
The Best Sourdough Cornbread Bagel Ever
The best cornbread sourdough bagel ever! This fluffy, naturally sweet cornbread bagel is easy to make with under 8 ingredients. It has the perfect amount of sweetness thanks to a touch of honey and from the stone-ground masa. It will become your new go-to bagel to have with a little melty butter or cream cheese.
I was inspired to make this bagel after I fell in love with cornbread this year. I made my first sourdough cornbread for Thanksgiving and it instantly became my favorite dessert. I had it with Vanilla Bean Icecream and a little grass-fed butter. It was so moist, flavorful, and nutritious (thanks to sourdough fermentation!).
And more recently, I have been working on a Cornbread Muffin Mix to add to our Sourdough Baking Mix Collection (hopefully coming this Spring/Summer).
Here’s how I healthified this recipe:
- Masa instead of cornmeal (Masa is the traditional way of preparing corn + has similar health benefits to sourdough fermentation)
- The dough is naturally fermented with sourdough so it’s gut healthy and nutritious
- Raw Honey
- My favorite Nancy’s probiotic cream cheese. So delicious!
@sourdoughjesha Replying to @kevinearly567 PT 1 of 2 💖 featuring a cute cornbread bagel w butter + honey
♬ Piano Man – Billy Joel

Ingredients for Cornbread Bagel
Here’s what you’ll need to make sourdough cornbread bagels at home.
CORNBREAD SOURDOUGH BAGEL DOUGH
- Bread Flour: A high-protein flour is needed for bagel making. You can use a white or whole wheat bread flour. King Arthur has a great bread flour that is usually widely available. I use this one.
- Masa: I bought my yellow masa on Amazon from one of my favorite brands (Macienda) but Bob’s Red Mill has one that you can easily buy at most stores.
- Water: Preferably warm water! Warmer water helps kickstart fermentation.
- Sourdough Starter: Be sure you are using active sourdough starter (not discard).
- Honey: I used raw honey.
- Sea Salt: Enhances flavor (and nutrition) by slowing fermentation.
Equipment Needed for Sourdough Bagels
- Dough Mixer or Mixing Bowl (by hand): You can prepare the bagel dough with either a mixer or by hand. Kneading the dough by hand is essential to the bagel-making process (and my favorite part).
- Dough Scraper: Used for dividing our dough.
- Baking Pan
- Baking Scale: ideal for accurately measuring ingredients and weighing dough balls after dividing to ensure they are similar in size.
More Sourdough Recipes You’ll Like
- Sourdough Bagel Recipe (Step by Step)
- French Toast Bagel Recipe
- Easy Sourdough Rolls
- Healthy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls


Cornbread Sourdough Bagel Recipe
- Total Time: 48 hours
- Yield: 8 Bagels 1x
Description
The best cornbread sourdough bagel ever! This fluffy, naturally sweet cornbread bagel is easy to make with under 8 ingredients. It has the perfect amount of sweetness thanks to a touch of honey and from the stone-ground masa. It will become your new go-to bagel to have with a little melty butter or cream cheese.
Ingredients
- 375 g Bread Flour (3 1/4 Cups) (A high protein flour is needed for bagel making.)
- 65 g Masa
- 250 g Water (~3/4 Cup + 2 TBSP) (Preferably warm water is best! Warmer water helps kickstart fermentation.)
- 100 g Sourdough Starter (1/2 Cup) (Be sure you are using active sourdough starter (not discard).)
- 15 g Honey
- 10 g Sea Salt (Enhances flavor (and nutrition) by slowing fermentation.)
Instructions
- MIX DOUGH AND FIRST RISE: In a bowl or stand mixer, add all dough ingredients. Place the dough hook on the mixer and mix the dough on the lowest speed for 3 minutes. Or mix by hand for a couple minutes until a ball forms. Now, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Lightly grease a bowl and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl with a lid, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 6 – 8 hours or until it doubles in size.
- OVERNIGHT RISE: Place your dough covered in the fridge for an overnight proof. This is where your dough will develop flavor and L.A.B bacteria will get to work enhancing the nutrition of the dough too. Remember, the longer we ferment the better for us it gets!
- DIVIDE AND SHAPE: Lightly flour your work surface. Dump out and divide your dough into 8 pieces, you can eyeball it or weigh them out on a dough scale. Shape each into a ball by pulling the corners up and over. Now, use your finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball and rotate the dough with two fingers to form a ring.
- FINAL (SHORT) RISE: Place your bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 1-2 hours or until puffy to the touch.
- BOIL BAGELS: Preheat oven to 450f. Fill a large, wide pot with water and bring to a boil. Drop bagels in, 2-4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side and remove with a slotted spoon; drain well. Place on baking sheets and brush with egg wash.
- BAKE: Bake bagels for 25 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
- Prep Time: 48 hours
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 300
Keywords: Easy Homemade Sourdough Bagels, Easy Sourdough Bagel Recipe