If you’ve ever wanted a truly chewy, bakery-style bagel made entirely with fresh milled grain, this recipe is for you. These fresh milled sourdough bagels have real sourdough flavor that store-bought bagels never deliver, and their texture is spot on. They take time, but not too much of it, and the payoff is absolutely worth it.
Because bagels are shaped and baked individually, they’re a great next step if you already enjoy baking single-serving breads like rolls, buns, or English muffins.
If you like single serving bread, check out my fresh milled sourdough bread rolls!
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Quick Look
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Fermentation & rise time: 6–9 hours
- Bake time: 20–25 minutes
- Servings: 8 bagels
- Main ingredients: Fresh milled hard white wheat flour, sourdough starter, water
- Cooking method: 🡢 Boil + Bake
- Difficulty: Intermediate (time-intensive but beginner-friendly)
- Serving ideas: Toasted with cream cheese, breakfast sandwiches, or savory spreads
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- Summarize & Save This Recipe On:
- Quick Look
- Important Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels
- Baking Schedule
- 💭Crucial Success Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- How To Store Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels
- Other Delicious Recipes
- Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels
- Need Help Tweaking This Recipe?
- Other Fresh Milled Sourdough Recipes You'll Love
Important Ingredients
- Fresh milled hard white wheat flour gives the bagels structure and a hearty flavor, but it absorbs water differently than store-bought flour. That's why this recipe is adjusted to that.
- Active sourdough starter helps ferment the dough and gives the bagels their signature sourdough flavor.
- Baking soda (for boiling) creates the classic chewy crust by raising the pH of the water before baking.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Sweeter bagels: Add an extra tablespoon of sugar to the dough for a slightly sweeter finish.
- Toppings: Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning, or coarse salt all work well.
- Cinnamon raisin: Add cinnamon and soaked raisins during mixing for a sweet version! Use a bit more water in the dough if you go that route.
How to Make Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels
Step 1: In a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer, if using), add the flour, water, and sugar (Image 1).
Step 2: Mix with your hands (or on low speed) until you get a very stiff, dry dough, about 3 minutes. There will still be some dry flour left, and that is normal. The dough should look extremely dry (Image 2) and crumbly at this stage. We will add the starter later, which will further hydrate the dough.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 3: Add the salt and sourdough starter. Begin incorporating the starter and salt with your hands (or in the mixer on low speed) for about 5 minutes, just until everything comes together into a cohesive dough. There is no need to achieve a windowpane. The goal is simply to eliminate any remaining dry flour. If using a stand mixer, this is the point when you can transfer the dough to a mixing bowl for fermentation, although it can also ferment directly in the mixer bowl if preferred.
After about 30 minutes, knead the dough briefly with your hands to make it slightly smoother. It will not become smooth and elastic, as the dough should remain very stiff.
Cover the bowl and let the dough ferment for 4 to 6 hours (Image 3). The dough should look slightly puffed but remain firm. Look for about a 30% rise and many small bubbles throughout.
Step 4: Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces (Image 4). The easiest way to do this is to shape the dough into a disc, cut it in half vertically and horizontally to create four quarters, then cut each quarter in half.
Step 5: Roll each piece into a tight ball, then poke a hole through the center with your thumb and gently stretch to shape the bagels (Image 5).
Place the bagels on a lined baking sheet and let them rise for about 2 to 3 hours. They will not double in size but should look more relaxed and slightly puffy.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Bring the water to a boil and add the baking soda and brown sugar.
Boil the bagels in batches (Image 6), about 60 seconds per side.
Step 7: Transfer the boiled bagels back to a lined baking sheet. If using toppings, sprinkle them on now, spacing the bagels about 5 cm apart (Image 7).
Step 8: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until deeply golden (Image 8).
Hint: For the best crust, make sure your water is fully boiling before adding the bagels. A gentle simmer won’t give you the same chewy exterior. Also, don’t skip the baking soda. That brief alkaline bath is what makes these taste like real bagels instead of round bread rolls.
