Everything Sourdough Bagels
by sourdoughjesha on February 20, 2023
Deliciously chewy sourdough everything bagels baked to perfection. This easy sourdough bagel recipe uses simple ingredients and will be your new go-to! Add your favorite cream cheese or butter and a side of eggs (like I do!) for a nutritious breakfast.
Sourdough Everything Bagel Recipe {with Strawberry Cream Cheese}
Deliciously chewy sourdough everything bagels baked to perfection. This easy sourdough bagel recipe uses simple ingredients and will be your new go-to! Add your favorite cream cheese or butter and a side of eggs (like I do!) for a nutritious breakfast.
The savory, garlicky flavor and irresistible crunch of everything bagel seasoning is just perfect with cream cheese. It’s the perfect blend of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, diced minced onion, dried garlic flakes, and sea salt. And these sourdough everything bagels are soft in the center, chewy and golden brown on the outside, with a salty, crunchy crust of everything bagel seasoning.
If you need a full step-by-step tutorial on how to make homemade sourdough everything bagels check out this blog post. This homemade sourdough bagel recipe is easy to make and by the 2nd time you make them, you’ll breeze right through all the steps!
✨Health Benefits of Sourdough Bagels✨
Sourdough bagels are unlike all other types of bagels because they go through a long and slow natural fermentation with wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This ancient, 6,000-year-old tradition has remarkable health benefits. A long and slow sourdough fermentation transforms wheat and other grains easy to digest because it degrades gluten, removes anti-nutrients, and breaks down FODMAPs and starches. Sourdough foods are also chock full of fiber, prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it an all-around microbiome superfood.
What I do to Make These Sourdough Everything Bagels Healthy
It’s fair to say I’m addicted to sourdough bagels (which isn’t a problem with me) because they’re just as healthy as they are delicious. These everything bagels are nutritious and will quickly become a healthy staple food in your life.
LET’S GET SPECIFIC:
Sourdough Fermentation. These bagels are naturally fermented with sourdough starter instead of a rapid fermentation with yeast. Unlike commercial fermentation, a long and slow sourdough fermentation with sourdough starter makes wheat and other grains easy to digest because it degrades gluten, removes anti-nutrients, and breaks down FODMAPs and starches. Sourdough is also chock full of fiber, prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it an all-around microbiome superfood.
Organic, High-Quality Flour: I use a blend of organic (stone ground) whole wheat and white bread flour because it is richer in macronutrients like protein and fiber and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals.
Honey: Instead of refined sugars like Cane Sugar, I use a touch of honey (raw honey) to sweeten the dough. Any honey will do but I always go for organic or raw when I can.
Clean, Simple Ingredients. I only use real, simple ingredients and never any preservatives or artificial ingredients like store-bought bagels.
Nutrition Breakdown of One Sourdough Everything Bagel
Macro-Nutrients
- 183 Calories
- 6.5g Protein (13%)
- 4.9g Fiber (17%)
- 1.4g Sugar (3%)
Micro-Nutrients
- 2mg Iron (10%)
- 2.6mg Vitamin B3 (16%)
- 0.1mg Vitamin B2 (8%)
Strawberry Cream Cheese
An everything bagel with strawberry cream cheese is the perfect sweet and savory combo. It has to be homemade strawberry cream cheese though. The nutty, garlicky flavor of everything bagel seasoning goes so well with the sweet strawberry flavor.
I also don’t use store-bought strawberry cream cheese. I just added fresh strawberries to Nancy’s probiotic cream cheese. So the cream cheese is fresh and light with just the right amount of sweetness from the diced strawberries.
The combination of fresh strawberries and my favorite probiotic cream cheese, makes it’s so much tastier and healthier than any store-bought cream cheese! Also, it would be a great spread for bread, muffins, or with a little drizzle of honey on top too.
Everything Bagel Seasoning
I use the everything bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods but most stores nowadays sell everything bagel seasoning. I just check the ingredient list to make sure it doesn’t contain any seed oils or weird ingredients. My ideal everything bagel seasoning is heavy on the sesame and lighter on the salt. I’m more in it for the crunch and the garlic flavor. Before baking, you’ll brush your bagels with a little egg wash and then coat with everything bagel seasoning.
