Whole Wheat Sourdough Bagels - With Discard or Active Starter
These chewy, hearty, and delicious whole wheat sourdough bagels are easier to make than you think! This recipe is a nutritious way to enjoy your favorite bakery treat.
Servings: 10 bagels
Calories: 191kcal
Cost: $5
Equipment
- large pot for boiling
- Food Scale optional--for portioning dough balls
Ingredients
Bagel Dough
- 500 grams white whole wheat flour (hard white wheat)
- 100 grams sourdough starter discard works well, active is also fine
- 300 grams warm water
- 30 grams honey
- 10 grams salt
- 7 grams diastatic malt powder (optional)
For Boiling
- large pot of water
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon honey
- optional toppings--Everything but the Bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, cinnamon sugar, etc.
Instructions
- Add whole wheat flour, sourdough starter, warm water, honey, salt, and diastatic malt powder (if using) to a mixer bowl. Turn on the mixer and stir until just combined. Stop the mixer and cover the bowl with a damp tea towel. Let the shaggy dough rest for 30 minutes before continuing to step 2.
- Knead the dough with a dough hook for about 10-15 minutes. This is a stiff dough, so you may need to give your stand mixer a few breaks if the dough gets tough and tight. After the dough is kneaded, turn off the mixer and let the dough sit 15 min to relax before shaping.
- Divide dough into 10 equal size balls and roll them smooth. I like to use a food scale for this, but it's up to you. Pinch a hole in the center of each dough ball and shape into bagels. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover the shaped bagels with plastic wrap.
- Let bagels ferment until they pass the float test--this is usually around 4 hours for me, but could be more or less depending on your starter and room temperature. To do the float test, place a bagel into a small bowl of water. The bagel should rise to the surface and float. If it sinks, it needs more time to ferment. Gently shake to remove excess water and place bagel back on the baking sheet.
- Place the covered sheet pan of bagels in the refrigerator to do a cold proof overnight. See notes for a tip if your fermentation is taking longer than expected.
- In the morning, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the sheet pan of bagels from the fridge. Fill a large pot with water, 1 tbsp baking soda, and 1 tbsp honey. bring to a boil. Place 2-3 bagels in the pot at a time and boil for 1-2 minutes per side, (2-4 minutes total), using a spoon or tongs to flip halfway through.
- If you want to put toppings on your bagels, immediately place the wet bagel from the boiling water pot into a small bowl of toppings, then place on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven when golden brown.
Video
Notes
I recommend starting this dough in the early afternoon the day before you'd like to bake the bagels.
If the bagels aren't done fermenting but you'd like to go to sleep, place the sheet pan (covered in plastic wrap) in the refrigerator. Take it out in the morning and put in a warm place to finish fermenting, then boil them once they pass the "float test."
Nutrition
Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 718mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
