Bagels are special.

I mean, the fact that they are boiled before baking separates them from most other bread.
It’s said that they originated in the area around Krakow in Poland during the 17th century.
I’ve read somewhere that bagels are originally sourdough bread.
It doesn’t surprise me.
There was hardly any baker’s yeast in the 17th century.

So we are going back to the roots here.

ABOUT FLOUR AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

FLOUR	PROTEIN CONT.%	WEIGHT GRAM	BAKER’S%
Wheat flour (bread flour)	13	350	100

Water		200	57
Sourdough starter		60	17
Barley Malt syrup or sugar		21	8,5
Salt		7	2

MIXING THE DOUGH

The hydration of the dough is low. I have read several recipes for Bagels, and most of them have hydration of 55-57%. The stiff dough will give a compact bread, perhaps not what we usually strive for when baking sourdough bread.
But as I said before, Bagels are a bit different.

I fed my sourdough starter in good time before it was time to mix the dough. If I take the starter directly from the refrigerator, I prefer to feed it at least twice to get the required strength.

You can also mix a Levain if you prefer that. A ratio of 1:2:2 works fine for me most of the time. That means 1 part starter, 2 parts flour, and 2 parts water.
That will give you a levain with 100% hydration, the same hydration I have in my sourdough starter.

Mix all the ingredients and knead them into a smooth dough. Making stretch and folds is not that easy. The dough is very stiff, and I don’t think it’s needed. The fermentation time will be long, so there is plenty of time for gluten development.

BULK FERMENTATION

The first time I baked these sourdough bagels, I just covered the dough and let it ferment in my kitchen overnight at a temperature of 68°F/20°C.
The total time for bulk fermentation was about 10 hours. That was far too long. In addition to that, I had an extremely active starter.
The dough had fermented a lot in the morning. In the end, I managed to get some good Bagels anyhow as there was enough activity in the dough.
At my second attempt, I reduced the fermentation time to 8 hours at 68°F/20°C. I considered to retard the dough in the refrigerator, but I refrained as my starter was not so active this time.

SHAPING THE DOUGH

Now it’s time to shape the dough into Bagels. It’s a good idea to weigh the dough before you divide it. Divide the weight by the number of bagels you want to make, and check the weight of each piece so that you get the same size. I divided my dough into 6 pieces.
I pre-shaped the dough pieces into a round and let them relax for 10 minutes.
After that, I rolled out each dough piece into a log form.
I wrapped the log around my three middle fingers, making sure that the ends overlapped each other inside my palm.
Then I just had to roll the seam gently on my working surface until the ends joined together.

FINAL RISE

It’s a good idea to flour the surface where you plan to proof your sourdough Bagels, even if you are using parchment paper as I did.
Even if the dough is low hydrated, it can stick.
I covered the Bagels with cling film, and it stuck to the bagels, so it can be a good idea to lightly flour the upper side as well.
The time required for the final rise depends a lot on ambient temperature.
My bagel was proofed for 3 hours at 70°F/21°C, but you may have to increase the time. Prepare to be flexible.
The dough should puff up but not too much, but if the dough feels dense, you have to increase the proofing time.

BOILING BAGELS

Before boiling your Bagels, make sure you have heated up the oven to 480°F/250°C. They need to get into the oven as soon as possible.
The boiling part is perhaps the part that keeps many away from baking bagels.
That’s sad because it’s such a simple thing.
You bring water to boil, drop a Bagel or two into the water and let it simmer for about one minute on each side. Take up the Bagle with a slotted spoon and place it on parchment paper.
It’s not much harder than boiling an egg.

By the way, if your first Bagel sinks when you drop it into the boiling water, it’s under-proofed and needs more time. It should flout immediately.

BAKING BAGELS

Top the Bagels with whatever you like (I used sesame seed and poppy seeds), and place them into the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes before you open the lid to let go of some steam.
I turned down the temperature to 430°F/220°C and let them bake for an additional 10 minutes.

FINAL WORDS ABOUT SOURDOUGH BAGELS

Cream cheese is probably the most common Bagel schmear, but I think I can eat them with just about anything.
Smoked salmon, salami, grilled bell pepper, you name it.
They freeze very well, by the way. But don’t be surprised if there aren’t any left.