The Best Overnight Sourdough Bagels

As promised, here is the best sourdough bagel recipe from my friend Emilie Raffa!! The bagel dough is quickly thrown together the night before, rests on the counter overnight and then is baked off in the morning. SO GOOD!
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As I write this post, my sourdough starter is sitting on the counter in the kitchen growing and getting bubbly so I can mix together the dough for The Best Overnight Sourdough Bagels to bake off in the morning. Heaven.

I love breakfast baking recipes (they’re my jam). Check out all of my breakfast baking recipes and also my How to Make a Sourdough Starter tutorial if you need a refresher before you get started.

Have fun with these overnight sourdough bagels!

A close up of a everything sourdough bagel.

About This Sourdough Bagel Recipe

This recipe comes from Emilie Raffa‘s book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple (she calls them Sunday Morning Bagels in her book) and she has graciously allowed me to share her recipe with you. I have talked about this cookbook A LOT — I love it so much!

If you love sourdough, want more sourdough recipes, want to get started with sourdough or are just sourdough curious ;) I cannot recommend it enough!!

This is a pretty straight-forward recipe that turns out amazing every time. The key to its success is making sure you have a robust starter that is rising and falling predictably and has lots of large and small bubble development.

A buch of bagels on a baking sheet.

Using a Sourdough Starter

I have my guide for making a sourdough starter here if you need to get one going (and I highly recommend you do!!). If you have a starter going, use it once it has doubled (or more) in size with lots of bubbles.

I like to use mine when it’s reached its peak and you can continue to use it even once it’s fallen a bit. 

*IF* your starter isn’t super robust, you can throw a teaspoon of store-bought yeast in with your starter and the warm water. That will give you the taste of sourdough with the added insurance of store-bought yeast making sure everything rises properly.

This is something I did during my early days of sourdough baking years ago. And it works!

I am loving sourdough baking more than ever right now! It’s incredibly cathartic and relaxing and best of all, you don’t have to leave the house to have warm bagels in the morning. This is definitely a lemon-lemonade scenario.

A stack of three bagels.

What You Need to Make Awesome Bagels

You’ll Need a Scale

Baking bread with a scale is so helpful, this is the one I use if you’re in the market. Otherwise, the cup measurements are also listed below!

A Happy Sourdough Starter

You can check out my sourdough starter guide here or you can call a local bakery and ask if they would share some of their sourdough starter with you (most are happy too do so!) if you can’t be bothered.

As mentioned above, you want a bubbly active starter that has doubled in size and has lots of large and small bubble development. 

A close up photo of a sourdough bagel on a white surface.

Bagel Toppings

I love to use Trader Joe’s Everything Bagel Seasoning. You can also just sprinkle your bagels with sesame seeds or even simply sea salt flakes (which is delicious). To customize your bagel:

Everything Bagel Seasoning for Everything Bagels

To make your own everything season follow this recipe.

The Ingredients for Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

From Emilie: “For cinnamon raisin bagels, add 6 grams (2 teaspoons) to the dry ingredients. While the dough is resting, soak 80 grams (1/2 cup) of raisins in warm water. Drain well before kneading them into the dough to incorporate.” Do this after the dough has been mixed.

Using The Correct Flour

If you only have all-purpose flour (and no bread flour), you can still make these bagels. You may need a touch more flour (added very conservatively at 1 tablespoon at a time) as the all-purpose flour won’t absorb as much moisture as the bread flour resulting in a slightly stickier dough.

The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour

One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!

Side profile of a sourdough bagel.

Sea Salt

I love salt. I add a full 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the dough and I think you should consider it. Just saying.

A Mixer is Optional

You don’t have to have an electric stand mixer to make these sourdough bagels. The instructions will reference it, but you can mix and knead using those beautiful arms of yours.

Three bagels with a striped towel behind them.

A Note About the Recipe Instructions

The overnight bagel instructions below are Emilie’s from her book. I added my own notes in italics.

One Final Note on Humidity

A quick note about humidity… If you live in a dry climate consider covering the bowl with plastic wrap while the dough rests overnight to keep moisture in there. A damp towel, as recommended in the instructions, can dry out overnight and there is nothing more frustrating than when the top of your dough develops a scab (from lack of moisture).

I hate to recommend plastic wrap, so if you can come up with another way to keep it sealed, use that and let me know in the comments below so we can help others.

