Another wonderful Sourdough Bagel recipe, this time with Whole Meal flour! This Whole Meal Sourdough Discard Bagels recipe is 50 % whole wheat, making it just a little bit better for you! Use active or unfed starter, and make it all in one day. This is a really handy recipe to have up your sleeve when there’s no bread in the cupboard.
Do you need to feed your Starter for these Sourdough Bagels?
In short, no, you do not need your sourdough starter to be active and bubbly for these Whole meal Sourdough Bagels.
If you have Sourdough discard that you need to use up, then this is a perfect recipe for you. This Whole Meal Bagels recipe is designed to use up a large quantity (150g) of sourdough discard, and is perfect for when you want to feed your starter. Since I feed my starter once a week, I make these bagels (or the white version) fairly often.
If you have active starter and you want bagels TODAY, then this recipe will serve you well. It is a really flexible recipe, meaning it can be pulled out of the hat at any point of your Sourdough Feeding Routine (I find it so handy!).
Whether I make this recipe with discard or active starter, these Whole Meal Bagels are unfailingly soft and plump, with that smooth, unblemished surface akin to a balloon.
When to start the Whole Meal Bagel Dough
This recipe is similar to my Sourdough Discard Bread recipe, in that it can either be done overnight or all in one day.
The main thing to think about is the proving period, and whether you have enough or too much time.
Neither is ideal, as you do not want an under or over-proved dough on your hands. The bagels will be flat and sad looking (been there, done that).
Overnight Bagel Making Tips:
If you are wanting your bagels freshly baked for breakfast the next day, then I would recommend starting the dough just before you go to bed (at say, nine or ten in the evening). Skip the Stretching, and just leave the dough on the bench overnight.
If you start the dough too early, then it will over-prove.
Same Day Bagel Making Tips:
If you are wanting the bagels the very same day, then you need to work about 8 hours back from when you want to eat them. This is to allow for bulk fermentation, shaping, final rest, boiling, then baking. So, if you want dinner at 6, then you will need to have the dough on by 8am.
This may sound like your bagel-making day will be a bit of a flurry, but trust me, these are the easiest things to make. Once your dough is on, you are pretty much free until you have to shape them. The only thing that is slightly grueling about these bagels is the boiling, but that only takes about 10 minutes.
What’s involved with making Whole Meal Sourdough Discard Bagels:
Make the dough:
In the morning, make the dough. Allow 15 minutes for this.
Mix the starter, water, honey, oil and salt till it looks like a unified liquid. Add the flours. This recipe has a high ratio of flour to liquid, so you will need to use your hands to knead this mixture together to form a dough.
Cover, and leave to rest on the counter.
Optional stretch and fold:
Stretching and folding is completely optional and depends on how much hovering you are able to do. If you will be around for two hours, then yes! Do it. However, if you are making this dough to sit overnight, then do skip this step. The dough won’t be noticeably different.
To stretch and fold, you simply let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Then, you grab the outer edge of the dough, and stretch it as far as it will go, and bring it towards the middle. Turn the bowl 90 degrees, and repeat. Do this 4 times, then turn the dough over, so the folds are now at the bottom.
Repeat this process 3 more times, with 30 minutes rest in between each one.
The stretches and folds definitely make superior bagels, as they improve the texture and volume of the dough. However, they’re definitely not essential, as long as you prove the dough correctly.
Bulk ferment
The bulk ferment will start once you have mixed the dough and finished the stretches and folds. This time allows the phytates in the flour to be broken down and to make the bread more digestible.
Leave to rest in a warm place for 6-8 hours. This extended fermentation time is what distinguishes sourdough from other yeast breads and what makes it better for you.
If it’s wintertime, pop the dough in the hot water cupboard. If it’s warm, it should be fine to leave it covered, on the countertop. Keep an eye on it if it is warmer, as the dough could easily be left too long.