Sourdough Bagel Baking Schedule
This is what a typical bagel-making schedule looks like for me.
P.S. Temperature is one of the single most important factors that affect fermentation. The warmer your place, the faster your dough will ferment. So please use my schedule as simply a jumping-off point for your own.
Prepare sourdough starter
Either feed your sourdough starter the night before to prepare or if your sourdough starter is in the fridge be sure to feed it every 12 hours, 3 days before you plan to bake.
Day One
- 10 AM – Mix bagel dough, cover and let sit at room temp until it doubles in size (6-8 hours)
- 6 PM – Place dough covered in the fridge for an overnight fermentation (10+ hours). This step is to develop flavor and nutrition… it’s optional, but highly recommended.
Day two
- 8 AM – Divide bagel dough, shape and cover with tea towel. Let it rise for 2 hours.
- 10 AM – Prepare boiling water and preheat oven.
- 10:15 AM – Boil bagels, add toppings and bake.
Ingredients for Everything Sourdough Bagels
Here’s what you’ll need to make sourdough bagels at home.
5 CORE INGREDIENTS
- 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 stone ground partially sifted whole wheat flour. I recommend using a blend of white bread flour and whole wheat flour.
- Water: Preferably warm water is best! Warmer water helps kickstart fermentation.
- Sourdough Starter: Be sure you are using active sourdough starter (not discard).
- Honey: Instead of cane sugar, I like to use a touch of honey to sweeten the dough.
- Sea Salt: Enhances flavor (and nutrition) by slowing fermentation.
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
- Olive Oil: Used to grease the bowl or plate where are bagel dough will rise.
- Eggs: You’ll brush your bagels with an egg wash prior to adding everything bagel seasoning.
- Everything Bagel Seasoning: My favorite one is from Trader Joe’s.
CREAM CHEESE INGREDIENTS
- Strawberries: I used about 4 ripe strawberries (the redder the better!)
- Cream cheese: I used my favorite probiotic cream cheese from Nancy’s
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 accurate measuring of ingredients and to weigh dough balls after dividing to ensure they are similar in size.
Tips for Making Sourdough Bagels
What flour is best for this recipe?
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 stone ground partially sifted whole wheat flour. I recommend using a blend of white bread flour and whole wheat flour.
How do I make just one Sourdough Bagel?
Ingredients for One Sourdough Everything Bagel:
- 100 g Bread Flour
- 55 g Water
- 25g Sourdough Starter
- 2g Sea Salt
Looking for other sourdough bagel recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Step-by-Step Sourdough Bagel Recipe
French Toast Sourdough Bagel Recipe
Sourdough Everything Bagel
Ingredients
BAGEL Ingredients
- 360 g Bread Flour A high protein flour is needed for bagel making. See notes for suggestions on what flour to use.
- 40 g Whole Wheat or Whole Grain Flour
- 230 g Water Preferably warm water is best! Warmer water helps kickstart fermentation.
- 100 g Sourdough Starter Be sure you are using active sourdough starter (not discard.
- 8 g Sea Salt
- 15 g Honey – Instead of refined sugar I like to use a touch of honey to sweeten the dough.
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
- Everything Bagel Seasoning – My favorite one is from Trader Joe’s.
- Olive Oil – Used to grease the bowl or plate where are bagel dough will rise.
- Eggs – You’ll brush your bagels with an egg wash prior to adding everything bagel seasoning.
STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE RECIPE (FOR 1 BAGEL)
- 2 Strawberries – Diced ripe strawberries.
- 2-3 Tablespoons Cream Cheese – I used Nancy’s probiotic cream cheese.
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, add all bagel ingredients. Mix by hand for a couple of minutes until a ball forms.
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered in a Tupperware or the container.
- Now, knead the dough for 2-3 minutes or until the dough looks smooth on the outside.
- Place dough in a Tupperware and cover securely. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours or until it doubles in size.
