A Sourdough Series & A Sourdough Bagel Recipe!
Who knew there were so many things you could do with sourdough, right?! I get it…Sourdough is a large topic so I thought I would tackle this in baby steps! Here is the breakdown:
✰ How I am Gluten Intolerant and Enjoying Bread Again
✰ Sourdough Basics ~ What is a sourdough starter and what is sourdough bread
✰ A Beginners Organic Sourdough Bread Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
✰ Organic Sourdough Hamburger Buns Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
✰ A Traditional San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
✰ Organic Sourdough Bagel Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
I highly recommend that you start with the first post and work down the list in the order that I have them. I have posted them within the level of difficulty. Beginners sourdough being the easiest to organic sourdough bagels being the most challenging.
My most favorite recipe in this whole series (and also has the least time commitment) would be the Traditional San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe. If you are new to sourdough, you could even start with that recipe, it is that easy!
All can be achieved. And as always, ask away in the comment section below this post!
Once Upon A Time…I Owned My Own Bagel Cafe!
Once upon a time, long long ago (well not really, but close to 15 years ago), my husband and I started our very own bagel cafe!
See the picture above? That is the storefront (kitchen is behind that wall). You could say that I have an incredible love for bagels, yep…you sure could.
What an experience it was to take a building, gut it and turn it into a fully operating restaurant with a specialty in handmade authentic bagels.
So guess what…today I am going to share my secret recipe with you! Yep, it is that good! You ready? 🙂
What makes it a Bagel?
So what is a bagel? A bagel is a dense bread roll in the shape of a ring, made by boiling dough and then baking it.
One KEY Component here…the dough is boiled! It is not a bagel unless it is boiled. Boiling it gives it that chewy texture and also gives it a glossy shine.
You don’t boil the bagels long, in fact, you only boil them for 45 seconds (and not a second longer), but this is the absolute key to a great tasting bagel.
Why This Bagel Is Healthier Than Other Bagels
I’d like to mention that these bagels are much healthier than other bagels on the market! Why? Simple…they are made with wild yeast and they are fermented.
In this post, I talk about 10 Reasons Why You Should Be Eating Sourdough Bread! Also, be sure to read How I am Gluten Intolerant and Enjoying Bread Again.
Simply put, the fermenting process breaks down the grains phytic acids (and some of the gluten proteins) which in turn allows your body to digest it better. So here we go…
5 Simple Steps To Making A Bagel!
Making a bagel is really quite simple. It just requires 5 simple steps. Here they are:
1. Making The Dough & Forming A Bagel?
The First step is to make the dough. There are easy-to-follow steps to do that at the end of this post. Once the dough has finished with the bulk fermentation, you will need to divide the dough into 4-ounce sections.
These 4-ounce sections will become your bagels. When I teach others how to make a bagel, many get confused on how to form a bagel. It really is quite simple
Here is a quick video to show you how easy it is to form a bagel.
2. Proofing The Bagels
As with any yeast doughs, (in our case we are using wild yeast), you have to proof your dough. Proof is another way of saying you have to let your dough rise.
This is what a bagel will look like once it has fully proofed.
3. Boiling The Bagels (Don’t Skip This Step)
As I mentioned above, a bagel isn’t a bagel unless it has been boiled like this.
You don’t need to boil them long, just 45 seconds. Do not over boil the bagels. It is pretty important to have a timer next to you and only boil them for the 45 seconds required.
4. Dunking The Bagels
The other key step when boiling is to make sure you dunk the whole bagel under the water. They will float, so you just gently dunk them as they boil.
5. Baking Your Bagels
Now it is time to bake your bagels! Simply dust a cookie sheet with cornmeal and place the boiled bagel onto the baking sheet.
Bake in a 400ºF oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown, or the internal temperature reaches 195-200F.
If you want them extra golden, brush them with a raw mixed egg the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
Eating Your Bagels
Allow the bagels to cool and you are good to go on slicing up these bad boys and adding a smear of your favorite cream cheese.
Don’t be shy, dig in and enjoy!
Sourdough Bagel Recipe
Organic Sourdough Bagel Recipe
Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 6-7 bagels 1x
Category: breakfast
Method: stovetop, baking
Cuisine: american
Description
Do you know what makes a bagel a bagel? It is boiled! Yep, learn about bagels in this delicious sourdough bagel recipe!