If something comes up, and you are unable to shape, boil and bake the bagels as soon as bulk fermentation is complete, don’t stress. Once bulk fermtation is done, you can pop the dough in the fridge to shape, rest, boil and bake the next day..
Shape and rest
After 6 hours, it’s time to shape! Remember, at this point, the bagels do need another hour of resting once shaped.
To shape, divide the dough into 8 large or 12 medium sections. I have photographed the way I like to shape the bagels, which is exactly the same way I shape my Sourdough Bread boules.
All you really need to do, though, is roll the bagels into balls, and poke a whole in the middle of it. Make a generous-sized hole, as this will close as the bagels rest.
Rest until the bagels have doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Boil
Boiling the bagels is the key to bagel success.
Bring a medium sized pot to the boil. You will need to start this when the dough still has about 20 minutes of rest time left.
If you want, you can dissolve about a tablespoon of honey or sugar in the boiling water. I don’t do this anymore because I have discovered that it makes no difference to the baked bagel. They still have that characteristic shiny surface and crispy crust.
Two by two, boil the bagels for 30 seconds on each side. Ladle them onto a tea-towel-covered wire rack to drain.
Bake
At the same time you start the boiling water, preheat the oven to 225 degrees Celsius so that it has enough time to heat up.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange the bagels.
Bake for 15 minutes or until you are happy with the colour. The bagels may look lumpy and sorry after boiling, but never fear! They will plump up beautifully in the hot oven. The boiled dough releases steam as they bake, which enhances the rise in the oven (much like what a hot Dutch Oven does with Sourdough Bread).
Whole Meal Sourdough Bagels
Another wonderful Sourdough Bagel recipe, this time with Whole Meal flour! This recipe is 50 % whole wheat, making it just a little bit better for you! Use active or unfed starter, and make it all in one day. This is a really handy recipe to have up your sleeve when there's no bread in the cupboard.
Ingredients
- 150 grams sourdough starter, fed or unfed
- 300 g water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 300g white flour
- 300g whole meal flour
Instructions
In the morning
Mix the starter, water, honey, oil and salt till it looks like a unified liquid. Add the flours. You will need to use your hands to knead this mixture together to form a dough.
Cover, and leave to rest on the counter.
Optional stretch and fold:
After 30 minutes, you can start a series of stretches and folds, to improve the texture and volume of the dough. This is not necessary, and if you have to get out of the house, then you can skip this step.
Ideally, you could perform 4 sets of stretches and folds, 30 minutes apart over the course of the next 2 hours. Even if you only do one, that will make your dough so much better!
Bulk ferment
Leave to rest in a warm place for 6-8 hours. If it's wintertime, pop it in the hot water cupboard. If it's warm, it should be fine to leave it covered, on the countertop.
If you have run out of time to shape, boil and bake the bagels, pop the dough in the fridge until you are ready to do so.
Shape and rest
Divide the dough into 8 large or 12 medium sections.
Roll the bagels into balls, and poke a whole in the middle of it. Make a generous-sized hole, as this will close as the bagels rest.
Rest until the bagels have doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Boil
Bring a medium sized pot to the boil. You will need to start this when the dough still has about 20 minutes of rest time left.
Dissolve about a tablespoon of honey or sugar in the boiling water.
Two by two, boil the bagels for 30 seconds on each side. Ladle them onto a tea-towel-covered wire rack to drain.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Celsius.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange the bagels.
Bake for 15 minutes or until you are happy with the colour.
Notes
Make sure you do not over-proof these bagels. The dough should proof for 6 hours, maximum in warm weather, or 8 hours at cooler temperatures.
If you aren't going to eat them straight away, put them into the freezer once they have cooled, to preserve their freshness. Otherwise, they are best eaten fresh and warm from the oven.
I usually portion them by placing them 2 by 2 into ziplock bags. Then I just take them out as and when I need them, defrost, toast and enjoy!
Have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner with:
