Overnight Sourdough Discard Mini Bagel Bites Recipe
Perfect for travel and quick breakfasts, these delectable bagel bites are the best way to enjoy breakfast on the go. These sourdough bagel bites have the perfect chewy texture on the outside while being soft and fluffy on the inside.
This recipe is very similar to my full sized sourdough bagel recipe, but in a convenient travel sized form!
The Benefits of Making Bite Sized Bagels:
Sourdough discard bagel bites or “bagel minis” are an easy on the go breakfast that are much more portable than full size bagels. For an even easier (and less messy) option, consider piping cream cheese into the bagel minis instead of slicing the bagels and smearing it on each half. This makes for an easy to hold snack or breakfast option.
Mini bagels are not just for breakfast though! If you are a fellow 90’s kid who enjoyed “Bagel Bites” as a kid you can fulfill that nostalgic itch by making your own healthier version. Simply cut cooked sourdough mini bagels in half and cover with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and chopped pepperoni for delicious pizza bagels.
Why Make Bagels With Sourdough Instead of Yeast?
Sourdough not only imparts a delicious tangy flavor to the bagel, but also creates nice chewy bagels that are smooth and firm on the outside while being soft on the inside.
Aside from taste, sourdough uses wild yeasts to rise the dough instead of commercial yeast. While commercial yeasts rises faster, the wild yeast in sourdough provide more than just a rise in your dough, as the sourdough process ferments the grains in the dough to make it more digestible.
Bread items that are long fermented for 8 hours or more can provide benefits in easier digestion, lower gluten content and gut healthy probiotics, making your favorite bread items a better alternative to typical breads made with commercial yeast.
Bagel Toppings Ideas:
The classic toasted sourdough bagel that is filled with cream cheese and topped with everything bagel seasoning will always be my favorite way to enjoy them, however there are so many ways to enjoy them!
Topping options are unlimited letting you have full creative license to create the best bagel flavor combinations. A few of our favorite toppings include: brown sugar cinnamon, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, blueberry, jalapeño cheddar and just plain with butter. Different flavor toppings are the perfect way to get creative with sourdough recipes like these homemade bagels.
Multi-Purpose Dough Recipe:
This easy sourdough bagel recipe uses the exact same dough for my favorite sourdough sandwich loaf. In fact, many times I double my sandwich loaf recipe so I can make a sandwich bread and 16 mini sourdough bagels at the same time!
This dough can be made overnight or long fermented. I love the benefits of a longer fermentation so I usually put my dough in the fridge for 18-24 hours after mixing. Don’t be scared by sourdough terms like “fermentation” if you are new to sourdough! I will explain this process step by step. With only 6 ingredients, you will be making bagels in no time!
Ingredients:
- Active Sourdough Starter (see note in FAQ about using discard)
- All Purpose Flour or Bread flour
- Sugar (white sugar, brown sugar or honey)
- Salt
- Oil
- Baking Soda
- Toppings (optional)
SAMPLE BAKING SCHEDULE:
7 AM Feed sourdough starter a 1:1 ratio of water to flour. I feed about 1/2 cup of each.
7 PM Mix together the bagel dough and put in the fridge to ferment.
7 AM Remove dough from the fridge and allow to warm up.
8 AM Shape, boil and bake bagels.
9 AM Eat.
HOW TO MAKE MINI BAGELS:
Prepare the Dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together active sourdough starter, sugar, salt, oil, water and all purpose flour. If you are adding an inclusion like blueberries, jalapeños, cheese, etc. add up to 1/2 a cup to the dough now. This will produce a stiff dough.
Mix on low until a smooth dough ball forms.
Knead the dough for 3 or 4 minutes in the bowl of your stand mixer.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and lightly oil the top of the dough with olive oil so it doesn’t dry out. Cover with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and place in the fridge for 12-18 hours to let the dough rise. For a longer fermentation, let the sourdough bagel dough sit for up to 24 hours.
Note: I have let my bagel dough sit even longer (up to 48 hours) in the fridge and it has been fine, but I can’t recommend that it works every time without more testing.
