Easy Whole Wheat Sourdough Bagels with Einkorn Flour

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These bagels bring together the best of sourdough and the ancient grain einkorn. You will impress friends and family alike with such a delicious breakfast food most would just purchase at a bakery.

Previously, I’ve shared how to make a multigrain overnight bagel recipe that uses both all-purpose flour and whole wheat einkorn flour. Next I introduced my bagel recipe with all purpose einkorn flour. Now I’d like to show you how you can make a perfect bagel using 100% whole wheat einkorn flour combined with the use of sourdough!

Why you should make these bagels

These einkorn sourdough bagels are a perfect alternative to store bought bagels for your family for breakfast! They are easy, use very minimal ingredients and aren’t time consuming.

When you combine einkorn flour and sourdough (it can be any kind, it doesn’t have to be einkorn sourdough starter) you are getting the ultimate health benefits! The ancient grain Einkorn and the fermentation resulting from the sourdough starter work together and you get a very nutrition-packed bakery style goodie with the breakdown of the gluten making these easier to digest and healthier for you gut.

What is Einkorn

Einkorn is a true form of wheat that has not been genetically altered and it also carries much more nutrition and protein than modern day wheat. It is the oldest known wheat that has never been hybridized which means that ALL other wheat varieties came from einkorn. It’s the mother wheat!

Because of this ancient grain’s unique place, it’s structure is completely different. Einkorn wheat has just 14 chromosomes compared to modern day wheat’s 44 chromosomes! The difference of these wheats is seen in nutrition, protein and digestibility. You can find all the information on einkorn’s amazing nutrients in this post

We’ve found huge benefits for our immune and gut health when consistently incorporating fresh ground einkorn flour into our cooking and baking routine. Things like less sickness, less snacking (yay!) and a healthier gut that helps keeps our bodies functioning properly.

To learn more about it’s anti-inflammatory aspects, read HERE.

I cannot stress to you enough, that if you want to receive the nutritional benefits of this flour you MUST learn to mill the actual grain. In 2020 our family made the investment in a Mockmill 100. Our reasoning was that whole wheat berries were cheaper than purchasing all purpose Einkorn ( which is pretty spendy compared to conventional wheat).

HERE are several essential tips for baking with this ancient grain.

Why Whole Wheat

Modern whole wheat has undergone significant processing which has removed many vital nutrients and fibers from the grain and also lessens the bran content and quantity. 

A solution to this is to use either organic whole wheat this is not ground (grain berries) or ancient grain varieties like Einkorn, Kamut and Spelt. These are more original forms of the wheat grain.

Whole wheat flour has a lower gluten content then white flour because of the bran and germ in the grain kernel when it is ground. This is another reason we are highly encouraged to grind our own grain fresh! You are for sure getting the whole benefit and all the nutrients that the grain has to offer. 

Why Sourdough Works

Sourdough is the process of a bread dough made by fermentation and the natural use of lactic bacteria acid which is the natural yeasts in the environment around us, instead of commercial yeast as a leavening agent. It is essentially using wild yeast in it’s natural environment as opposed to a commercial yeast grown in a lab for quick and high rise results.

Preparing Your Sourdough Starter

Feed your starter 4-12 hours prior to making this recipe so that you have some active (fed) starter to use.

Ingredients You’ll Need

The Einkorn Bagel Recipe

1/2 Cup Active Sourdough Starter
1 1/4 (275 g) Cup Water
1 t (5 g) Sea Salt
4 1/2 (540 g) Cups Whole Wheat Einkorn Flour
1 Tablespoon Honey (optional)

1/2 t baking soda for pre-boiling the bagels. This creates the darkened outside unique to a bagel. I’ve tried making bagels without the pre-boil Yes, you can! But they won’t be quite the same.

Yield: 8-10

Whole Wheat Einkorn Sourdough Bagels

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Fresh Bagels made with whole grain einkorn flour and risen with sourdough starter

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes

Total Time 33 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Sourdough Starter
• 1 1/4 (275 g) Cup Water
• 1 t (5 g) Sea Salt
• 4 1/2 (540 g) Cups Whole Wheat Einkorn Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Honey (optional)
• 1/2 t baking soda for boiling in water

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients (except baking soda) in a large bowl until they form together into a dough ball.
2. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or lid an allow to rise for 8-10 hours ( if over 73 degrees F this may rise much faster).
3. Divide dough into 8 equal sized pieces. Shape each piece by rolling into an 8-9 inch rope. Loop into a circle crossing the ends to make a hoop. Place on a floured surface such as a baking sheet, cover and rise for 30 minutes.
4. While bagels rise, heat a 2 quart saucepan with water to medium high heat until boiling. Add the baking soda ( water will fizz and bubble, then back down again). Drop each bagel one to two at a time into the boiling water and cook for 1.5 minutes, turning about halfway through.
5. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

If incorporating add-in's such as raisins, place these in after dividing the dough, when you are shaping them into a rope.

If adding herbs or spices: Place herbs or spices on a small plate. After boiling bagels, turn bagel upside down to stick spices or herbs to top of bagel and place on baking sheet.

Tips for making homemade bagels

• To avoid the outside of the bagel being too chewy, you’ll want to pre-boil the formed bagel dough.

According to The Tasting Table:

For a thinner, less chewy outside layer on the bagel, boil for a shorter amount of time, around 30 seconds on each side. For a thicker outside, go for closer to one minute per side.

• As homemade bagels bakes, the dough in the middle often comes together, not leaving much of an empty circle. To help achieve a real bagel circle, make sure purposely leave a hole the diameter of your thumb, in the middle to avoid them rising sand removing the hole.

Preparing the Dough

Combine ingredients in a large bowl until completely combined and formed into a dough ball. Don’t over fold the dough or it will become sticky.

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or lid and allow to rise for 8-10 hours ( if over 73 degrees F this may rise much faster).

Divide dough into 8 equal sized pieces.

Shape each piece by rolling into an 8-9 inch rope.

Shaping the Dough

Loop each rope into a circle crossing the ends to make a hoop.

Place on a floured surface such as a baking sheet, cover and rise for 30 minutes.

Boiling the Bagels

While bagels rise, heat a 2 quart saucepan with water to medium high heat until boiling.

Add the baking soda ( water will fizz and bubble, then back down again).

Drop each bagel one to two at a time into the boiling water and cook for 1.5 minutes, turning about halfway through.

Place the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet

Baking the Bagels

Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing so as not to cause the middle to become gummy.

Add ins for Bagels

If incorporating add-in’s such as raisins, place these in after dividing the dough, when you are shaping each piece into a rope.

If adding herbs or spices: Place herbs or spices on a small plate. After boiling bagels, turn bagel upside down to stick spices or herbs to top of bagel and place on baking sheet.

Common favorites are:

• dried berries
• raisins
• chive and onion
• everything bagel seasoning
• sesame seeds

How to Store Bagels

Store in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 5 days on the counter. After that you will want to either place in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent molding or drying out.

Enjoy!

From the Hilltop,

Krista