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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Published: Feb 1, 2022 · Modified: Mar 4, 2023 by Jen Talley · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

    New York Style Sourdough Starter Discard Bagels

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    Several everything and sesame bagels on a cooling rack with the text: Sourdough Discard Bagels.

    Chewy New York Style Bagels are even better when made with a sourdough starter. The sourdough discard adds depth of flavor and keeps the bagels fresh longer!

    An everything bagel and plain bagel on a small wooden cutting board.
    New York Style Bagels with Sourdough Discard

    The idea of making homemade bagels may seem a bit intimidating, but bagel dough is denser (more flour) and easier to work with than normal bread dough.

    To make it even easier I made a full video tutorial that you can find in the recipe card below. If you have any questions I would love to help!

    These bagels use yeast and sourdough starter. They are mild and delicious in flavor and done in about 2 hours. Although they are not purely sourdough they still have a beautiful soft and chewy inside!

    These easy sourdough bagels are my most requested gift to give to friends. I have even been asked to make several dozen for brunches!

    They are naturally vegan! No crazy ingredients to substitute! Top with vegan cream cheese or butter.

    Have you tried a New York style everything bagel with cream cheese, lox (smoked salmon) and a slice of tomato? They are divine!

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • The bagel are chewy on the outside and soft and on the inside!
    • The dough is not sticky at all and so easy to work with!
    • These will miles better than the store bought bagels.
    • You can customize them with your favorite toppings!

    Recipe Ingredients

    The ingredients to make New York style sourdough discard bagels.

    You'll need the following ingredients to make New York Style Sourdough Discard Bagels.

    Flour: Bread flour or a flour with higher wheat protein will yield chewier bagels. King Arthur bread flour or King Arthur all purpose flour are great.

    Water

    Sourdough Discard: These will take your mediocre homemade bagels and make them magnificent. The discard adds flavor and longevity to the bagels!

    Sugar: Helps feed the yeast.

    Yeast: Hands down my favorite yeast is SAF Instant Yeast. I use it in all my bread!

    Salt: Brings out the flavor.

    Optional Toppings: everything seasoning, dried onion flakes, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coarse salt.

    How to Make Bagels

    Here are some quick instructions. The full recipe with ingredient measurements is below! Also, check out the full tutorial video in the recipe card!

    Add the water, flour, yeast, salt and sugar to the mixer. Knead for at least 10 minutes.

    Adding the ingredients for bagels into a mixer.

    Take the dough out of the mixer and shape it into a ball.

    A collage of mixing the dough, kneading the dough and shaping it into a ball.

    Put the dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and rise.

    The bagel dough before and after it has risen.

    Cut the dough into 8-12 pieces depending on the desired size of the bagels. Generously flour a clean surface for the shaped bagels to rest on.

    Cutting the dough into pieces and dusting the counter with flour.

    There are two methods to shape the bagels. The video tutorial in the recipe card will be VERY helpful with shaping the bagels.

    Showing the shape of the bagels for the two different methods of rolling them out.

    The first method is to roll it out like a snake and use the counter to roll the two ends together. I prefer method one.

    A collage of how to roll out and shape a bagel.

    The second method is to roll a tight ball and use your fingers to poke a hole in the middle of the dough and then gently stretch it out.

    A collage on how to shape a bagel by rolling the dough into a ball and poking a hole in the middle.

    Let the boils rest on the counter while you bring the water to a boil and preheat the oven.

    A collage of before and after the bagels rest on the counter.

    Boil the bagels and add toppings.

    A collage of boiling bagels and adding toppings on the boiled bagels.

    Bake the bagels and allow them to cool before slicing them open.

    Bagels stacked on a wood board.

    Recipe Tips & Tricks

    There are two ways to shape the bagels. The first way is to roll each piece into a tight ball and then use your fingers to make a hole in the middle. Then, carefully stretch out the hole.

    The second way is to roll the piece of dough into a snake that can fit around your hand. Then roll the overlapping dough against the counter to roll the ends together. Watch this Easy Homemade Bagels video to see them in action.

    Good parchment paper or Silpat Baking Mats are a must. These bagels come out of the boiling water and the dough will stick to a bare pan.

    An onion bagel with cream cheese and a stack of bagels next to it.

    Storage and Reheating

    • Storage: Store the bagels in a bread bag. They will stay fluffy for 3 days. After day 3 you may want to toast them or freeze them.
    • Reheating: Take the frozen bagels out of the freezer. Allow them to thaw on the counter or in the microwave. Then toast them.
    • Freezing: Cut the bagels in half and put the cut sides back together. Double bag them and freeze them.

