Sourdough Discard Bagel Recipe
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Sourdough Bagels Recipe for Fresh, Homemade Flavour
Sourdough bagels are a tasty treat that combines the tangy taste of sourdough with a chewy texture. This recipe uses sourdough discard to create the perfect bagel, making use of an ingredient you’d usually throw away. With minimal ingredients and some patience, you can enjoy homemade bagels anytime. These bagels are perfect for breakfast or as a snack, adding a rich and unique flavour to your meal.
Ingredients for Sourdough Discard Bagels Recipe
To make these bagels, you’ll need 600g of strong white bread flour, 1/2 tbsp salt, and 1 tbsp honey. Add 280 ml of warm water, 1 tbsp oil or melted butter, and 150g of sourdough discard. For boiling, you’ll need 1 tbsp of sugar. These ingredients come together to form the base of a delicious sourdough bagel.
Preparing the Dough
Start by adding the sourdough discard to a large bowl. Then, mix in the warm water, salt, honey, and oil. Stir everything together until combined. Gradually add the flour to the mixture, stirring until the dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes, adding flour if it’s sticky. Once smooth, form the dough into a round ball and cover it. Allow the dough to rest in a bowl.
Proving the Dough
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel. Let the dough prove for 4-6 hours or until doubled in size. For a slower rise, refrigerate it overnight. The longer proving time allows the dough to develop more flavour. Once ready, the dough will be soft and smooth, ready to be shaped into bagels.
Shaping the Bagels
Roll the dough out into a large circle. Cut out the bagels using a doughnut cutter or round glass. If needed, use a wine bottle cork for the centre. Place the bagels on a baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let them rest until they double in size, about 1-2 hours. This resting period ensures the bagels will rise properly when baked.
Boiling the Sourdough Bagels
While the bagels rest, prepare a pan of water over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a boil and add 1 tbsp of sugar. Stir the water to dissolve the sugar. Carefully add each bagel to the boiling water using a fish slice. Boil each side for 30 seconds, then remove them and return them to the baking sheet. Continue until all the bagels are boiled.
Baking the Sourdough Bagels
Preheat your oven to 430°F (215°C). Place the bagels in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. When tapped, the bagels should sound hollow, indicating they’re fully cooked. This ensures they have the perfect texture and taste. Once baked, remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool before serving.
Enjoy Your Homemade Bagels
Once cooled, the Sourdough bagels are ready to be enjoyed. Serve them with cream cheese, jam, or any topping you like. The sourdough flavour pairs perfectly with a variety of spreads. These homemade bagels are perfect for breakfast or a tasty snack. Enjoy the chewy, tangy goodness of your fresh, homemade sourdough bagels!
Additional Sourdough Recipes:
Sourdough Bread Recipe
An excellent idea for using the discard – saves waste.
How much sugar do you add to the water?
Hi Alice,
You need to add one tablespoon of sugar to the water.
Many thanks,
Cleo
how old can the discard be? It’s been refrigerated.
Hi Paul,
The discard if stored properly would be the same as unfed sourdough. I feed my sourdough once a week, soI would say that the discard should be used within 5-7days.
Hi Cleo,
if the discard is not strong, can we add some instant yeast?
Hi Jane,
If you add yeast, it would no longer be sourdough bread but rather than discarding your ingredients, you could try using some yeast and see what happens.
Many thanks,
Cleo
I’m not sure why, but my bagels didn’t rise at all .Is it because I used a 7 day old discard? They look more like bagel thins than real bagels. Help?
Hi Heather
For best results, use the discard on the same day that you fed your starter. The discard becomes weaker over time. You should keep the discard refrigerated until you are ready to use it.
Cleo
My bagels turned out. Little dense and hard, how can I make them softer, more hidratation maybe? In terms of weight, how much should be reasonable for a bagel?
Hi Paula,
I have never weighed a bagel but the fresher the discard, the better the results you will get. If you follow the recipe, there should be enough moisture and your bagels should all be the weight of “normal” bagels.
Cleo
I’ve been looking for another way to use my sourdough discard, so I was excited to find your recipe. I followed your recipe exactly, weights and measures, however, when I added the flour to the sourdough mixture there was WAY more flour than the amount of liquid would absorb. I mixed in all I could in the bowl, then turned it all out on my counter. I ended up adding about 1/4 cup warm water to the bowl, scraping it down and adding the dough ball back to the bowl and hand mixing as best I could to get most of the water into the dough. Turned back out onto the counter and kneaded until I finally had a very stiff ball of dough. It is rising now, and we shall see how it looks in 4 hours when I check it. My starter discard was very bubbly this morning when I fed my 2 starters. I use KA bread flour. Water was right at 90*, I used brown sugar instead of honey, and olive oil in place of melted butter. Praying for success!
Hi Rhonda,
This is the list of ingredients and you can see how much water it calls for:
Ingredients
600g strong white bread flour
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp honey or brown sugar
280 ml water (warm)
1 tbsp oil or melted butter
150g sourdough discard
For boiling doughnuts:
1 tbsp sugar to boiling water
Here is another comment on the same recipe, which shows that it does work:
This recipe is amazing! Did half wholewheat half bread flour and they turned out great! Just baked them for 5+ minutes than the recipe said. Thanx xx
I hope you will try it again.
Cleo
This recipe is amazing! Did half wholewheat half bread flour and they turned out great! Just baked them for 5+ minutes than the recipe said. Thanx xx
Thank-you, enjoy!!