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Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough Bagels

These slightly sweet whole wheat honey bagels make a delicious homemade breakfast bagel! Top with crushed oats to make them extra pretty.

Course Breakfast, Brunch
Keyword bagels, honey, sourdough, whole wheat
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Resting time 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours 25 minutes
Servings 12 bagels
Author Naomi

Ingredients

  • 1-1/4 c. (310ml) lukewarm water
  • 1 c. (160g) active whole wheat sourdough starter (starter fed with whole wheat flour)
  • 2 Tbsp (30ml) oil (I used olive oil)
  • 1/4 c. (30ml) honey
  • 1/2 Tbsp (7.5ml) molasses
  • 2 Tbsp (30ml) brown sugar
  • 2 tsp (10ml) salt
  • 5 c. (700g) all-purpose flour

Poaching syrup:

  • 8 c. (2L) water
  • ΒΌ c. (60ml) honey

Topping:

  • 1 c. rolled oats

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the water, whole wheat starter, oil, honey, molasses, salt and flour. Knead by hand or with the dough hook in an electric mixer until smooth, about 10 minutes (the dough will be very stiff). Cover, and allow to ferment at room temperature for 8-12 hours (overnight).

  2. Turn the dough out onto and unfloured work surface and divide into 12-16 equal portions (12 makes large bagels, 16 makes slightly small bagels). Roll each piece of dough into a 12"-18" rope, and pinch the ends together firmly (with a 1-2" overlap) to seal. The hole in the middle of the bagels should be large enough to snugly fit a golf ball inside. Set the shaped bagels onto a lightly oiled or parchment lined cookie sheet. Allow them to rise 30 minutes*.

  3. Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the honey, and then boil the bagels for 1 minute per side after they begin to float. Remove from the water with a large round slotted spoon.

  4. Ladle a small amount of the poaching syrup from the pot into a small-medium sized bowl, and set this aside.

  5. Measure rolled oats into another small-medium sized bowl, and set this aside.

  6. Once the bagels have been boiled, dip the tops into the reserved poaching syrup to make them sticky, and then dip them (sticky side down) into a bowl of rolled oats. Alternatively, you can sprinkle oats generously on top, or omit this step altogether.

  7. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Recipe Notes

*Regarding the 30-minute rising time after the bagels have been shaped:

These bagels will still turn out with no rising time between shaping the bagels and boiling them. The key is to make sure that they float before you start timing how long you leave them in the boiling water.

Allowing the bagels to rest 30 minutes before you boil them will ensure that they float more quickly, and it will also prevent the texture of the bagels from being negatively affected by extra time in the water.