Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels -Warm Bagels in 2.5 Hours
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
If you love my 100% Sourdough Blueberry Bagels but want something you can pull off on a weeknight, these homemade bagels are the recipe for you!
These Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels have everything you love about the original: that deep blueberry flavor, the gorgeous purple color, and that dense, chewy bite, just with a faster rise time, just like my Sourdough Discard Bagels, thanks to a little help from instant yeast! It’s the perfect sourdough bagel recipe you’ll want to make all spring long.
Quick Look: Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Rise Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 1/2 hours
- Servings: 8 blueberry bagels
- Calories: ~356 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Baked
- Flavor Profile: Classic chewy bagels packed with deep, jammy blueberry flavor and a subtle sourdough tang. Lightly sweet with that signature dense bite and a beautiful purple hue, they’re perfect toasted with cream cheese or butter.
- Difficulty: Intermediate – Bagels always have a few extra steps like shaping and boiling, but this version is super approachable thanks to the quicker rise from the yeast. If you’ve done a little baking before, you’ll be just fine—just take it step by step!
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in a fraction of the time – Using sourdough discard alongside instant yeast cuts the rise time down dramatically compared to my traditional 100% sourdough recipe.
- They freeze really well–These bagels hold up incredibly well in the freezer, so you can bake a full batch and have a homemade breakfast ready for weeks. And you can use any extras to make delicious Sourdough Bagel Chips.
- Great blueberry flavor – Between the cooked blueberry juice worked right into the dough and the dried blueberries folded in, every single bite has a deep, fruity flavor that you just don’t get from something like Sourdough Chocolate Chip Bagels.
- Naturally stunning purple color – Using frozen wild blueberries gives the dough a gorgeous, deep purple hue that makes these as beautiful to look at as they’re to eat, kind of like these Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Sourdough Discard – I use fresh, room temperature sourdough discard that’s no more than 1 to 2 days old. If you use it straight from the fridge, it slows down the rise time. You can swap in the same amount of active sourdough starter (in grams).
- Instant yeast – I use commercial yeast for these homemade bagels, and I prefer instant yeast over active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid to activate and takes longer to rise dough. Instant yeast, in contrast, goes straight into the dry ingredients and works much faster.
- Bread Flour – You can use all-purpose flour for this recipe, but I recommend a high-protein flour like bread flour. It helps the dough rise higher and gives you a chewier bagel.
- Sugar – I use white sugar for a touch of sweetness that balances the natural sweetness of blueberries, but you can also use cane sugar or honey.
- Blueberries – I use frozen wild blueberries. They’re available year-round and give these homemade sourdough blueberry bagels more flavor and a more vibrant color than fresh blueberries. Feel free to use what you have.
- Dried Blueberries – Don’t skip the dried blueberries in the dough. They add extra blueberry flavor and little chewy bites from the dried fruit.
- Honey – I add a little honey to the boil bath to give the bagels a deep golden brown crust and a slightly chewier exterior once baked. You can also use brown sugar or maple syrup.
Baking Time For Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels
|
Time |
Process |
|---|---|
|
3:00 PM |
Mix and knead the dough |
|
3:10 PM |
First Rise |
|
4:30 PM |
Shape & Second Rise |
|
5:00 PM |
Boil & bake |
How to Make Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels
- Add the fresh or frozen blueberries to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat and mash the blueberries well with a fork. The frozen blueberries will release juice as they cook, while fresh blueberries will release juice when mashed.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl, then pour in the warm blueberries. Press firmly with a fork to extract as much blueberry juice as possible into the bowl.
- Once you’ve pressed out as much blueberry juice as possible, add enough water to the blueberry juice to make 225g total blueberry water (this includes both the juice and added water)
- Stir in the leftover mashed blueberries. The mixture should weigh about 275g total.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the sourdough discard, blueberry water, and sugar. Mix until smooth. Add the bread flour, instant yeast, salt, and dried blueberries. Mix the dry and wet ingredients on low speed until combined, then knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. The bagel dough should be smooth, slightly tacky, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours depending on room temperature.
- Once the dough has doubled, punch it down to release the air and place it on a clean work surface.