- Optional but my preferred method: Stretch and fold your dough 3 times during the first rise. I stretch and fold every 1-1.5 hours until I hit 3 sets. To do this, stretch one side of the dough up and fold it all the way over to the other side. Then, rotate the bowl and continue on all four sides.
- Now, dump out and divide your dough into 6-8 pieces, you can eyeball it or weigh out 80g-120g pieces. 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.
- Place your bagels in a greased tupperware and cover them securely or on a greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the bagels are covered tightly so the tops do not dry out and leave room on either side so they can expand.
- Let the bagels rise for 1-2 hours at room temperature or until puffy.
- Place your bagels covered in the fridge for an overnight rise. This is where your bagels will develop flavor and L.A.B bacteria will get to work enhancing the nutrition of our dough.
- The next day, preheat oven to 400f. Fill a large, wide pot of water and bring to a boil. Drop bagels in, 1-2 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 an unlined tray or plate and brush with egg wash. Dip bagels into everything bagel seasoning or sprinkle on top.
- Now, place them on a clean, parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake bagels for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
- Let bagels cool for 10 minutes. Cut and spread a layer of cream cheese on both sides. Enjoy!
When does the flour get added? Are we mixing starter, water, salt and honey and then adding flour? All together. You don’t list it in the instructions at all…
Hey Mindy! Ah! Just updated the recipe. Add all ingredients together. Keep me posted on how you like them!
Hi, Jesha! It’s been over a year and I forgot to come back to comment. This is now my go-to bagel recipe! I just fed my starter for a 4x batch. We’re going camping at the beach and I brought these last year and was requested to make them again this year. (My niece said, “[husband] is obsessed with them!”) Mine never stay fluffy so I’m going to try your suggestion that I’ve seen a few times and reduce the hydration. Hopefully that helps, but honestly, it doesn’t matter because they still taste great!
I tried and failed. :/ they didn’t bake fluffy like yours
Hi Sandi! What happened? I can try to help!
haai, i am making the bagels right now but my dough is not so firm and collapses a bit. I don’t now wat I did wrong.
Hi Salome! I’m sorry for my delay! How did they turn out? I can help troubleshoot. My initial guess is too lower the hydration (water) next time. Give me deets 🙂
This sadly did not work out. I’ve baked other bagel recipes and these were the most challenging. The dough developed a crust on the first rise, requiring throwing the hardened top layer away. After shaping the dough the bagels stuck to the Parchment paper (should have been oiled) and shapes did not hold up at all. Also, they ended up generally flat.
Hi Shannon! I’ve updated the recipe card to reflect my new method! Bagels should remain covered during all rises, however if the tops harden a little bit that’s okay. It helps achieve a chewier texture 🙂
Hey girl,
I really want this to work but my dough is always so sticky I’m having to add more flour just to be able to touch it. Any suggestions for sticky dough? Is it okay to keep adding flour till smooth?
TY
Hey Breanna! Yes, this can happen if using a different type of flour. Add more flour until dough becomes a little smoother. What type flour are you using?
They taste great but my bagels didn’t get nice and fluffy. They also didn’t get a good crust on them. What do I need to do to fix this?
Love the recipe, they taste great. I had some
Trouble with the rise of the bagel, they didn’t see as fluffy as I hoped. For the short rise I lost track of time and they rose for more than 2 hrs could that be the problem? Also when baking the didnt get that nice bagel crust. I didn’t do an egg wash because I’m allergic could the no egg wash be the reason?
Hi Deb! It could be your dough is over-hydrated (reduce water to 170g) OR it over-fermented during the second rise. You boiled the bagels right? The egg wash definitely helps achieve that golden brown bagel crust but it isn’t necessary. The bagel crust probably has to do with the fermentation more so than anything else. Make a few of those tweaks I mentioned earlier and keep me posted!
After shaping and rising again the bagels went flat/won’t hold shape and the dough is more sticky. I used the king Arthur’s organic bread flour and followed the recipe step my step. Can I add more flour or do I have to restart?
Hi Michelle! Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like the dough you’re working with is too hydrated OR it over=fermented during the second rise. Reduce the water to 170g next time. Keep me posted and you can always send me photos on IG!
