If you are making (or maintaining) a sourdough starter, you have a lot of sourdough discard. You can either throw it away (literally, discard), or you can use it in bread-related recipes. These Sourdough Discard Bagels are a great way to use some of that discard and have a delicious baked good to come out of it!
If you don't have a sourdough starter, stop right here! There are many recipes that share how to make a sourdough starter. You'll need sourdough discard in order to make this Sourdough Discard Bagels recipe.
As always, I do include a few affiliate links in this post for products I truly use and love. This just means that if you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I'll earn a little money (at no cost to you) to keep the kitchen up and running, which I promise to use to create more fun content like this! One of those affiliates is with Amazon, which requires a very clear disclosure: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions about affiliates, please reach out!
Looking for a few other sourdough discard recipes? Try these Sourdough Discard Pretzels. They also freeze well, so you can make them and store them for later!
Ingredients
As long as you have sourdough discard, the other ingredients are pantry staples you likely already have at home.
- Warm water: the temperature of your water really does matter. This should be a little warmer than bathwater (but not burning at all - still comfortable on the skin).
- Sourdough discard: you'll want your discard to be at room temperature so that it doesn't deactivate the yeast you'll add to the dough. This recipe is written for discard that is 1:1 flour to water.
- Instant yeast: since we're using instant yeast, you don't need to let it bloom, but again, making sure things are warm (i.e. room temperature sourdough discard and warm water) is important to make sure it activates correctly.
- Granulated sugar: you'll only need a bit to feed the yeast.
- Bread flour: bread flour gives these a really nice texture, but you could also use all-purpose flour.
- Toppings: these are optional, but you can top your bagel with anything you like. Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and everything bagel seasoning are all great options!
- A few other ingredients including salt and an egg white.
See full recipe below for detailed instructions.
Instructions
These Sourdough Discard Bagels only need one rise, and the recipe is pretty forgiving. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amounts of water and flour in your recipe, depending on your sourdough starter.
Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until a smooth ball forms. Transfer to an oiled bowl to rise for 90 minutes.
After the dough rises, turn it out onto a flat surface and divide in 8-10 equal pieces. 8 pieces will give you larger bagels compared to 10 pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball.
Push your thumb through the center of each ball to form your bagel shape.
Boil for 30-60 seconds on each side.
Brush with egg wash, then dip or sprinkle with your desired toppings (optional).
The bagels are then ready to bake! They're finished when they are golden brown and nicely crusty on the outside.
Hint: The amount of time you boil the bagels depends on how chewy you want them to be. Boiling for less time will create a less chewy crust. Boiling for longer will create a more chewy crust. I like to boil mine for about 45 seconds on each side, but you can go for anywhere from 30-60 seconds.
What is sourdough discard?
Sourdough discard is what you have left over after you have fed your sourdough starter. So let's break that down. When you are making a sourdough starter (here is an example sourdough starter recipe), part of the process is that you need to feed the starter. To do so, you take out a certain amount, then "discard" what is left over (this is normally about half the volume).
The amount that you took out gets fed, which means you add fresh flour and water to the mixture to let it sit. The discard, or the leftover part, can be used for recipes, or it can be thrown away (literally discarded). It has a few interesting properties, which can make it fun to bake with. It has started fermenting, so you'll get a bit of the sour tang that you would in a sourdough bread. Also, as part of the fermenting process, you'll get a bit of lift from natural yeast that has formed. You'll still need to use yeast in a sourdough discard recipe, but you can either use less, or accept that your recipe will be extra fluffy with the addition of the discard.
To note, sourdough discard doesn't last forever. You should store it in the refrigerator (whereas your starter is stored at room temperature while it's active), and only keep it for up to a week. If you keep it longer than that, the fermenting process gets pretty far along and may start growing bad bacteria that you don't want to be eating. If your discard is discoloring (pink or grey streaks), it's time to throw it away.
Variations
This is a very easy recipe to adapt and you can easily add mix-ins of your choice. A few ideas to get you started:
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagels - Add 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon while you're making the dough (when you add the flour). While you're kneading the dough, mix in ¾ cup of raisins.
- Rosemary Bagels - Add 2 Tablespoons chopped rosemary while you're making the dough (when you add the flour). You could also add 2 teaspoons ground black pepper for an extra kick. Top your bagels with some flaky sea salt.
Equipment
You only need a few things to make these Sourdough Discard Bagels. I recommend using a stand mixer (I use a KitchenAid 5 Quart Stand Mixer). You'll need a large bowl (or you can also wash it and use the bowl of your stand mixer) to allow the dough to rise. To boil the bagels, you'll need a large pot (such as this Staub Cocotte), a slotted spoon or spatula, and two half-sheet baking pans lined with parchment paper or Silpat mats.
Storage
These bagels are best fresh. Once cooled, they can be stored in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature for up to three days. You can also freeze them in a freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, either pop them into the toaster or the microwave to warm them up and bring back that soft texture.
Top tip
Think about the shape of your bagels as you're making them. How big do you want them to be? Do you like a large hole in the middle or more of a closed, solid bagel? If you want them to be flatter, make sure to flatten them a bit as you're shaping. If you need to, you can always gently reshape after the boiling step (once it cools down, of course!).
Sourdough Discard Bagels
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups bread flour
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 egg white plus 1 Tablespoon water, for egg wash
- Toppings (optional)
Instructions
- Combine flour, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, instant yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix to combine. On low speed, add the sourdough discard and water until combined. Increase speed to medium and knead for 4-5 minutes until a smooth ball forms. This will be a fairly sturdy dough. You may need to add more water or more flour (1 Tablespoon at a time), depending on your sourdough discard, to reach the right dough consistency.
- Grease a large bowl, transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and divide into 8-10 equal pieces. 8 pieces will give you 8 large bagels; 10 pieces will give you 10 smaller bagels. Roll each piece in your palm to form a smooth ball, then use your thumb to press through the center of each ball, forming your bagel.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper and set aside.
- Bring a pot with 2 quarts of water and 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar to boil. Place your bagels in the boiling water for 30-60 seconds on each side. You can likely fit 2-3 bagels in the pot at a time, just make sure there is enough room for them to float openly as they will expand. Remove from the boiling water using a slotted spoon and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. If needed, you can reshape the bagels a little after they've cooled.
- Lightly brush the bagels with egg wash, then dip the top into your chosen toppings, if using (such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning). You can also sprinkle the toppings on if you prefer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before slicing.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
For this recipe, yes! If you have a sourdough starter, you have sourdough discard, and this recipe is a great way to use it.
There are many recipes that share how to make a sourdough starter. You'll need sourdough discard in order to make this Sourdough Discard Bagels recipe.
Basically anything that sounds good to you! Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and other seed mixes (like everything bagel seasoning) all work well. You can also never go wrong with flaky sea salt!
If you're seeing yeast granules in your dough, that means it hasn't activated fully. Temperature is very important when working with yeast. Make sure the water you're using is truly warm (warmer than bath water, but not so hot that it's uncomfortable on your skin). Your sourdough discard should also be room temperature. If you cool down the dough too much, the yeast won't activate.
No! Irregular shapes are part of the charm of homemade bagels. The only thing you'll want to watch out for is that your bagels are all about the same size. That way they will all bake for the same amount of time (if you have one bagel that is overly large, it may take more time to bake fully).
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