A bagel sandwich with cream cheese on a plate.

The Baker’s Schedule

Feed your starter in the morning, mix the dough in the afternoon/evening when your starter has reached its peak and then allow the bagel dough to rest and rise overnight while you sleep. When you wake up, proceed with Step 3. This is known as living your best life.

As I mentioned, I have an awesome Sourdough Starter Guide, if you’re new to sourdough baking or are looking for a refresher.

Let’s bake some badass homemade sourdough bagels, shall we?

Rebecca Firth

A bagel with cream cheese on it.
Sourdough Bagels | DisplacedHousewife Rebecca Firth; Recipe from Emilie Raffa's book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple

The Best Overnight Sourdough Bagels

As promised, here is the best sourdough bagel recipe from my friend Emilie Raffa!! The bagel dough is quickly thrown together the night before, rests on the counter overnight and then is baked off in the morning. SO GOOD!
4.90 from 56 reviews
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Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Bagels
Servings: 8 -16
Author: Emilie Raffa

Ingredients

For the Bagels

  • 150 grams (3/4 cup) active starter
  • 250 grams (1 cup plus 2 teaspoons) warm water
  • 24 grams (2 tablespoons) sugar
  • 500 grams (4 cups plus 2 tablespoons) bread flour (how to measure flour)
  • 9 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) fine sea salt (I use 1 tablespoon of sea salt in this dough)
  • 20 grams (1 tablespoon) honey

To Garnish

  • You can use everything seasoning (see note above, cinnamon raisin variation (also see note above), sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt flakes…get frisky)

Instructions

Make the Dough

  • In a large bowl, whisk the starter, water and sugar together with a fork. Add the flour and salt. Combine to form a rough dough, then finish mixing by hand to fully incorporate the flour. Because this dough is stiff, consider using a stand mixer (fitted with the dough hook attachment) to give your hands a break; run on low speed for 5-6 minutes to combine. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, replenish your starter with fresh flour and water. Store according to preferences. After the dough has rested, work the mass into a semi-smooth ball, about 15-20 seconds and place in a large bowl that’s lightly oiled.

Bulk Rise

  • Cover with a damp towel and let rise until double in size, about 8-10 hours at room temperature, 70F (21C). Note, this dough can also be stashed airtight in the fridge for several days until ready to bake if you can’t get to making them right away.

Shape

  • Line a sheet pan with nonstick silicon mat or parchment paper. If using parchment, lightly coat with cooking spray or oil to prevent sticking. Remove the dough onto a non-floured surface. Flatten the dough into a rectangle and divide into 8 equal pieces, about 115 grams (4 ounces) each. (I divided mine into 16 pieces for more, smaller bagels). Gather the ends, flip the dough over and roll each piece into a ball. Let the dough rest on your sheet pan for 10-15 minuets to relax the gluten. Working with one ball of dough at a time, poke a hole straight through the center. Lift up the dough, insert both index fingers through the center hole and barrel roll to gently stretch the opening to about the size of a walnut. When finished, place the dough back onto your sheet pan. It’s ok if the hole shrinks slightly. Repeat shaping the remaining dough. Set on the prepared baking sheet.

Second Rise

  • Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest for 15-20 minutes. The dough will puff up only slightly at this stage. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the honey and whisk well to dissolve. Preheat your oven to 425F (220C). Add the seeds and/or any other toppings to a rimmed tray or shallow bowl.

Boil the Bagels

  • Add 2-3 bagels into the pot and wait for them to float to the top, about 10 seconds (some will float immediately). Cook for 30 seconds on each side for a thin crust. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bagels back to the sheet pan you used earlier, placing them rounded side up. Once slightly cool but still wet, dip the rounded side of the bagels into the seeds (or whatever topping, if using) to coat. Place back onto the sheet pan and finish boiling the rest of the bagels.

Bake!

  • Bake the bagels for about 20-25 minutes in the center of the oven. Flip them over to briefly cook the bottom side, about 1-2 minutes or less. When ready, your bagels will be puffed up and light golden brown, and they will feel light to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, but indulge yourself and eat one (or two) warm. The chewy texture of bagels is best enjoyed when made fresh. Stir tin a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. Bagels freeze well; freeze them whole or slice, covered in plastic wrap and a layer of foil, for up to 3 months.
Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo

Comments

Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe

I love your comments, reviews and questions! If you love this recipe, please rate it when you leave a comment. Star ratings 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 help people discover my recipes. Your support means a lot, I look forward to chatting with you!