Hello Jesha-
Can you clarify something for me? The step by step instructions with the photos says to divide and shape the dough on day two. But the actual recipe says to divide, shape, let rise 1-2 hours, THEN refrigerate overnight and boil and bake in the AM. I followed the recipe instructions, then saw the discrepancy. Can you clarify and hopefully tell me they will be ok to boil and bake in the AM?
Thanks so much! I found you on TikTok and am excited to try your recipes.
These are such a treat 🙂 The recipe is reliable and easy to follow — thank you for sharing!
In the reading portion of this article, it states to put the dough in the fridge for a rise and then form the bagels after, but in the recipe section, it says to form the bagels and put those in the fridge to rise. Which one is better? It is my first time making bagels and yours always look amazing! Just want to get it right, thank you! and to be clear, this makes 8 bagels?
Ignore my last comment, please do not post! I was reviewing your blueberry bagels and the everything bagels at the same time and confused them. My apologies! Than you for your help!
These are the best sourdough bagels I’ve tried yet! I’m new to sourdough and tried a couple other recipes from other sites that came out decent, but these taste like a sourdough version of the delicious NY bagels I grew up on. I will definitely make again!
Can I add the everything bagel seasoning into the dough instead of on top? When I do on too it browns more then I would like and falls off when eating.
This recipe did not work for me at all. I followed the instructions exactly and got completely flat and totally undercooked bagels. Maybe this was due to dough hydration but there is literally NOTHING in the recipe that tells you how the dough should look or feel at literally any point, so I had no idea if I should adjust based on my instincts. I see the comments say to reduce hydration to 170g water (which is a HUGE difference) and that would probably help, but the recipe itself never mentions reducing the water at any point, so that’s not very helpful advice while cooking. This was a sad waste of flour and bagel seasoning, so hopefully I can find a good sourdough bagel recipe with visual cues in the future 🙁
My bagel dough is currently in the stage of fermenting on the counter for 6-8 hours but I was reading the next steps and I’m confused by steps 7 and 8. After it ferments on the counter, do I shape and form bagels before putting them in the fridge? Or do you put dough ball in the fridge then pull out the next morning form, shape for the final 1-2 hour rise? First time making your bagel recipe, I love you Instagram videos 🙂 Thank you
Do you ever incorporate the seasoning in the dough? Just want more 😂
Hi Jesha! I tried making the bagels this weekend. I am a bit confused by the recipe. In the blog your timeline shares that you do a bulk ferment overnight and in the morning you shape and bake, but in the directions it shares that you shape the night before, ferment in the fridge, then bake. I did the latter and the shaped bagels got stuck to the oiled and parchment papered tray, deflating all the time it put in to its rises. Tasted good but it was flat. What do you suggest I do differently, and which of the two methods you include is correct?
Hi! I’m confused, in the detailed recipe instructions it says to do a fridge fermentation and then divide the dough into bagels but in the recipe at the bottom it says to divide the dough and then do a fridge fermentation. Which way is the correct order please?
The flavor of mine turned out great, however they came out a bit dense. Is this a rising issue or what would you suggest to make them more light and fluffy?
Hey Kesha! I want to start this recipe but I can’t figure out a good time schedule. When do you fed your starter, rise, etc.?
Hi. In the blog post, you said to shape the bagels after the cold ferment but in this post you shaped the bagels and then cold fermented in the fridge. Can you please clarify which method we should use? I am currently preparing to cold ferment already shaped bagels, as per the recipe above.
Loved the recipe very easy to follow and definitely the best I have used so far
I also have the same issue, they never keep there shape when in the fridge and they aren’t very soft and fluffy there chewy and dence.
There nice straight after baking but when there cooled there flat and meh
Do you have any tips as to why this might be??
Great recipe I followed every step and they turned out fantastic
Never made bagels before so pleased with myself I will defiantly make them again
Thank you
I personally followed the recipe below so I did the stretch and folds and then let it bulk ferment over night then shaped then put them in the fridge to cold proof and baked from there. They were soft and fluffy and everyone loved them! Just a question, would this process work for some of your other recipes? I have been having a little trouble with getting a large rise out of them and my starter is quite active.