flour left.

Step 2

Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band, cover it loosely with a lid, and let the starter rise at room temperature overnight (around 8-10 hours), or until it doubles in size.

Step 3

The next morning your starter should have doubled in size and it will be ready to use.

Step 4

Into a mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) add 225 grams of water, 10 grams of salt, 100 grams of risen sourdough starter, and 20 grams of honey. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly.

Step 5

Next, add 450 grams of bread flour into the liquid ingredients. Stir the flour together with the other ingredients until a dry dough has formed.

Step 6

When stirring seems to not be doing much anymore, it's time to knead the dough.

Step 7

Hand Kneading: Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes by hand on the kitchen counter. Don't add any extra flour during kneading. At the end of the kneading time, you should have a smooth ball of dough that holds together well, and all of the loose flour should be incorporated into the dough.

Step 8

Stand Mixer: Move the bowl onto the base of the stand mixer and set it to low speed for about one minute. During this time the dough should come together into a solid mass. Then, continue kneading for about 8 minutes on medium speed until the dough becomes smooth and starts to clean up all of the flour stuck onto the sides of the bowl. After 8 minutes, transfer the dough onto the counter and form it into a smooth ball with your hands.

Step 9

Place the ball of dough into a mixing bowl or into an oiled glass container with a lid. Cover the dough up and let it rise at room temperature for about 4-6 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 10

Diving the dough into six equal pieces. They will each be around 134 grams each if you are weighing them on a scale.

Step 11

Preshape each of the pieces of dough into a ball by stretching and folding the dough, keeping a smooth top on one side of the dough and the seam on the other side. Cover up the dough balls and let them rest for 15-30 minutes on the counter.

Step 12

After the short rest, it's time to shape the balls into the classic ring shape of a bagel.

Step 13

Press your thumb into the center of one of the dough balls and piece all the way through the bottom of the dough. Then carefully lift the dough ball up and gently widen the hole with your fingers by turning the ring over and over again like a steering wheel. Keep widening the hole until it's a little bit bigger than you want it to be in the final bagel. (As the bagels rise during proofing and baking, the hole will get smaller). Repeat this shaping process with each of the bagels.

Step 14

Place the shaped bagels onto a baking sheet lined with a sprinkle of cornmeal, semolina flour, or bread flour.

Step 15

Cover the bagels with a kitchen towel and let them rise for 2-3 hours, or until they have doubled in size.

Step 16

Once doubled, you can boil and bake the bagels right away, or you can move the baking sheet into the fridge to let the bagels slowly proof for another 8-24 hours in the cold environment. This cold proof step will give the bagels extra flavor and it will make them easier to handle the next day when it's time to boil them.

Step 17

The next day, 30 minutes before you're ready to bake the sourdough bagels, preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). If you've got a pizza stone or a baking steel, put it on the middle rack.

Step 18

Get a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven on the stove and boil 2-3 quarts/liters of water. You need enough water in the pot so that the bagels can float without touching the bottom.

Step 19

Add 1 Tbsp (about 20 grams) of honey to the boiling water and stir it to dissolve. The honey, or other sweetener) will supposedly give the bagels a sheen on the outside after they're done baking.

Step 20

Take the cold bagels out of the fridge and put 2-3 of them into the pot to boil at the same time (you don't want to overcrowd the pot with too many bagels). Boil them for one minute on the first side, flip them over with a slotted spoon or "spider," then boil them for another minute on the other side.

Step 21

Remove the boiled bagels from the water, drain them, and transfer them onto a wire rack. Repeat the boiling process with all of the sourdough bagels.

Step 22

Dip each boiled bagel into a bowl of sesame seeds or any other toppings. The wet, starchy film covering the bagels from the boiling water should allow the toppings to stick to the bagels.

Step 23

Transfer the topped bagels back onto the metal baking sheet.

Step 24

Move the baking sheet to the middle rack of your oven and bake for 20 minutes at 450°F (232°C)

Step 25

Remove the sourdough bagels from the oven when they are golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, but these bagels are fine to eat while they are still warm.

Step 26

Slice these delicious bagels down the center and enjoy with butter or cream cheese. Add some fillings like eggs and cheese to make an unbeatable breakfast sandwhich, or cream cheese and smoked salmon to keep things classic. Enjoy!