Baking Schedule
- Mix and rest dough: 1 hour
- Bulk fermentation: 4–6 hours
- Shaped rise: 2–3 hours
- Boil and bake: 30 minutes
💭Crucial Success Tips
The most important thing to remember with fresh milled sourdough bagels is that the dough should feel very stiff. If it feels soft or stretchy like sandwich bread dough, the bagels will spread instead of holding their shape. Trust the process. A dry, firm dough is exactly what you want for proper chew and structure.
Recipe FAQs
Fresh milled sourdough bagels need a very low hydration dough to create their dense, chewy texture. Fresh milled flour absorbs water differently than store-bought flour, and a stiff dough helps the bagels hold their shape during boiling and baking.
Boiling is essential for fresh milled sourdough bagels. The boiling step sets the crust and creates that classic bagel chew. Skipping it will result in bread-like rolls rather than true bagels.
No. Fresh milled sourdough bagels ferment well at room temperature the same day. An overnight cold ferment is optional, but not required, and may slightly increase sourness.
Bagels are not meant to double in size. A modest rise of about 30 percent is ideal. Overproofed fresh milled sourdough bagels can collapse or lose their chew.
How To Store Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels
Store cooled bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
For longer storage, slice and freeze them for up to 2 months. Toast straight from frozen for best results.
Other Delicious Recipes
- 100% Fresh Milled Sourdough in a Loaf Pan (The Two-Pan Method)
- Fresh Milled Banana Muffins with Applesauce
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter With Fresh Milled Flour - From Scratch!
- Fresh-Milled Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
If you tried these fresh milled sourdough bagels or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below! Happy Baking!
Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels
Ingredients
- 270 g warm water
- 220 g active sourdough starter fresh milled or all-purpose
- 20 g sugar
- 10 g salt
- 560 g freshly milled hard white wheat flour
- about 3 quarts 2.8 liters water
- 14 g baking soda 1 tbsp
- 12 g brown sugar 1 tbsp
Method
- In a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer, if using), add the flour, water, and sugar.
- Mix with your hands (or on low speed) until you get a very stiff, dry dough, about 3 minutes. There will still be some dry flour left, and that is normal. The dough should look extremely dry and crumbly at this stage. We will add the starter later, which will further hydrate the dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Add the salt and sourdough starter. Begin incorporating the starter and salt with your hands (or in the mixer on low speed) for about 5 minutes, just until everything comes together into a cohesive dough. There is no need to achieve a windowpane. The goal is simply to eliminate any remaining dry flour. If using a stand mixer, this is the point when you can transfer the dough to a mixing bowl for fermentation, although it can also ferment directly in the mixer bowl if preferred. After about 30 minutes, knead the dough briefly with your hands to make it slightly smoother. It will not become smooth and elastic, as the dough should remain very stiff. Cover the bowl and let the dough ferment for 4 to 6 hours. The dough should look slightly puffed but remain firm. Look for about a 30% rise and many small bubbles throughout.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is to shape the dough into a disc, cut it in half vertically and horizontally to create four quarters, then cut each quarter in half.
- Roll each piece into a tight ball, then poke a hole through the center with your thumb and gently stretch to shape the bagels. Place the bagels on a lined baking sheet and let them rise for about 2 to 3 hours. They will not double in size but should look more relaxed and slightly puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Bring the water to a boil and add the baking soda and brown sugar. Boil the bagels in batches, about 60 seconds per side.
- Transfer the boiled bagels back to a lined baking sheet. If using toppings, sprinkle them on now, spacing the bagels about 5 cm apart.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until deeply golden.
Notes
- If you do not have everything bagel seasoning, mix equal parts dried minced onion, dried minced garlic, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds.
- Fresh milled dough ferments faster, so start checking the dough closer to the 4-hour mark if your kitchen is warm.
Private Notes
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