New York-Style Sourdough Bagels
These New York-style sourdough bagels are delicious and thick with an iconic chewy crust.
Read on to make the perfect bagel recipe with step-by-step instructions or see the video showing the whole process!
I fell in love with these New York-style sourdough bagels from the first time I made them. They’re so flavourful, and I was so happy with how they turned out! Unlike dinner rolls with a light and fluffy texture, these New York-style sourdough bagels are denser and chewy.
Unlike many of my other sourdough recipes, the dough for these is lean and stiff, with a low hydration level (around 56%). This is what helps give the bagels that chewiness. A strong flour with a high protein content is needed to develop the structure and give that texture. It means it’s easy to knead it by hand, but it needs thorough working! A good 10 minutes of gluten development is best.
Ingredients
This bagel dough is a lean dough with minimal ingredients. The full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s what you need:
- Strong bread flour – A good bagel has a decent amount of toothsome chew to it. Flour with a higher protein level is required for the chewy interior – a level between 11-13%. Some all-purpose flours have a protein level of over 11% in which case you can use that sort of all-purpose flour for homemade bagels. A higher protein level will give the best chewy bagel results. It’s best to check the protein level of each flour rather than going by the name of the flour. I have not tested this recipe with whole wheat flour.
- Sourdough starter – An active starter.
- Salt
- Brown sugar
- Water
- Honey (for poaching the bagels)
- Sesame seeds, poppy seeds or bagel seasoning for topping
Step by step
- In the morning feed your sourdough starter.
- Once the starter has doubled and is ready to go, add it to a large mixing bowl with the rest of the dough ingredients and use a fork to combine it into a thick and rough dough.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and strong. For optimal gluten development, the dough needs to be worked and kneaded for around 10 minutes. Alternatively, mix the dough in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment on low speed.
- Once worked, place the dough ball in a greased large bowl and cover it with a damp towe or lid to prevent the dough from drying out. Let the dough proof in a warm spot until it has almost doubled in size.
- Cover the dough and place it in the fridge overnight.
The following day
- Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge and pull it from the bowl onto a clean work surface. I use my dough scraper to cut the ball into 8 equal pieces (I guess these because I don’t mind my bagels a bit rustic, but weigh them on a kitchen scale if you like.)
- Shape each piece into a tight ball and rest them on the bench. Let these sit for 10-15 minutes whilst the glutens relax. Once they’ve relaxed, it’s time to give them their bagel shape.
- Use your thumbs to make the hole in the middle of the dough ball and roll the dough ball around your thumbs and index fingers to widen the hole.
- Make the center hole quite wide because it will shrink back a bit as it rests. Then place it on the baking sheet and continue with the remaining dough balls.
- Place the shaped bagels on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Let them proof at room temperature for the second time, for around 1-2 hours, until lightly puffed.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and preheat the oven to 220°C/ 425°F.
Poaching bagels
- Once the water is boiling, stir in a heaped tablespoon of honey. When you boil bagels in this honey water it is going to help set the chewy crust on the outside of the dough and give the bagels a golden sheen. This eliminates the need for egg wash. Trust me, it’s good!
Some bagel recipes use baking soda instead of honey to give the golden colour. I don’t because I think it gives the bagels a different flavour from baking soda. One that resembles soft pretzels. Try sourdough pretzels instead!
- Dust off any excess flour off the bagels and drop them in the boiling water one at a time. If your pot is small, boil them in batches.
- Let them poach in the water for 1 minute, flipping them after 30 seconds. Remove the bagels from the water using a slotted spoon.
- Place the bagels on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and sprinkle over any seeds or bagel seasoning for toppings while they are still sticky from the water.
Baking the bagels
- Bake the bagels in the oven for 22-25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are baking unevenly or your oven has hot spots, turn the oven tray around after 15 minutes of baking.
Serving and storing
They are delicious when served fresh on the day, with cream cheese and salmon, or avocado. When eating them on the following days, they are best toasted.
