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Jump to RecipeHoney oat sourdough bagels are a delicious, tender and lightly sweet. The base is honey and whole wheat flour and are topped with oats. They are perfectly crafted with all purpose flour and fresh milled whole wheat flour – making it a great first step towards eating more fresh milled flour baked goods.
This year we branched out and tried another sweet sourdough bread recipe. While we have made a delicious cranberry walnut sourdough bread loaf, we have never added oil or sweetener to our bread.
When we tried a honey oat sourdough loaf, I immediately knew I wanted to create a bagel recipe from it. And these sourdough bagels truly knocked it out of the park! I definitely added it to our favorite sourdough bagel list.
These bagels are lightly sweetened with honey and are made with a hefty amount of fresh milled flour. The flavor of hard white wheat is absolutely delicious – lending to a slightly nutty flavor. There is something so pure about using grains as God intended and milling grains from scratch.
This recipe is made with part all purpose flour and part whole wheat flour which is the perfect beginner fresh milled flour recipe. It is also a good introduction recipe to working with whole grains (without them tasting like ‘whole wheat’ – IE heavy and dense!).
And as always, if you do not have access to fresh milled flour, you can make these with whole wheat flour, too.
The exterior is chewy and the inside is soft like a pillow. I like to boil our sourdough bagels in baking soda and molasses (or brown sugar) to give a little extra flavor. Plus, the step of boiling helps to retain the moisture and the classic bagel ‘chew’.
Our family continues to enjoy these alone or with some cream cheese (and cinnamon sugar) on top. They are delightful toasted and provide a little ‘sweetness’ to breakfast.
Most importantly, as someone who use to be gluten free for over 14 years and now enjoys everything sourdough, I am truly delighted to share this recipe with you. And I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Why you will love these honey oat sourdough bagels
Kitchen Equipment
Sourdough bagels are fairly simple to make. You will need a large mixing bowl, a stock pot, a plate and a baking sheet.
Ingredients for honey out sourdough bagels
The ingredients for honey oat sourdough bagels is quite simple. The most important ingredients include sourdough starter, honey, oats and whole wheat flour. For a full list of ingredients, view the recipe card located at the bottom of the page.
Sourdough Starter: Of course this recipe would not be complete without sourdough. We use sourdough to help the bagels rise and have the bubbles inside. We use active sourdough starter to help this long fermented dough move along quickly, though you can use sourdough discard, too. (There is a difference between active and sourdough discard – the main being that discard will take longer to ferment the dough).
Honey: Honey is one of the main flavor profiles within this recipe. If you like the flavor of your honey, you will taste it in each bite of the bagel. We find the best flavored bagels are those with local honey or wildflower honey from Costco or Azure Standard.
Oats: Oats will be used to roll your bagels in. Whatever type of oat you like will work – though steel cut oats would be too crunchy on these bagels. We use the oats to place on top of the bagels, though you could add a few tablespoons to the dough if you please too. We tend to lean towards old fashioned oats and rolled oats.
Whole Wheat Flour: We like to use hard white wheat berries for this part of the recipe. We find the flavor has more depth and is almost nutty.
How to make honey oat sourdough bagels
Step 1: Ferment the dough.
Step 2: Cut into shapes.
Step 3: Form into bagels.
Step 4: Boil on oven.
Step 5: Roll in oats.
Step 6: Place on sheet pan and bake.
Step 7: Enjoy.
How to store honey oat sourdough bagels
We allow our bagels to cool on the counter for a few hours before placing them into a ziplock baggie. If not enjoying within the next two days, we slice them and place them in the fridge. The next day, wipe out any moisture within the bag and place it into the freezer for up to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honey Oat Sourdough Bagels (with fresh milled flour)
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Sheet Pan lined with silicone mat or parchment paper
- 1 Pastry Cutter Optional optional
- 1 Large Pot
- 1 Plate for oats
Ingredients
Sourdough Bagel Dough
- 0.4 ounces Salt
- 1.4 ounces Honey
- 4 ounces Sourdough Starter Active or discard work well
- 9.5 ounces Water
- 12.5 ounces All Purpose Flour Can be more or less by 1/4 cup *see notes
- 5 ounces Whole Wheat Flour We use fresh milled flour ground from hard white wheat berries.
Baking Soda Bath
- 6-8 Cups Water
- 1 TBSP Baking Soda
- 1 TBSP Brown Sugar
Oats (for topping)
- 1/4 Cup Oats We like rolled oats or quick oats
Instructions
Mix the Dough and Fermentation Period
- Add the water, sourdough discard, honey and salt together. Stir until mixed. Add the flour and stir together until it forms a nice ball. If you allow the dough to sit for a few minutes (5-15) so the flour can absorb the water, the process of kneading the dough will be quicker.
- If kneading by hand, knead in a large bowl until you no longer feel salt granules within the dough. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Then, complete a few series of stretch and folds until the dough can not stretch any further. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes and repeat stretch and fold / rest process 2-3 more times.
- Cover and allow it to sit on the countertop at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size.Option to allow the dough to double in size on the countertop. Option to place in the fridge for up to two days to bulk ferment in the fridge. When you are ready to make the bagels remove them from the fridge and place the dough on the countertop.
Shape and Boil the Bagels
- In a large pot, bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and brown sugar to the boiling water. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Split the sourdough bagel dough into equal pieces.Shape the bagels by inserting a finger into the center of the bagel. Stretch the center by putting your pointer fingers in the center and rotating in a circle, creating a bagel shape. The hole will not stay as large once cooked.
- Place 3-4 bagels in the warm water at a time. Allow them to cook in water for 1 minute, flipping halfway.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or wooden spoon. Immediately roll in oats and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or cookie sheet.
Cooking and Cooling Sourdough Bagel
- Cook at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until the outside is golden brown in color and the bagels are firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before placing in a ziplock baggie. Store with the corner open so condensation does not occur on the inside of the bag.
Notes
- Active sourdough starter or sourdough discard can be utilized. Note, if you use sourdough discard, the bagels may not rise as much as active sourdough discard. We like to use discard which is hungry and ready to be fed.
- When making the dough, you may need more or less water. I like to add water by a tablespoon or two at a time – up to 1/4 cup. Depending on how active your sourdough discard is can impact how much water you need.
Nutrition
Do you like sweet or savory sourdough bagel flavors? Let us know in the comments below!