    Additions and Substitutions

    • Toppings: It is fun to experiment with the bagels and toppings. Try everything seasoning, dried onion flakes, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coarse salt.
    • Cinnamon Raisin: Add an additional 2 tablespoons of sugar to the dough, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ cup of raisins.
    • Chocolate Chip: Add an additional 2 tablespoons of sugar to the dough. Add mini chocolate chips after the rise and before shaping the bagels.
    Several everything and sesame bagels on a cooling rack.
    New York Style Sourdough Discard Bagels

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What can you serve on bagels?

    You can keep it simple and add butter or cream cheese to the bagel. You can also add lox (smoked salmon), onion, tomato and capers on top of the cream cheese. Many people like to use bagels for breakfast or lunch sandwiches. You can add scrambled eggs and cheese for breakfast. Deli meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato are perfect toppings for lunch.

    Why do bagels have to be boiled?

    Boiling the bagels creates that chewy outer crust, but keep the center of the bagel soft.

    Why do you add sugar or malt syrup to the boiling water for bagels?

    Barley malt syrup or sugar can be used in the water when boiling bagels. It helps to create the shiny, chewy exterior of the bagel.

    Can bagels be made without a mixer?

    You can make bagels without a mixer, but they need to be kneaded very well to create the classic chewy bagel. The dough is very dense and requires some strength to knead for at least 10 minutes.

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    An everything bagel and plain bagel on a small wooden cutting board.

    New York Style Sourdough Starter Discard Bagels

    Chewy New York Style Bagels are even better when made with a sourdough starter. The discard adds depth of flavor and keeps the bagels fresh longer!
    4.95 from 58 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Lunch
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: bagels, breakfast, lunch, sourdough
    Prep Time: 35 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Rise Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 2 hours
    Servings: 8 bagels
    Author: Jen Talley

    Equipment

    • 1 Bosch Mixer or
    • 1 Kitchenaid Mixer
    • 2 Sheet pans
    • parchment paper or
    • 2 silpat mats

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups warm water (454 grams)
    • ½ cup sourdough discard (120 grams) (a heaping ½ cup)
    • 3½ teaspoons Instant Yeast (9 grams) (prefer SAF Yeast, but can sub active dry yeast)
    • 2 tablespoons white sugar (30 grams)
    • 2½ teaspoons kosher salt (16 grams)
    • 6 cups unbleached bread flour (720 grams) wait to add the last ½ cup after you check the dough - see video

    For Boiling Bagels

    • water
    • 2 tablespoons white sugar (30 grams)

    Optional Toppings

    • everything bagel seasoning
    • dried onion flakes
    • sesame seeds
    • poppy seeds
    • coarse salt

    Instructions

    • Add the water, sourdough discard, yeast, sugar and salt to a mixer. Add 5½ cups of flour to the mixer. Using the dough hook begin to knead the dough. It may take some time to mix well because there is a lot of flour. Slowly add the remaining ½ cup of flour until the dough isn't sticky anymore and it feels very dense.
    • Knead for about 10 minutes using a Bosch mixer and about 13 minutes using a Kitchenaid mixer.
    • Transfer the dough to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise is a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
    • Punch down the dough and cut it into 8-12 pieces (It depends on how large you want your bagels. I usually aim for each bagel to be about 160 grams.)
    • Dust your counter with flour and place the shaped bagels onto your counter.  There are two methods to share the bagels (see video). Option 1: Roll the piece of dough into a "snake." Bring the two ends together under your palm and roll the ends together. Option 2: You can roll the piece of dough into a ball and stick your finger through the center to make a hole and then use your fingers to stretch the hole.
    • While your shaped bagels are resting (you do not need to cover them).
      1. Fill a large pot with water and add the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring the pot of water to a gentle boil.
      2. Arrange the oven racks to the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
      3. Line two pans with parchment paper or Silpat mats.
      4. Get your toppings ready.
    • By the time the water begins to boil the tops of the bagels should be a little smoother and puffier. Gently lift a bagel and place it into the boiling water top side down. I can fit 3 at a time into my pot of boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds on each side. Remove them with a large slotted spoon or spatula. Place them gently on the parchment paper. If you want to add toppings now is the time - while they are still wet from the water.
    • Put the first pan in the 400° oven as soon as it is full. Follow with the second pan as soon as you finish boiling the rest of the bagels.
    • After 15 minutes swap the pans. Put the pan from the bottom on the top rack and put the pan from the top on the bottom rack. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. Make sure your bagels have started to brown nicely before taking the out of the oven. The dough is dense and if you take them out too early it will still be a little gummy in the middle. Let them cool before slicing.