Rebecca xox

Recipe Rating




151 Comments

  • Jen July 25, 2020 at 1:15 AM

    Hi, excited to try! I saw a few questions regarding the honey…I’m vegan and wondering if it’s preferred to sub something for the honey, like agave or brown sugar, or just leave it out entirely?

    Reply
  • Sarah Craig Waller July 24, 2020 at 8:18 AM

    5 stars
    Great recipe!! I’m Jewish so as a child we would make bagels but now I have got into sourdough this is a great recipe to use my starter!! My mum wants me to do onion bagels. When would you add the fried onions? I was going to put the onion in the flour to coat it before I add to the water/starter mix? Is that right? Please help

    Reply
  • Belle July 13, 2020 at 10:12 PM

    5 stars
    I just made these after coming across this recipe. It’s really easy to make and taste so good. I ended up buying Emilie’s book as I want to try the other recipes. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • Erin Glauberman July 7, 2020 at 7:37 PM

    5 stars
    Hi Rebecca, I’m wondering if you know what would happen if you formed the bagels the night before, put them in the fridge to rise, the baked them the next day, what would happen? I tried the Peter Rienheart recipe recently, and that was his method. I like your recipe better, but forming them the night before what a huge time saver! https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/bronx-worthy-bagels/

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth July 11, 2020 at 2:06 PM

      Hi Erin! I haven’t tried that….but I love that idea as well as I’m drawn to doing the least amount of work as possible in the mornings!!! Let me know if you make these this way!! xo

      Reply
  • T.K. June 30, 2020 at 8:34 PM

    5 stars
    Just FYI- I use shower caps to cover my dough when it’s rising! I ordered 6 of them on Amazon for less than $7, and just use them over and over. I usually spray one side with some oil and then wash them with dish soap and water when I am done. The elastic means they fit most bowls beautifully.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth July 11, 2020 at 2:10 PM

      Hi!!!
      I am OBSESSED with this suggestion — such a good idea!!! Thank you so much!!!
      xoxoxo

      Reply
  • Betty Banovic June 30, 2020 at 3:08 PM

    Just wondering if you could add blueberries to this recipe. If so when would you add them?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth July 11, 2020 at 2:13 PM

      Hi Betty!
      If I was going to add blueberries, I would do it just prior to putting the dough in the bowl for the first rise. I would also use fresh not frozen, as the latter would bleed something terrible…and perhaps release too much liquid into the dough. Let me know how it goes!
      xox

      Reply
  • Melinda Teresa Hobausz June 29, 2020 at 2:43 PM

    These are really delicious. Used AP flour and my vigorous starter and everything bagel seasoning. I did let the dough “rest” several days in fridge. Definitely worth the effort. Round 2 coming up!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth July 11, 2020 at 2:14 PM

      Hi Melinda! I’m so happy that you like the recipe — Emilie wrote such a good one!!!! I switch up the toppings but I always come back to everything seasoning — it’s THE BEST!!!
      xoxo

      Reply
  • Shona June 20, 2020 at 3:41 PM

    Is the note about refrigerating the dough in Step 2 *after* the room temp 8-10 hr bulk rise or is it instead of it?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth July 11, 2020 at 2:17 PM

      Hi Shona!
      I put it in the fridge instead of the room temp bulk. Let me know if you have any other questions!
      xo

      Reply
  • Stacybeth June 12, 2020 at 7:23 PM

    5 stars
    This recipe was amazing! I mixed in caraway seeds to make rye bagels and it was delicious. Thank you!

    Question though – I let them bulk rise overnight covered with plastic wrap. The dough rose beautifully but I found it to me very dry and firm so the bagels had a lot of cracks and crevices in them. One bagel didn’t stay connected.

    Could this be from the rye seeds drying out the dough? If so would I add a little more water? Or was it from leaving it over night with the plastic wrap and I should have put it in the fridge?

