Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels
Easy Sourdough Discard Bagels (Chewy, Flavorful, and Kid-Approved)
These Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels are the perfect gateway into sourdough baking. They’re simple to make, incredibly flavorful, and have that ideal bagel texture—soft, tender, and satisfyingly chewy.
These are a staple in our home. My kids love them, my husband loves them, and I love that they use a whole cup of sourdough discard. Whether you’re new to sourdough or just need a fun way to use up extra starter, this recipe is one you’ll come back to again and again.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Discard Blueberry Bagels
Most people who make sourdough discard bagels are usually surprised at how easy they are to make. Bagels, because of how delicious they are, seem complicated, but they really aren’t. They are made in just one bowl and can be enjoyed the same day. My kids love these as a peanut butter and blueberry jelly sandwiches, or with a big smear of cream cheese. There really is no fuss or going wrong with these bagels. I can’t wait for you to try them!
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Discard – Inactive, unfed sourdough starter stored on the counter or straight from the fridge.
All-purpose flour – We use Costco’s organic, unbleached all-purpose flour in almost all of our recipes.
Yeast – This is the leavening agent for the bagels. Since we are using inactive sourdough starter, the yeast will make the bagels rise.
Salt – We use pink Himalayan salt in our recipes but use what you have.
Blueberries– I’ve made these bagels with fresh and frozen blueberries before. Frozen gives the dough a vibrant purple color, but fresh blueberries leave pops of flavor throughout the bagel!
Water – Warm, filtered water.
👩🍳 How to Make Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels
In the stand mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast.
Add in the frozen blueberries and mix until they are all coated with flour.
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the water, honey, and sourdough discard until the discard is fully dissolved.
With the stand mixer on low, slowly add in the sourdough discard mixture. Let the stand mixer knead the dough on low for 5 – 10 minutes.
Cover with a tea towel or bowl cover and let the dough rest on the counter for two hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
When the dough has doubled, turn it over onto a clean work surface. Using your bench scraper, separate the dough into 8 equal parts. Shape the dough balls into bagels. You can do this by pushing a hole through the middle of a ball, or rolling the dough pieces into a snake, flattening out the end and connecting the two ends together to form a circle.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add in the baking soda and sugar.
Add 2-3 bagels at a time to the boiling water and boil for 30 – 45 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, flip the bagels over in the water and boil for an additional 30 seconds.
Transfer the boiled bagels to a baking sheet.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Whisk the egg with a splash of water and brush the egg wash on top of each bagel. Bake the bagels at 400 for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown on top.
Let cool slightly before slicing, and enjoy with a smear of cream cheese or as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich 🙂
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- I find that the bagels turn out a lot more uniform if I roll the dough pieces into a log and then shape them into a bagel, rather than roll them into a ball and poke a hole in the center.
- Don’t overcrowd your pot when you are boiling the bagels, and don’t skip this step! Boiling the bagels is essential for the texture, if you skip boiling, you’re just making round bread.
- If you want to bake these in the morning, put together your dough the night before. Follow all the steps up until boiling. After your dough is mixed, risen, and shaped – place them on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge overnight. Then first thing in the morning, boil and bake as normal!
🗒 Variations
My sourdough discard bagels are one of my most popular recipes, and for good reason! They are so simple and delicious, they are hard not to love. If you love these check out my bagel bombs recipes!
- Funfetti Mini Bagels – Acts Of Sourdough
- Banana Bread Cinnamon Crunch Bagels – Acts Of Sourdough
- Top 5 Sourdough Discard Bagels – Acts Of Sourdough
- Sourdough Discard Bagels – Acts Of Sourdough
- Jalapeno Popper Bagel Bombs – Acts Of Sourdough
🗒 Substitutions
You can substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour if you want a chewier texture in the bagel. You can also substitute the fresh blueberries for frozen blueberries!
🗒 Best served with
- Cream cheese and coffee for breakfast.
- A sandwich at lunch.
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the kiddos.
👝 How to Store Leftovers
You can do two things with your leftover bagels; you can either put your leftover bagels in a Ziplock bag and place them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or you can store your leftover bagels in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days.
🤔 Common Questions
That’s okay! I like wild blueberries because of their size and taste. But you can substitute for any frozen blueberries, or even use fresh. I wouldn’t recommend using freeze dried blueberries unless you add it in addition to fresh or frozen berries.
No problem! If you want to bake these in the morning, put together your dough the night before. Follow all the steps up until boiling. After your dough is mixed, risen, and shaped – place them on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge overnight. Then first thing in the morning, boil and bake as normal!
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels
Equipment
- large pot
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 ¼ tsp yeast
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 2 tbs honey
- 1 tbs baking soda
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
- In the stand mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together the water, honey, and sourdough discard until the discard is fully dissolved.
- With the stand mixer on low, slowly add in the sourdough discard mixture. Let the stand mixer knead the dough on low for 5 – 10 minutes. When your dough is almost fully put together, add your fresh blueberries until they are evenly incorporated.
- Cover with a tea towel or bowl cover and let the dough rest on the counter for two hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- When the dough has doubled, turn it over onto a clean work surface. Using your bench scraper, separate the dough into 8 equal parts. Shape the dough balls into bagels. You can do this by pushing a hole through the middle of a ball, or rolling the dough pieces into a snake, flattening out the end and connecting the two ends together to form a circle.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add in the baking soda and sugar.
- Add 2-3 bagels at a time to the boiling water and boil for 30 – 45 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, flip the bagels over in the water and boil for an additional 30 seconds.
- Transfer the boiled bagels to a baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Whisk the egg with a splash of water and brush the egg wash on top of each bagel. Bake the bagels at 425 for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown on top.
- Let cool slightly before slicing, and enjoy with a smear of cream cheese or as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich 🙂
Notes
- I find that the bagels turn out a lot more uniform if I roll the dough pieces into a log and then shape them into a bagel, rather than roll them into a ball and poke a hole in the center.
- Don’t overcrowd your pot when you are boiling the bagels, and don’t skip this step! Boiling the bagels is essential for the texture, if you skip boiling, you’re just making round bread.
- If you want to bake these in the morning, put together your dough the night before. Follow all the steps up until boiling. After your dough is mixed, risen, and shaped – place them on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge overnight. Then first thing in the morning, boil and bake as normal!