    Video

    Notes

    Good parchment paper or Silpat Baking Mats are a must. These bagels come out of the boiling water and the dough will stick to a bare pan.
    Storage: Store the bagels in a bread bag. They will stay fluffy for 3 days. After day 3 you may want to toast them or freeze them.
    Reheating: Take the frozen bagels out of the freezer. Allow them to thaw on the counter or in the microwave. Then toast them.
    Freezing: Cut the bagels in half and put the cut sides back together. Double bag them and freeze them.
    Dairy Free: These are naturally dairy free. Top with dairy free butter or cream cheese. 

    Additional Resources

    Another short video about shaping the bagels is below.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sharon Hunt says

      February 01, 2022 at 8:51 pm

      5 stars
      I tried making these bagels for my husband and I and they came out great! The video definitely helped with shaping them!

      Reply
      • Thyme for the Table says

        February 01, 2022 at 9:21 pm

        I'm glad the video was helpful and the bagels turned out good!

        Reply
    2. Kristin says

      February 01, 2022 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      Oh My Bagel! I am obsessed with this recipe and absolutely love that I can have homemade bagels from start to finish in less than 2 hours! Who knew making delicious bagels was that easy?!

      Reply
      • Thyme for the Table says

        February 01, 2022 at 9:20 pm

        It really is so much easier than you would think! I'm glad you gave them a try!

        Reply
    3. Jacqueline Meldrum says

      February 02, 2022 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      Oh these look so good. Unfortunately my husband managed to end Bob my starter when I was visiting my mum.

      Reply
      • Thyme for the Table says

        February 02, 2022 at 8:09 pm

        Oh no! Poor Bob! My Doughlene got neglected when I was on vacation in Florida, but a couple feeds later and she perked right back up.

        Reply
    4. Hayley Dhanecha says

      February 02, 2022 at 6:44 pm

      5 stars
      These look super delicious and absolutely loving this recipe. Homemade bagels in 2 hours? How amazing is that!!

      Reply
      • Thyme for the Table says

        February 02, 2022 at 8:10 pm

        They really are incredible!

        Reply
        • Sheri Lane says

          March 02, 2023 at 5:51 pm

          The recipe calls for over 8 cups of flour. It reads to add 5 initially and then add 1 to 3/4 cups for (or something like that). Do you mean we should add that much for or 3/4 from the remaining 3+ cups for that is left over?

          Reply
          • Jen Talley says

            March 04, 2023 at 2:46 am

            I just went through and made a huge update on the post. I read through the recipe card and changed the way it was worded. I also added weight measurements to be more precise. There is also a full video tutorial in the recipe card. I hope that helps Sheri. I have been meaning to update this post for a while and I am sorry it wasn't clearly written.

            Reply
    5. Casey says

      February 02, 2022 at 6:49 pm

      5 stars
      You can't really eat store bought bagels after making these!! I love that the dough wasn't sticky and easy to work with! Thanks so much for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Thyme for the Table says

        February 02, 2022 at 8:11 pm

        You're welcome Casey! I can't even remember the last time I bought pre-packaged bagels!

        Reply
    6. Rika says

      February 02, 2022 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      I didn't know that I could turn sourdough discard into bagel! I love the idea!

      Reply
      • Thyme for the Table says

        February 02, 2022 at 8:12 pm

        Yes! It is a great way to use your ever-growing sourdough starter!

        Reply
    7. Alison says

      February 02, 2022 at 9:44 pm

      5 stars
      Making your own bagels is so much fun! And you're right, the sourdough starter really makes these extra special!

      Reply
    8. Timothy says

      March 05, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve tried several recipes for bagels using some sourdough starter, and these are by far the best. My mixer had some struggles with the dense dough but that made the difference: really nice chew on the exterior, and an appropriately soft but not TOO soft interior. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Thyme for the Table says

        March 06, 2022 at 10:15 pm

        You're welcome! My friend has a KitchenAid and I have a Bosch and the Bosch handles the denser dough a little better, but both get the job done. I'm so glad the bagels were a success.

        Reply
    9. Kat says

      June 14, 2022 at 10:20 pm

      What setting is the mixer supposed to be at? I have a 6qt KitchenAid mixer.

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        June 16, 2022 at 1:13 pm

        The dough is going to be very dense, I would keep it at the slowest setting to knead it.

        Reply
    10. Laura says

      August 05, 2022 at 12:39 am

      Sooo.. I don’t have a stand mixer. Could I cut this recipe in half and knead by hand?

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        August 05, 2022 at 6:42 pm

        Hi Laura! Yes, you can absolutely knead this by hand. The nice thing about kneading it by hand is that this is not a sticky dough. However, it will be very dense and you will need to put some muscle into it. You really want to knead it well to get that chewiness of New York bagels. You can even just keep the recipe, "as is" and knead it by hand. No need to halve it.