Looking for regular yeast bagels? Check out this homemade bagel recipe.
Sourdough bagel FAQs
Some brands of all-purpose flour have a protein level that’s more than 11%. In this case, those brands of all-purpose could be used. However, a bread flour with higher protein levels will give the best chew.
If you make the initial holes too small when shaping the bagels, the dough will shrink back too much and you’ll lose the bagel holes.
Yes, if left too long the bagels can overproof and they can collapse. Bagels shouldn’t rise too much, just puff slightly before poaching.
Sourdough bagels freeze very well which will prolong their life. They can be thawed in a toaster, microwave, or low-temperature oven.
Spices can be added at the same time as the other ingredients. Larger additions such as dried fruits, nuts, or seeds can be added at the end of the kneading period.
Up to 36 hours.
Related recipes
Try my sourdough bread recipe, sourdough pretzels or sourdough croissants!
New York-Style Sourdough Bagels
Ingredients
Levain
- 50 g sourdough starter
- 50 g flour
- 50 g water
Dough
- 440 g strong all-purpose flour or bread flour with a protein level of at least 11%
- 220 g water
- 8 g salt
- 12 g sugar
- All the levain (around 120g active starter in total)
For Boiling
- 1.5 litres water
- 1 Tbsp honey
For Topping
- Sesame and poppy seeds optional
Instructions
Day 1
- Mix together the starter ingredients. Leave it to rise until it doubles in size (around 4-5 hours.)
- Add the risen starter to a bowl with the dough flour, water, sugar, and salt once the starter has risen. Knead it together to make a ball, then tip it onto a clean bench.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes to develop the gluten. If you get tired, take a break and let the dough sit, then return to it after a few minutes.
- Once kneaded, place it in a greased bowl, cover the bowl with a plate and let it proof in a warm spot until almost doubled in size. If necessary, create a warm space by placing the dough in a turned-off oven next to a mug of boiled water.
- Place the bowl in the fridge to cold-proof overnight (at least 10 hours.)
Day 2
- In the morning, pull the dough from the bowl and place it on a clean bench.
- Cut it into 6 or 8 even pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball and let it sit and relax for 10-15 minutes.
- Take a large baking sheet and line it with baking paper.
- Take a ball of dough and use your thumbs to make the hole in the middle of the dough ball and roll the dough ball around your thumbs to widen the hole.
- Place it on the baking sheet, and continue with the rest of the dough balls. Let the bagels sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to puff out slightly.
- When they have nearly finished proofing, boil a large pot of water and preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F.
- Once the water is boiling, stir in the tablespoon of honey.
- Drop the bagels in the water one at a time. If your pot is small, boil them in batches. Let them poach in the water for 1 minute, flipping them after 30 seconds.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove and drain the bagels and place them on the parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle over any seeds for toppings while they are still sticky from the water.
- Bake the bagels in the oven for 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are baking unevenly or your oven has hot spots, turn the oven tray around after 15 minutes of baking.
- Remove the baked bagels from the tray and let them cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
i made quite a lot of mistakes making this recipe… overproofed the first rise, didn’t proof again after shaping, instead boiling then resting the shaped dough (somehow my brain switched the order), boiling for too long… and yet the bagels came out super well! let it be known that your recipe is idiot-proof 😂
Haha I am so glad to hear you loved it even with the steps getting mixed up! Thank you for your lovely review!
Great recipe! Turned out perfect the first time! Husband had a bagel every morning for a week. Making it again. With Anna’s 00 flour because it’s what I have. It’s 13.7% protein so it should work 🤞🏻
Best bagel recipe.. make this for my B&B guests and they love them. Thanks Ellen!
Hi, looking forward to trying this but want to confirm the sugar used is brown sugar? I saw that noted in your descriptions at the top but on the actual recipe, it just notes sugar. Could either work? Thanks!
Hey Kelly, yup either can work! I usually use brown because I like the flavor more 🙂