Use a digital scale for best results. This is the one I have and love!
Ingredients
- 150 g active organic San Francisco sourdough starter –I buy mine here You can learn more about sourdough starters here.
- 250 g filtered water
- 25 g organic olive oil
- 500 g organic bread flour (do not use all purpose flour, use bread flour)
- 10g sea salt
- cornmeal and rice flour for dusting
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the sourdough starter, filtered water, olive oil and bread flour. Do not add the salt. Leave in the bowl for an hour to rest. This is called the autolyse phase.
- After the rest time is over, add the sea salt. Knead until well incorporated (about 2 minutes).
- The dough will not be elastic, it will easily break apart. After the bulk fermentation, the gluten will break down so do not worry about this.
- Put the dough back into the bowl after kneading the salt, cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and allow to rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size. Mine took another 3 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and onto a floured surface. Cut the dough equally into 6-7 pieces (about 4 oz each). Each piece will make 1 bagel. The dough will deflate in this process so no need to punch down.
- Form the dough into a tight round circle by patting the dough into a rough circle and then rolling the dough into a snake-like form (see video above) and connect the edges to form a donut-like shape.
- Dust a baking sheet with rice flour. Place the bagels on the sheet, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and allow them to proof (rise) for 1 more hour.
- Once the bagels have proofed, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop the bagels into the water (I did 3 at a time) and allow to boil for 45 seconds, gently dunking the bagel the whole time (see pictures above).
- Remove from water and drain and put onto a cookie sheet that is dusted with cornmeal. Repeat until all the bagels have been boiled.
- Preheat an oven to 400F. Bake the bagels for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 195-200F.
- If you want them extra golden, brush them with a raw mixed egg the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
- Slice and enjoy!
Hi I have made these bagels for months they are wonderful. Couple questions I’m really hoping you will answer for me! 1. Sometimes my bagels do not float, they stay at the bottom the whole time. What does this mean? 2. Sometimes they stick like CRAZY even with the cornmeal dusted on the cookie sheet. Am I doing something wrong? I would really appreciate your reply!!
Hey Brooke,
So sorry, somehow my comment system did not notify me of your comment. To answer your questions, If your bagels do not float, they probably need a little more rise time. If your bagels continue to stick, you can line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. They shouldn’t stick with parchment paper. Hope this helps.
Hi, I have been searching for a recipe which uses sourdough starter to make bagels. I have a question but first I would like to note that I find it funny all my searching has led me to a recipe which is exactly the same as my sourdough bread recipe, gram for gram. Lol anyway I’m curious how much malted barley syrup I should use in the dough? Do you have any thoughts on using it? I bought a jar as well as some poppy seeds especially for bagels. I will try out this recipe tomorrow, I just made said sourdough bread dough which I need to attend as well as pizza dough for dinner tomorrow. 🙂 I will skip the dusting the sheet and just use parchment paper as I have found it really is the best for preventing sticking to the pan.
Hi I’ve made these quite a few times and absolutely love them 🙂
I have a question since I will not have time to bake them until tomorrow night.
Is it ok to refrigerate shaped bagels throughout the day (shaping will take place tomorrow morning)
Can they proof in the fridge to be baked by the evening?
Thanks!!!
Hi Paula,
Great questions. I would proof the bagel first, and then put them in the refrigerator to bake at a later time. The cooler temperature will stop the bagels from proofing. Pull them out of the refrigerator an hour before you are going to bake/boil them and you will be good to go.
Hi. Is this considered gluten free? Thanks.
Hello Liza,
No this is not gluten-free, however when fermenting and soaking the dough it does break down the gluten protein and often people who are sensitive to gluten can tolerate this bread better. That being said, if you suffer from Celiac Disease, do not eat this bread.
Hi, I am wondering how can I make these bagels with either toasted onion or garlic
Hello! I have been making these in several flavors, including cranberry walnut. I’m wondering if I can get away with mixing in the nuts and fruits during the shaping rather than before the bulk rise. It would mean that when making multiple flavors from a single batch, I could have dough rise in a single container rather than having to separate them into different bowls. I’m not sure if mixing in ingredients prior to shaping would take out too much air. Thanks so much for any thoughts!
★★★★★
When we use to make them in the shop, we added the add in’s right into the dough before the proof (ex. cranberries, blueberries, raisins), but I think it would work to add them in during the shaping phase. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out.