        Reply
    11. Sarah P says

      December 22, 2022 at 9:49 pm

      5 stars
      On my third batch of these. They are fantastic! I mix about 1.5 TBS roughly ground pepper with no toppings...and my husband loves them. Thank you for this wonderfully easy recipe. I have been told I need to make them weekly now.

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        December 27, 2022 at 2:51 am

        That's awesome Sarah! I have never made them with black pepper! I'm glad you are enjoying them!

        Reply
    12. Mia Koob says

      January 04, 2023 at 3:33 am

      5 stars
      Could I let these proof over night in the fridge? If so how long should I let them ride out on the counter in the morning?

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        January 04, 2023 at 3:21 pm

        I haven't tried to let them proof in the fridge. But, I have been tempted to try! Let me know if you give it a try. I would be super interested to see how it works out.

        Reply
        • Mia Koob says

          January 05, 2023 at 11:40 am

          5 stars
          I tried it! They turned out great, i left the dough covered over night and shapes and baked them in the morning!

          Reply
    13. Adam says

      February 17, 2023 at 3:24 pm

      Any chance to get this recipe in standard SI measurement?

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        February 18, 2023 at 6:38 pm

        Yes, I can work on getting that to you. The good news is that these bagels are very forgiving especially because you are making a dense dough. So even without precise measurements, you will find success. But next time I make these I will write down the measurements, add them to the recipe card and email you.

        Reply
        • Adam says

          February 20, 2023 at 8:15 pm

          It would be nice! Thank you!

          Reply
          • Jen Talley says

            March 04, 2023 at 2:48 am

            I just did a big update Adam. Not only did I add the weight measurements, I also posted process shots in the post. Best of all, there is a new video tutorial in the recipe card. I hope you give these bagels a try. My whole neighborhood loves them!

            Reply
    14. Annette says

      February 21, 2023 at 10:27 pm

      Can I put the dough in the refrigerator after the first rise to boil and bake off the next morning for fresh bagels and coffee?

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        February 23, 2023 at 1:52 pm

        I haven't tried that yet, but maybe I will!! (I just made these bagels yesterday morning and took new pictures and a video I am going to add to this post.) I would definitely reduce the amount of yeast so that it doesn't rise too quickly overnight because then they may deflate when you add them to the water.

        If I were to try this I would make the dough in the evening. I would use room-temperature water and reduce the yeast to 1 teaspoon. It will cause the first rise to be slower, but it would reduce the risk of over proofing in the refrigerator. Put parchment paper on two cookie sheets and generously dust them with flour or corn meal. Spray with oil or butter on the top of plastic wrap. Shape the bagels and put them on the cookie sheets and cover them with the plastic wrap. Set it in the coldest part of your fridge. The next morning take the bagels out and allow them to warm on the counter for 30 minutes or so. Boil them and bake them.

        Like I said, I haven't tried this method, but this is what I would do. Let me know if you decide to give it a try and I'll let you know if I do.

        Reply
    15. Elizabeth Galloway says

      March 08, 2023 at 6:25 am

      5 stars
      These turned out absolutely delicious. Not a difficult recipe and tastes like a bakery bagel. Huge hit with the family. Thank you so much for this quick 2 hr start to finish recipe!

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        March 08, 2023 at 1:47 pm

        Thank's for the great review Elizabeth! I'm so glad your family enjoyed them!

        Reply
    16. D says

      March 14, 2023 at 4:44 am

      2 stars
      Hi, did you change/update your recipe in March? I found your recipe in January/February and made several batches of bagels - the kitchen aide mix at 13 minutes was spot on and I had dough that climbed the hook and then fell off perfectly, leaving silky dough to rise for an hour. I've tried three separate times to make your recipe in the past week and it's resulted in dry, hard dough. Ive had to throw away 1500+ grams of flour and all my starter discard! Your recipe seems like it's changes online from what I recall based on the photos/videos and text....

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        March 14, 2023 at 6:24 pm

        Hey D! I'm so sorry that the update caused you to have problems! I had someone comment and ask me for the measurements in weight. I was careful to measure the ingredients and weigh them. I thought that I was very careful about the changes. I just realized that for the 2 cups of water, I wrote down the weight measurement for 1 cup. I just updated the correct grams of water and I really appreciate you bringing this to my attention. Email me if you have any questions!

        Reply
    17. Marcy says

      March 21, 2023 at 8:12 pm

      5 stars
      Such an excellent recipe! So easy and the bagels come out perfect every time! Thank you so much for sharing this as many people have been blessed by you and this bagel recipe! ♥️

      Reply
      • Jen Talley says

        March 22, 2023 at 12:34 am

        Thanks Marcy! That is really kind of you to write. My neighbors are always looking forward to being gifted my bagels too.

        Reply

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