From Scratch Sourdough Bagels with Einkorn Flour

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Bagels are one of those items that seem like they’d be difficult to make. That is of course until I began learning about sourdough baking and einkorn baking. I then learned that my fear of trying to make these little bread rounds was simply there because I never had done it. Once I tried it, I realized how easy it was to make the bread, shape the dough and pop them into the oven for a simple treat my family loves. These bagels are made with all-purpose einkorn flour to give them a light flavor that works well with many different toppings.

This recipe is ideal to make overnight, allowing the dough about 8-10 hours to rise but you can also make it in the morning for afternoon baking.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need for Sourdough Bagels

Parchment Paper and Baking Sheet

You’ll notice I use parchment paper in almost every recipe I make. This is because it’s so helpful! Once I began using parchment I understood how much it could help with sticking of dough and after baking clean up. It’s fabulous. You can also use a baking stone to cook these.

Large Mixing Bowl

Grab a spoon, danish dough whisk, or (in my case) a butter knife to mix the dough in a large mixing bowl.

Bench Scraper

Though you can use a butter knife to divide the dough, a bench scraper also comes in handy for sticky dough on counters. Once I began using these, I never went back.

Medium Size Saucepan

A saucepan is needed for boiling your risen bagel dough before baking it in the oven.

Strainer Spoon

A Mesh strainer spoon or a slotted spoon is used when precooking the bagels by boiling them in hot water.

Cooling Rack

Take the bagels off your baking sheet immediately to cool on a cooling rack so they don’t continue cooking on the bottoms.

The Recipe for Sourdough Einkorn Bagels

Before we begin, plan to feed your sourdough starter 4-8 hours before mixing your bagel dough together. Be prepared for the bagel dough to rise for 5-10 hours. Less for a warmer house (over 71 Degrees Fahrenheit), more for a cooler house (under 68 degrees Fahrenheit).

Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Thick Active Sourdough Starter
• 1 1/4 Cups Warm Water ( about 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 4 Cups All Purpose Einkorn Flour
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt

To Start

Mix together your starter, warm water and honey. Then add in the flour and salt. Stir all the ingredients together until it comes into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes to absorb the moisture.

First Rise

Take your dough ball out on a generously floured area and add 4-5 folds into the dough. Then roll it back into a ball and Place back into your mixing bowl, adding a little flour onto the bottom to prevent sticking. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise for about 5-8 hours. See above for rising time based on heat of house.

Second Rise

Prepare a baking sheet with floured parchment paper. Take your dough ball out onto a floured surface. Divide into 8 equal parts. Take one part at a time, rolling into a 6-7 inch log and shape into a circle. pinch one end over the other to hold a circle shape then place on your floured parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the bagels have been shaped, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let them sit for 45- 60 minutes.

Prebake the Bagels

After about 30 minutes fill a medium sized saucepan with water and heat on high until heavily boiling and turn the oven on to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the heat down to a calmer boil. Add in 1 teaspoon of baking soda and let it bubble up. Then turn the heat back up to a high boil. Test the first bagel by dropping it into the boiling water. It should rise to float near the top. If it doesn’t do this after a few seconds, allow the bagels 10-15 more minutes of rise time before boiling.

To boil bagels, drop a bagel in and boil on each side for 30-45 seconds. Then scoop them out with a strainer spoon and let them sit on a cooling rack.

Do I really Need to Boil them?

Why do we boil bagels when we’re going to cook them in the oven anyways? I’ve asked this question myself and baked many bagels without boiling them as well. The difference is how they turn out.

Boiling the dough before baking not only prebakes the bagels but also helps seal the outsides so as they expand and rise, they don’t crack. In all honesty, I’ve been known to opt out of the boiling process if we’re running short on time. Have my kids noticed? I doubt it. I do, however, believe the boiling process produces a much more well finished bagel.

Baking the Bagels

When all bagels have finished, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes.

Let the bagels cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes to allow the insides to set. Enjoy!

Trouble Shooting

Overcooked Splotches on the Bagel Tops

Dark spots on a cooked bagel is generally due to air pockets that puffed up during the baking process, making a very thin part of bread to receive high heat for too long. I personally try to fold my bagel dough to add a little air but too much folding will produce air bubbles that result in uneven baking. This isn’t a bad thing, especially if you like air pockets, but can be mostly avoided. The answer is to not fold the dough right before shaping your bagels.

Over Proofed Dough

I feel as though leaving dough out too long is easier when using all purpose einkorn flour as opposed to whole grain einkorn. What if you over proof the dough? You can either choose to bale the bagels according to the original plan or make the dough into a flat bread or foccacia style bread with savory herbs.

I don’t have many times I’ve over proofed my dough, but during bagel rising was one of them. They began to fall apart during the boiling process instead of developing into a sturdy bagel. I baked them anyway and ya know what? No one complained. I did notice they didn’t rise much and were a bit too moist and dense on the inside but the good news is bagels tend to be a dense bread anyways!

Other Options for Sourdough Einkorn Bagels

Here are some other ideas for even better bagel.

• Add in freeze dried blueberries
• Raisins with a swirl of cinnamon and sugar in the dough
• Lemon extract and poppyseeds
• Mix together sesame seeds, onion flakes, garlic flakes, poppy seeds, salt and pepper for an Everything Bagel
• Add in minced garlic, basil and diced sundried tomatoes

Other Posts You May Like

Einkorn Flour Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

Easy Einkorn Sugar Cookies for Holiday Celebrations

How to Cook a Frozen Beef Roast in the Oven No Instant Pot Required

How to Make an Einkorn Sourdough Herb and Cheese Wreath

From the Hilltop,

Krista