Funfetti mini bagels are a fun and colorful twist on traditional bagels, perfect for breakfast or a special snack! This is a special variation of my very popular sourdough discard everything bagels.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Funfetti Mini Bagels
When my kids first started school, I was completely unprepared for just how hungry they would be when they got home. So, I made it a priority to have fun, but simple afterschool snacks ready for when they got home. These do just the perfect job! And because they use sourdough discard, they can be made in just a couple of hours.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Discard – unfed, inactive sourdough starter that has been stored in the fridge or on the counter.
Sprinkles – We are a dye free house, so we use the dye free sprinkles liked here. But use whatever you have on hand!
Water – Warm, filtered water is best for activating the yeast and helping the dough rise.
Sugar – This both sweetens the dough and helps activate the yeast that makes the bread rise. I like to use brown sugar for the extra flavor!
Flour – We like to use Kirkland’s organic, unbleached all-purpose flour. As long as it is unbleached, organic flour isn’t always necessary. It’s whatever your family has access too.
Baking soda + molasses – This is for the boiling water and what gives the bagels their chewy texture. If you don’t have molasses, you can use brown sugar. I like the color the molasses gives to the bagels without having to do an egg wash.
👩🍳 How to Make Funfetti Mini Bagels
- Into your stand mixer bowl whisk together flour, salt, yeast, brown sugar, and sprinkles.
- Whisk together your warm water and sourdough discard until the starter has dissolved and turned into a milky liquid.
- On low speed with the dough hook attachment, slowly add your milky liquid into your dry ingredients until everything is fully combined. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes.
- This is a fairly sturdy dough, especially with the addition of the sprinkles, so add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Cover with a tea towel or bowl cover and let the dough rise on the counter for 2 – 2.5 hours until it has doubled in size.
- After the dough has rested and risen, turn it over onto a clean work surface. Use your bench scraper to separate into 12 equal sized balls (if you are using a scale for accuracy, each piece should be about 100-110 grams)
- Press your finger in the middle and stretch the dough into a bagel shape.
- Transfer the bagels to a baking sheet and bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil on the stove.
- When your water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of molasses to the water. Carefully place your bagels into the boiling water and boil for 45 seconds on one side, flip with a spatula and boil for another 30 seconds. (you will have to do this in at least 2 batches)
- Remove the bagels from the water and back onto the baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and bake for 22 – 25 minutes.
- Let cool slightly and enjoy with a big smear of cream cheese!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- We are a dye free house, so I use dye free sprinkles in this recipe. Be mindful that if you also use dye free sprinkles that the colors may bleed and appear not as vibrant as if you were using standard store-bought sprinkles. But use what your family has on hand!
- Every oven is different, and because these are mini bagels they tend to cook faster so keep an eye on them to make sure they are not getting too brown on top!
- Brush the bagels with an egg wash (1 beaten egg mixed with a bit of water) before baking for a shiny finish
🗒 Variations
This is a variation of my sourdough discard everything bagels! They are so popular for good reason because they are so simple and delicious. But I have a TON of bagel recipes that are based off this same format that you can check out!
- Sourdough Discard Everything Bagels
- Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bagels
- Blueberry Bagels
- Bagel Bombs
- Pumpkin Bagels
🗒 Substitutions
The biggest substitution in this recipe is made with your sprinkles. We use dye free sprinkles because we are a dye free house, but keep in mind that when using these sprinkles that the colors are not as vibrant, and they tend to bleed. We don’t mind! But if you want more “authentic” funfetti bagels, use store bought!
- Dye free sprinkles – regular sprinkles
- Molasses – brown sugar
- All-purpose flour – bread flour
🗒 Best served with
- After school snack trays
- Flavored cream cheese (like vanilla or funfetti frosting) for an extra treat!
- Breakfast/ brunch foods
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftover bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days. For longer storage, freeze them and toast when ready to eat.
🤔 Common Questions
Yes! If you were to prep this the night before to have bagels for breakfast -Mix the dough together, let it rise, make the bagel shapes and then cover and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning when you’re ready to make the bagels, boil and bake them the same way the recipe says.
Funfetti Mini Bagels
Equipment
- stand mixer or large bowl
- bench scraper or large knife
- large pot
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup sprinkles dye free sprinkles
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tbs baking soda for the boiling water
- 1 tbs molasses for the boiling water
Instructions
- Into your stand mixer bowl whisk together flour, salt, yeast, brown sugar, and sprinkles.
- Whisk together your warm water and sourdough discard until the starter has dissolved and turned into a milky liquid.
- On low speed with the dough hook attachment, slowly add your milky liquid into your dry ingredients until everything is fully combined. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes.
- This is a fairly sturdy dough, especially with the addition of the sprinkles, so add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Cover with a tea towel or bowl cover and let the dough rise on the counter for 2 – 2.5 hours until it has doubled in size.
- After the dough has rested and risen, turn it over onto a clean work surface. Use your bench scraper to separate into 12 equal sized balls (if you are using a scale for accuracy, each piece should be about 100-110 grams)
- Press your finger in the middle and stretch the dough into a bagel shape.
- Transfer the bagels to a baking sheet and bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil on the stove.
- When your water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of molasses to the water. Carefully place your bagels into the boiling water and boil for 45 seconds on one side, flip with a spatula and boil for another 30 seconds. (you will have to do this in at least 2 batches)
- Remove the bagels from the water and back onto the baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and bake for 22 – 25 minutes.
- Let cool slightly and enjoy with a big smear of cream cheese!