Sourdough Onion Bagels (Printable)

Tangy sourdough base with golden sautéed onions for a chewy, flavorful treat.

# What You Need:

→ Sourdough Starter

01 - 3.5 oz active sourdough starter, 100% hydration

→ Dough

02 - 14.1 oz bread flour
03 - 1.8 oz whole wheat flour
04 - 0.4 oz sea salt
05 - 0.9 oz granulated sugar
06 - 8.1 fl oz lukewarm water

→ Onion Topping

07 - 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
08 - 1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter
09 - 0.25 tsp sea salt

→ Boiling

10 - 67.6 fl oz water
11 - 1 tbsp barley malt syrup or honey
12 - 1 tsp baking soda

# How To Make It:

01 - In a skillet, heat olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add chopped onions and salt. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and golden. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool completely.
02 - In a large bowl, combine sourdough starter, bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt, sugar, and lukewarm water until a shaggy dough forms.
03 - Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 4 hours at room temperature, performing two stretch-and-fold motions during the first 2 hours at 30-minute intervals.
04 - Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight for 8 to 12 hours to develop flavor.
05 - Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each into a ball, then pierce the center and stretch to form a bagel ring with approximately 2-inch diameter opening.
06 - Place shaped bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature until slightly puffy.
07 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Bring water, barley malt syrup, and baking soda to a boil in a large pot. Working in batches, boil bagels 1 minute per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and return to baking sheet.
08 - While bagels are still damp, press sautéed onions onto tops. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and fully cooked.
09 - Transfer bagels to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They taste like you spent three hours at a bagel shop, but you made them while watching your phone.
  • The sourdough tang hits different when you've let it ferment overnight, and those caramelized onions are basically edible gold.
  • One batch makes eight bagels that freeze beautifully, so future you gets an easy win on busy mornings.
02 -
  • Don't skip the overnight fermentation in the fridge, because that's where the sourdough tang develops and makes these taste like the real thing instead of just chewy bread.
  • The boiling step is sacred, not just a suggestion, so use a timer and actually flip them at the one-minute mark on each side or they'll bake up too dense.
  • If your onions aren't golden and sweet before topping the bagels, they'll taste raw and bitter, so invest the 10 minutes in getting them right.
03 -
  • Make a double batch and freeze the shaped bagels before boiling, then boil and bake straight from frozen whenever you want fresh bagels in 35 minutes flat.
  • If your sourdough starter is weak or young, these bagels might not have much tang, so feed your starter multiple times before baking and use it at peak activity for maximum flavor.
  • Leftover sautéed onions freeze beautifully, so make extra and you've got instant bagel topping ready to go.
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