    Would love any help for next time because I will definitely be making these again!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth July 11, 2020 at 2:26 PM

      Hi Stacybeth — I apologize for the delay in responding! First, these sound so good! And without having made them your way, it could be that the seeds pulled some moisture away from the dough and you could test adding an additional 1-2 tablespoons of water to the dough. I would also love to know what the humidity is like where you live? In your home? I have a friend that lives in Chicago (hi Erin!) and baking in her house is trickier than mine…there is the forced heating drying out the air in the winter and then the AC in the summertime. You might want to try adding a bit more water to the dough and then also letting it bulk rise in the fridge (tightly wrapped) and that might preserve more moisture if the ambient air is dry. Does this help? Let me know how it goes!!!
      xoxo

      Reply
  • Jane May 24, 2020 at 6:48 PM

    5 stars
    These are so wonderful! I refrigerated mine over night after stage 1. I had to let it rise for about 12 hours. I don’t have a scale, so I used the cup method. They were perfect! I only had sesame seeds, but will definitely try the everything blend next time. I topped two with jalapeños and a layer of cheddar cheese. Yummy!

    Reply
  • Veronica May 18, 2020 at 8:09 PM

    I recently bought the Food52, Five two airtight silicon lids and they are amazing! I was making a good amount of bread and decided to buy them to save a bit of plastic wrap and it definitely helps!

    Reply
  • Ginger May 18, 2020 at 7:39 PM

    5 stars
    Wanted to try a new sourdough bagel recipe so I stumbled on this one (the last one my bagels ended up too dense). So I upped the sourdough starter in your recipe and decreased the water … still having 400g of liquid. Also because of bread flour being scarce these days, all purpose was used, but the bagels were delish! Making a second batch now. I would love to see what difference bread flour and maybe using 50% whole wheat …

    Reply
  • Judy Rothman May 17, 2020 at 11:38 PM

    I am new to working with sourdough. If I am doing the bulk rise in the fridge do I have to let it come to room temp or perform another rise before boiling?

    Reply
  • Angela May 16, 2020 at 1:13 PM

    5 stars
    Very easy and tastes delicious! Wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  • Jacquie May 13, 2020 at 5:13 PM

    I forgot to put honey in the water . Will they still turn out the same?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth May 14, 2020 at 4:27 PM

      Yes, absolutely (as you now know!). I hope you love them!!! xoxo

      Reply
  • Tanya P May 9, 2020 at 11:12 AM

    5 stars
    Thanks for this, will try these tomorrow as I’m hoping to take them to night duty for 2am carb goodness!
    And as an alternative to plastic wrap – try beeswax wraps!! Especially the new ones that have a good coating to them. I only use these nowadays, no cling wrap.

    Reply
  • Hannah May 8, 2020 at 5:56 PM

    Hi there!! Thank you for this recipe!

    I….forgot to add the salt. I have already started the second rise.
    I was thinking I could simply make these salt bagels with flaky sea salt as a topping OR maybe boil them in salt water for the boiling stage???

    Suggestions welcome :-)

    Reply
  • Paloma May 5, 2020 at 11:59 PM

    5 stars
    I made these today and I was a bit worried when I made the dough last night because it was a really tough dough. I was so pleasantly surprised at how nicely the bagels turned out! Will make these again for sure.

    Reply
  • Anne May 3, 2020 at 12:47 AM

    1 star
    The dough was way too wet even after plenty of kneading. Had to toss this and switch to a different recipe :(

    Reply
    • Jennifer May 3, 2020 at 3:41 AM

      Maybe try it again? This is a very stiff dough (it’s only 56% hydration!!).

      Reply
      • Bob July 20, 2020 at 9:48 PM

        I calculate it is just over 60% assuming it’s a 100% hydration starter.

        Reply
  • Noelle May 1, 2020 at 1:25 AM

    Just curious why honey instead of baking soda in the water(which is a norm I’ve come to find in my recipe research)?

    Reply
    • Jean May 7, 2020 at 11:47 PM

      5 stars
      I questioned this myself, but the honey works beautifully

      Reply
  • Kelly C April 28, 2020 at 5:53 PM

    5 stars
    Wow!! I just made these – enjoying my first one now, warm and toasted from the oven!! with cream cheese spread! They turned out soo good. The idea of making my own bagels from scratch is something I’ve always wanted to try, but pre-quarantine & pre-sourdough starter days, I just always felt like it was going to be too much work. I ended up a little short on some of the ingredients (I can’t find flour anywhere right now!), and so I wanted to comment on what I adjusted, and that everything still came together wonderfully. I ended up using only 1/2 cup of starter (I was low), and 1/3 bread flour + 1/3 rye flour + 1/3 buckwheat flour. I also used 2tsp. of salt. And lastly, I rolled mine in sesame seeds. They’re much more grainy and earthy-tasting, I’m sure, with the different flours I used, but still amazing! I’ll be ready to try your recipe fully once I can get ahold of some more flour. Thanks for the recipe – well done :-)

