New York-Style Sourdough Bagels
Chewy homemade sourdough bagels need a little time and work, but they're so worth making yourself! These are New York style sourdough bagels.
Servings: 10 bagels
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Whisk optional
- Stand mixer with a dough hook
- Tea towels
- 2 baking sheets
- Large pot
- Slotted spoon
- 2 Wire cooling racks
Ingredients
- 20 grams barley malt powder, diastatic or non-diastatic, or barley malt syrup
- 200 grams active sourdough starter
- 315 grams cold water, plus extra for the malt powder and for boiling the bagels
- 750 grams bread flour
- 12 grams fine-grain salt
- 100 grams semolina
For Boiling The Bagels
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
Bagel Toppings
- 70 grams Everything Bagel seasoning, or sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or anything else you like (about 1 cup total)
Instructions
Day 1
- In a small bowl, mix the malt powder with water until thick and syrupy, similar to the consistency of honey (I used 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons of water, but you may need more or less depending on your powder).20 grams barley malt powder
- Pour the malt mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the active starter and cold water and whisk to combine.200 grams active sourdough starter, 315 grams cold water
- Add the bread flour and salt. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and knead on low speed for 2 minutes. If at any point you smell a burning electrical smell from your mixer, turn it off immediately and finish kneading by hand). Stop the mixer and finish kneading by hand for 10 minutes, for a total of 12 minutes.750 grams bread flour, 12 grams fine-grain salt
- Form the dough into a smooth ball and return it to the mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Cut the dough into 10 equal portions (approximately 132 grams each). Shape each portion into a smooth ball, pinching the bottoms to seal the seam. Cover the dough balls with the tea towel and let them rest for 15 minutes.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly sprinkle the semolina between the two baking sheets.100 grams semolina
- Poke a hole through the center of each dough ball with your thumb. Insert both thumbs into the hole and gently stretch and rotate it to widen the hole.
- Place the shaped bagels on the prepared baking sheets. Cover each sheet with a tea towel and proof in the oven with the oven light on for 2 to 3 hours. You can do the float test at this point (see 'The Float Test' above).
- Once the bagels have risen, remove the baking sheets from the oven. Dampen the tea towels and drape them gently back over the bagels. Place the two sheets in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
Day 2
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the bagels from the fridge. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare your chosen toppings in plates or shallow bowls and have a slotted spoon ready.
- Once the water is boiling, add the baking soda and brown sugar. Gently give the bagel hole a final stretch, and place them into the boiling water, a few at a time, for 1 to 2 minutes on each side (for a chewier bagel, aim for the longer end of this range, closer to 2 minutes per side). Use the slotted spoon to lift the bagels from the pot, giving each a gentle shake to remove excess water.1 Tablespoon baking soda, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- Place the boiled bagels, top-down, into the toppings. Use your hands or a small spoon to coat the edges. Quickly and gently transfer each bagel, right side up, to the prepared baking sheets.70 grams Everything Bagel seasoning
- Place the baking sheets in the oven and reduce the temperature to 400°F (200°C). After 10 minutes, rotate the baking sheets and switch their positions between the oven racks. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the tops of the bagels are golden. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- We have not included cup measurements in the recipe because volume measurements aren't accurate enough for sourdough baking.
- The dough should be stiff and firm. It might be tougher to knead than other bread doughs, but this consistency is key for chewy bagels.
- The dough is mixed for 2 minutes at low speed and then kneaded for 10 minutes. Ten minutes is too long for most stand mixers to handle, even professional mixers, as the dough is low-hydration and quite stiff. We recommend not allowing your mixer to knead for the full 10 minutes to prevent damage.
- To help prevent your bagels from blowing through the hole (when the dough in the center rises excessively during boiling and baking, causing the hole to close up and the center to puff up into a peak), ensure you make a large enough hole in the center of each bagel. The hole will shrink as the bagels proof and bake. Inconsistent proofing can also cause some bagels to expand more rapidly than others during boiling and baking.
Storage
- Store baked bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- For longer storage, slice and freeze the bagels. Toast directly from the freezer when ready to eat.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 2009mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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