How to Make Sourdough Bagels at Home

With a soft and chewy texture and that classic sourdough tang, these are the bagels we make every Sunday morning. Five ingredients, mostly hands-off, and a quick honey boil bath that gives every bagel that signature glossy, chewy, golden-brown crust.

Whether you eat them straight out of the oven, toasted with butter, or smothered with cream cheese, this is the recipe we keep coming back to.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Incredibly chewy texture — once you make these at home, store-bought is hard to go back to. Real New York–style chew, soft airy inside, slight crackle on the outside.
• Surprisingly easy — short knead, one long overnight rise, simple shape, quick boil, bake. Mostly hands-off.
• Endlessly versatile — plain, everything, sesame, poppy, garlic, jalapeño-cheddar, cinnamon crunch. The dough is a blank canvas.

Ingredients

Just five pantry staples (plus honey for the boil):

• 150g active sourdough starter (3/4 cup) — bubbly and at peak activity
• 250g warm water (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) — room temperature, filtered
• 500g bread flour (3 1/2 cups) — bread flour is what gives you the chew; all-purpose works in a pinch but isn't the same
• 40g sugar (3 tablespoons) — white, cane, or coconut sugar
• 12g salt (2 teaspoons) — unrefined sea salt is our favorite
• 20g honey (for the boil bath) — can sub brown sugar or maple syrup

Equipment: straight-edge bowl, bench scraper, large pot, baking sheet, parchment paper.

Sample Baking Schedule

Step 1: Make the Dough

In a large straight-edge bowl, combine the active starter, warm water, and sugar. Mix by hand (or with a Danish dough whisk) until it looks like a milky liquid.

Add the bread flour and salt. Mix until fully incorporated.

Now knead by hand for 5–6 minutes. This is a small labor of love but it makes a real difference — hand-kneaded bagels come out softer and chewier than mixer-kneaded ones for us. Keep the dough in the bowl: pull a small section up, fold it over, and push down with the heel of your hand. Repeat while turning the bowl clockwise.

The dough will feel stiff and a little bumpy — that's exactly right. Bagel dough is a low-hydration, firm dough.

Cover and rest 60 minutes.

Step 2: Stretch and Fold

After the hour of rest, repeat the same stretch-fold-push routine for about 30 seconds. The dough will be smoother and a little less stiff. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm spot to rise.

Step 3: Bulk Rise

Let the dough at least double in size. In a 69°F kitchen, this typically takes 8–12 hours. Warmer kitchen → faster. Colder kitchen → slower. Trust the dough, not the clock.

Step 4: Shape

Once doubled, gently turn the dough out onto your work surface — no flour needed.

Stretch and pat it into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. With a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut it into 8 equal triangles, like slicing a pizza. For consistent bagels, weigh each piece — about 115g each. Or just eyeball it.

For each piece: pull the corners of the triangle into the center, then roll into a smooth ball. Press your thumb through the middle and stretch the hole with both thumbs about 2 inches wide. The dough will spring back a little — that's fine.

Step 5: Second Rise

Place the shaped bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap so they don't dry out. Let them rest in a warm place 20–60 minutes, until puffed.

Not ready to bake? Cover the shaped bagels and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Pull them out when ready to bake — the second rise will take longer since the dough is cold.

Step 6: The Boil Bath

While the bagels are rising, preheat your oven to 425°F.

Fill a large pot with about 10 cups of water. Whisk in the honey and bring to a boil.

Set up a station: kitchen towel on the counter with a cooling rack on top makes cleanup easy. Drop 2–3 bagels into the boiling water and boil 30 seconds per side. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto the cooling rack. Repeat until all are boiled.

Step 7: Toppings

While the bagels are still wet from the boil, sprinkle toppings on a small plate and dip the tops. The wet surface holds them perfectly.

Bonus tip: If you're using cheese, dip the bottom too. You'll get a crunchy, golden cheese crust on the underside — incredible.

Topping ideas:

• Everything bagel seasoning (sesame, poppy, dried onion, dried garlic, flaky salt)
• Sesame or poppy seeds on their own
• Garlic flakes or onion flakes
• Shredded asiago or sharp cheddar
• Cinnamon-sugar (brown + white sugar + cinnamon, brushed first with melted butter)

Step 8: Bake

Bake at 425°F for 20–25 minutes, until deep golden brown with an internal temperature of 200–210°F. Cool on a wire rack.

While they're still warm, slice one open and slather it with butter. That first chewy, buttery bite is the whole point.

McKenna's Helpful Tips

• Use an active, bubbly starter. This is the single biggest variable. Float test: a spoonful in water should float.
• Stick with bread flour. The higher protein is what gives the bagels their signature chew.
• Don't skip the honey in the boil bath. It's the secret to that golden, glossy crust.
• Weigh your dough pieces. 115g each gives you eight identical bagels that bake evenly.
• Dip both sides for cheese bagels. The crunchy bottom is worth it.

How to Store

Best within 2–3 days, stored in a plastic bag at room temperature. They freeze beautifully — sliced or whole, in a gallon bag, for up to 3 months. To reheat: microwave 10 seconds, or thaw at room temp, slice, and toast.

Sourdough Bagel FAQs

What's the difference between store-bought bagels and sourdough bagels? The leaven. Sourdough bagels rise on a wild-yeast starter, which gives them that airy, chewy bite and tangy flavor. Most commercial bagels use commercial yeast.

Are sourdough bagels healthier? The long fermentation makes them easier to digest and increases the bioavailability of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in the grain.

Why do you have to boil sourdough bagels before baking? The boil sets the crust and creates that signature chewy exterior. Skip it and you've got a bread roll.

If a 9-hour bagel project isn't your idea of a Sunday, that's literally why we exist. Every week we make these by the hundreds and deliver them warm to Village Park doorsteps in Encinitas before 9AM Sunday morning. Order from Villager Bagels and we'll have a box on your porch before your coffee finishes brewing.

Want to see exactly what's in the box? Explore our menu — same sourdough dough, same long ferment, same Sunday ritual.