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5 from 1 vote

Sourdough Sesame Bagels

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rising6 hours
Course: Baking
Keyword: bagels, kamut, sesame, sourdough, whole grain
Servings: 12 bagels
Calories: 300kcal
Author: Valeria - Beets 'n Bones blog

Equipment

  • Mixer with dough hook attachment

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup raw sesame seeds
  • 225 g strong sourdough starter
  • 300 g water
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 200 g whole grain Kamut flour (I mill mine at home from Kamut berries)
  • 370 g King Arthur organic bread flour
  • 10 g salt
  • 1/2 tsp dry yeast (optional, if your starter is weak)

For boiling

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2.5 quarts water

For topping

  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 cup raw sesame seeds more or less, as needed

Instructions

  • Toast 1/3 cup raw sesame seeds in a skillet until the seeds start getting golden with a few darker ones (don’t toast more than that or the seeds will turn bitter).
  • Combine 225g starter with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 300g water in a bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast, if using. Whisk until combined.
  • Add 200g whole grain Kamut and 370g King Arthur organic bread flour, sifted (I use a mesh to sift the flours straight into the bowl). Add 10g salt.
  • Using a spoon, roughly mix everything together until chunky. Add 1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds. Give it a couple of whirls with the spoon, then connect the bowl to a stand mixer.
  • Using a dough hook, knead the dough until it becomes uniform. I usually do 5-10 minutes.
  • Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm spot. I use a cooler with a fermentation space warmer for my day ferments. The temperature inside the chamber stays around 100ºF. Most favorite thing I own.
  • Once the dough doubled in size (could be anywhere between 2-6 hours), or at least raised dramatically, transfer it onto a floured surface and cut into 12 pieces. You might want to cover the dough pieces while shaping, they dry out fast.
  • Shape the dough into disks, making sure to pinch the seams tightly. Let the disks rest while you are working on the rest.
  • Poke a hole in each disk with your finger, then widen the opening with two fingers. Leave bagels to rest for 15 minutes or so (you can also let them rest longer than that to get a higher rise, I don’t bother). Preheat oven to 425ºF.

FOR BOILING

  • While bagels are resting, bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar to the pot. Drop the bagels, three at a time, into the boiling water, seam side up. Boil each side for 1 minute, flipping with a slotted spatula. Repeat until all bagels are boiled. Transfer bagels to parchment-lined cookie sheet.

FOR TOPPING

  • Whisk 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon water and brush over the bagels. Place 1 cup raw sesame seeds in a shallow dish and dip each bagel into the seeds. I do both sides holding my finger in the middle and gently press down.
  • Bake sourdough sesame bagels for 20-25 minutes, turning once.

Notes

  • Sourdough sesame bagels are delicious straight out of the oven, but they get even better the next day. They freeze nicely.
  • Make bagels' holes bigger than you think you need because they puff up quite a bit during baking. 
  • You can use less sesame seeds, I like to go overboard.  
  • Because we use a whole cup of active starter, fermentation goes pretty quickly so keep an eye on your dough. 
  • I keep salt on the low side, feel free to increase salt up to 15g. 

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 344mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 3mg