    Reply
  • Andrea April 20, 2020 at 3:07 PM

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this post. Do you by chance have a weight for the amount of fine sea salt that you like to use? If this recipe is doubled, it is similar in size to the country loaf recipe I make… but, if 1TBS salt is roughly doubled the 1 1/2 tsp called for in this recipe, it would be roughly 18g (per Emilie’s weight in the recipe). That would be akin to 3.6% salt and most of the bread recipes I’ve found use about 1.8-2.2%. I like salt – just wanted to confirm fine sea salt and not kosher? Thank you :)

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth April 25, 2020 at 3:05 PM

      Hi Andrea! I apologize for the delay in responding to you… I haven’t doubled this recipe so I don’t know if the salt would double seamlessly or be too much. I’ve made these many times and alway use 1 tbsp salt…and yes, I use sea salt. Please let me know how it goes!! xox

      Reply
      • Michelle June 13, 2020 at 3:29 AM

        Can you do this without honey? Should I substitute something else?

        Reply
        • Rebecca Firth July 11, 2020 at 2:22 PM

          Hi Michelle! You can skip the honey if you don’t have any!!
          xo

          Reply
  • Charlene A April 16, 2020 at 5:14 PM

    Hi there. I’m just starting to make a batch of dough for these beautiful bagels. I measured out 50g of my starter and it’s far less than 3/4 of a cup. More like 1/4. I’m not sure if I should still just use 50g, as per the recipe, or measure it out to 3/4 cup regardless, also as per the recipe. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Elaine April 18, 2020 at 2:10 AM

      Emili Raffa uses 150gr of starter not 50gr, it’s an error.

      Reply
    • Rebecca Firth April 18, 2020 at 3:19 AM

      Hi Charlene! Thank you for the note, I apologize for the typo. It’s 150g starter…fixed now!! xo

      Reply
      • Charlene A April 19, 2020 at 4:32 PM

        Perfect! Thank you so much!

        Reply
  • Jenn April 12, 2020 at 11:54 PM

    These looks delicious! One thing…When do you add the honey? With the wet ingredients, I assume?
    I didnt see it in the instructions but I’ve had a couple glasses of wine so maybe I just missed it

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth April 13, 2020 at 4:04 PM

      Hi Jenn!!! It’s in Step 4, you add it to the water. And I get it!! ;) xoxo

      Reply
    • Jean May 7, 2020 at 11:50 PM

      5 stars
      I did add it on to the dough for my first batch, because I failed to read the recipe through. They were a lovely honey wheat sourdough.

      Reply
  • Kristie April 6, 2020 at 3:06 AM

    These look amazing. Can we leave them to bulk rise for longer than 8-12 hours at room temp or do we have to boil after 8-12?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth April 6, 2020 at 3:54 AM

      Hi Kristie! I made these again this morning and the dough sat out from 4:30PM Saturday and I didn’t bake until…I think it was 7AM-ish Sunday. The time before this I knew it was going to be longer so I shoved the dough in the fridge after sitting out for about 6ish hours. Does this help? xo

      Reply
      • Kristie April 6, 2020 at 4:13 AM

        Thank you, this helps a lot. Can’t wait to make these xx

        Reply
  • Emilie @ The Clever Carrot April 5, 2020 at 4:43 PM

    5 stars
    Amazing, amazing, amazing! I literally want to rip one of those bagels right off the screen! Those toasted edges though… thanks for sharing the recipe xxx

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth April 5, 2020 at 4:56 PM

      The best recipe—thank you so much for letting me share! Just pulled another batch out of the oven—sooo good!!! xox

      Reply
    • Josephine April 28, 2020 at 7:26 PM

      5 stars
      I love this book ! It has given me days of joy and demystifyed the process so I actually tackled it ! Made these last weekend and they are delicious and so fun to make –
      Could you let me know when exactly is the best time to put this in the fridge, if delaying the baking ? Is it after some bulk fermenting ? Or before ? Or before or after the shaping ? -I’m a bit confused …
      but thrilled, none the less- Thankyou so much to you both x

      Reply
  • Sarabeth April 4, 2020 at 9:18 PM

    These look gorgeous, yum!

    Reply
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