Sourdough Blueberry Bagels (Fermented Overnight)

Freshly baked sourdough blueberry bagels cooling on wire rack.

Sourdough Blueberry Bagels (Fermented Overnight)

Soft, chewy sourdough blueberry bagels made with dried blueberries and a long overnight ferment for unbeatable flavor. Perfect for slicing, toasting, and enjoying any time of day!

Prep Time2 15

Cook Time18

Fermentation Time (overnight or up to two days)14

Total Time16 33

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: overnight sourdough bagels, sourdough blueberry bagels

Servings: bagels

Calories: 480kcal

Author: Alicia Pyle

Equipment

2 Baking sheets
parchment paper
plastic wrap

Ingredients

For the Dehydrated Blueberries

5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or 2 cups of dehydrated blueberries (if using store-bought or pre-dried)

Sourdough Starter Levain

1/2 cup sourdough starter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups water

For The Bagel Dough

1½ teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups bread flour
2¾ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons malt powder or 1 tablespoon of honey or brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda for alkalizing the boiling water
1 tablespoon cornmeal for dusting sheets

Instructions

Step 1: Dehydrate the blueberries

Spread frozen blueberries (5 cups) in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet—do not stack. Place in a convection oven or regular oven at 225°F for 2–5 hours. The berries are ready when most juices have evaporated and they feel mostly dry to the touch. This prevents soggy dough and keeps your bagels from turning purple. If you have dehydrated blueberries on hand you can skip this step.

Step 2: Prepare the levain

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together ½ cup sourdough starter, 2 cups all-purpose flour, and 2 cups water to form the levain. Cover the bowl and let it ferment at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or until it is bubbly and active. This large levain (about 5 cups when bubbly) will replace the sponge typically used in non-sourdough bagel recipes—an adaptation inspired by Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice.
When bubbly, you will proceed to make the dough by adding the remaining ingredients.

Step 3: Make the dough

Add instant yeast to the levain and stir. Add 3 cups of bread flour, salt, and malt powder (or honey or brown sugar). Mix by hand or on low speed with a dough hook until the ingredients form a cohesive ball. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of flour to stiffen the dough.

Step 4: Knead the dough

Transfer the dough to a clean counter. If kneading by hand, knead 10–15 minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test (stretch a small piece—if you can stretch it thin enough to see light through without tearing, it’s ready). If using a mixer, knead about 5 minutes. The dough should be pliable and smooth.

Step 5: Add the blueberries

Press or roll the dough into a flat rectangle. Sprinkle the dehydrated blueberries evenly over the surface. Roll the dough up tightly, as you would for cinnamon rolls. Shape into a ball, cover with a towel, and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Step 6: Divide the dough

Divide the dough into ~4½-ounce pieces for standard bagels or smaller pieces for mini bagels. Shape each piece into a tight ball. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.

Step 7: Prepare the baking sheets

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly mist with spray oil. (I like to use an oil sprayer like this one).

Step 8: Shape the bagels

Choose your shaping method:
Thumb method: Poke a hole through the center of each ball with your thumb. Rotate to widen the hole to about 2½ inches across, keeping the shape even.
Rope method (preferred): Roll each ball into an 8-inch rope. If the dough resists, roll partway, rest 3 minutes, and continue. Wrap the rope around your hand to form a circle, overlap the ends by an inch or two, and seal by rocking on the counter.

Step 9: Proof the bagels

Place the shaped bagels on the prepared baking sheets. Mist lightly with oil. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Step 10: Float test

Fill a small bowl with cool water. Drop one bagel in: if it floats within 10 seconds, they are ready for cold retard. If not, proof at room temperature for 10–20 more minutes and test again.
When ready, pat the tester dry and cover the pans loosely with plastic, leaving room for rising. Place in the fridge overnight (or up to 2 days).

Step 11: Prepare to bake

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 500°F with two racks positioned in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add baking soda.

Step 12: Boil the bagels

Remove bagels from the fridge. Gently drop them into the boiling water, cooking only as many as fit comfortably. They should float within 10 seconds. Boil for 1 minute per side.
While bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheets with cornmeal. Transfer boiled bagels to the sheets.

Step 13: Bake the bagels

Place pans on the middle oven racks. Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate pans (switch racks and rotate 180°). Reduce temperature to 450°F and bake for an additional 10–13 minutes, until bagels are light golden brown.

Step 14: Cool

Remove pans from the oven and let bagels cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

Notes:
For Cinnamon Raisin Bagels:

Omit blueberries. Increase yeast in final dough to 2 tsp.
Add 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon + 5 Tbsp granulated sugar to the final dough.
Rinse 2 cups raisins in warm water and add during the last 2 minutes of mixing.
After baking, brush bagels with melted butter and dip in cinnamon sugar.

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