When you want to make bagels, remove your bagel dough from the fridge and allow it to warm up on the counter for about an hour.
Shaping the Bagels:
Split your dough in to 16 equal pieces using a knife or bench scraper. If you want precise measurements, use a kitchen scale to weigh out the dough pieces.
I don’t worry with using a kitchen scale for precise measurements, instead I just split my dough into four quarters then split each quarter into 4 more pieces to make 16 total pieces that are roughly the same size.
Roll each dough piece into a smooth ball by tucking in the edges of the dough towards the center and then rolling the dough seam side down across the counter towards you to build tension in the dough and form a smooth dough ball. Check out the video linked below for a step by step tutorial.
Once done, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Boiling Sourdough Bagels:
Boiling shaped bagels in water with baking soda is what gives bagels there unique chewy crust.
To do this, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to the water.
Using a slotted spoon or spider strainer, dip in 2-3 bagels at a time. Boil bagels for 30 seconds on each side.
The bagels should float or at least hover in the water above the bottom. Be sure to not let any bagels sink and stick to the bottom of the pan.
Remove the boiled bagels to a parchment lined sheet pan spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Repeat the process until all bagels have been boiled.
Add Toppings:
If you are using a topping to sprinkle over the top such as everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sea salt etc. you will want to make an egg wash to help the toppings stick.
In a small bowl, beat one whole egg.
Using a basting brush, lightly coat each boiled sourdough bagel.
Baking the Bagels:
Bake the bagels at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown on top and their internal temperature is 205 degrees.
IMPORTANT: Resist temptation and do not cut into the warm bagels until they are fully cooled! I know, warm bread is the BEST, but trust me on this one. These bagels continue to bake on the inside after being pulled from the oven. If you cut into them before they are cooled, the bagels will still be gummy on the inside.
Once completely cooled, cut them open and slather with cream cheese. Enjoy!
How to Store Bagels:
Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Sourdough bagel bites freeze well in a an air tight freezer bag for up to 3 months.
FAQ:
Recently fed discard (within a couple days) can be used with a longer fermentation period. I have done this many times with success, but you need to make sure you have a very strong active starter. I would not try this with the discard from a brand new starter.
Yes! Inclusions should be mixed in before shaping or when mixing the dough. Either tends to work fine. Toppings like poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds etc. are added right before baking.
Probably. This is the reason I love sourdough. There is SO much flexibility! I have successfully made bagels that sat in the fridge for 48 hours or so several times. I do my bulk ferment in the fridge for this very reason, because the cold slows down fermentation preventing overfermented dough that is hard to shape and bake. If the dough feels so puffy and loose that its hard to shape, it probably won’t do well. However if the dough feels strong and firm I would give it a try!
Sourdough Discard Bagel Bites
Equipment
- 1 Bench Scraper or Knife to divide the dough
- 1 Sider stainer or slotted spoon to remove the boiled bagels from the hot water bath
- 1 Large pot to boil the bagels in
- 1 Baking Sheet to bake the bagels
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup active sourdough starter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil olive oil, avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour
For Boiling and Topping Bagels:
- 2 tbsp baking soda
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Mix together starter, oil, sugar and water in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add in flour and mix on low until a smooth dough forms. If adding inclusions, add up to 1/2 cup now. See notes below.
- Knead in the stand mixer for 3-4 minutes.
- Lightly oil the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap.
- Put the dough in the fridge for 12-18 hours.
- Pull the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up on the counter for about an hour.
- Shape dough into 16 equal sized pieces.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Boil water in a large pot on the stove. Once the water is boiling, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
- Using a slotted spoon, boil bagels for 20 seconds on each side working in batches of 2-3 at a time.
- Place boiled bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- If adding toppings, brush each bagel with egg wash and sprinkle on toppings.
- Bake at 425 for 25-28 minutes. Let the bagels cool COMPLETELY before cutting open. The bagels continue to bake on the inside until completely cooled.
- Store leftovers in an air tight container or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