- Divide into 8 equal pieces, about 112g each, using a bench scraper.
- Use your thumb to poke a hole in the center of each ball.
- Then gently stretch the dough until the hole is about 2 inches wide.
- Place each shaped bagel onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the bagels rest for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy.
- Bring water to a boil. Stir in the honey until fully dissolved. Boil 2–3 bagels at a time for 30 seconds per side. Remove the bagels from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack.
- Once all bagels are boiled, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Bake the blueberry sourdough bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let the bagels cool a bit before slicing and serving. Nothing tastes better than warm, chewy bagels fresh out of the oven and a generous schmear of cream cheese on a slow weekend morning.
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Use frozen wild blueberries for the best color and flavor. They release more juice as they cook, which gives your bagels that deep purple color and more blueberry flavor.
- Don’t skip the dried blueberries. They add extra blueberry flavor and give you little chewy bits in the finished bagels.
- Don’t rush it. The first rise usually takes about 1 to 1½ hours, but go by how the dough looks. It should be noticeably bigger and puffy before you move on.
- Keep your bagels the same size. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (about 112g each) so they bake evenly and finish at the same time.
How to Store
These bagels are best the day they’re baked, and because of the extra moisture from the blueberries, try to eat them within 1 day if storing at room temperature in an airtight bag. After that, the freezer is your best bet. Let them cool completely, slice them in half before freezing, and store in a zip-lock freezer bag with the air squeezed out for up to 3 months. Skip the fridge entirely, it just dries them out.
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels FAQs
Fresh or frozen blueberries, does it matter?
I recommend frozen wild blueberriesbecause they release significantly more juice when cooked, giving the dough a deeper blueberry flavor and that vibrant purple color. Fresh blueberries will work in a pinch, but the color and flavor won’t be as pronounced.
Why does this sourdough blueberry bagel recipe call for instant yeast specifically?
Some baker’s are looking for baked goods with sourdough flavor but not the sourdough timeline. Adding a little bit of instant yeast allows them to use up their sourdough discard and add some sourdough flavor but in a fraction of the time. If you prefer to long-ferment your dough, check out my 100% sourdough blueberry bagels recipe!
Is bread flour absolutely necessary for these sourdough discard blueberry bagels?
Bread flour is highly recommended for this recipe. Its higher protein content gives these bagels that satisfying chew, and all-purpose flour will produce a noticeably softer, less chewy bagel.
What if I only have active sourdough starter, not discard?
You’re in luck! You can swap in the same amount of active starter by weight. The starter’s job is adding flavor, not leavening the blueberry bagel dough, so either discard or a bubbly starter will work well.
If you tried this Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels Recipe
Yield: 8 bagels
These Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels have everything you love about my original 100% Sourdough Blueberry Bagels: that deep blueberry flavor, the gorgeous purple color, and that dense, chewy bite, just with a faster rise time thanks to a little help from instant yeast! It's the perfect sourdough bagel recipe you'll want to make all spring long.
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below, and we’ll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, you’ll get my newest sourdough recipes and best tips every week!
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 150 grams fresh or frozen blueberries 1 cup
- 150-200 grams water, see notes in directions 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons – 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons
- 100 grams sourdough discard 1/3 cup
- 40 grams sugar 3 Tablespoons
- 500 grams bread flour 3 1/2 cups
- 7 grams instant yeast 2 teaspoons
- 10 grams salt 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 120 grams dried blueberries
- 20 grams honey for boil bath
Instructions
PREPARE BLUEBERRIES
- To a small saucepan, add the fresh or frozen blueberries over medium-low heat. Cook the blueberries for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.150 grams fresh or frozen blueberries
- Turn off the heat and mash the blueberries well with a fork. The frozen blueberries will become juicy while they cook, while the fresh blueberries will become juicy when mashed.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl, then pour the warm blueberries into the strainer. Continue to press the blueberries well with the fork to extract all of the extra liquid into the bowl.
- Once all of the liquid has been extracted from the blueberries, add enough water to the blueberry juice in the bowl to equal 225g in total. (This weight is only from the blueberry juice and water)150-200 grams water, see notes in directions
- Then add the leftover mashed blueberries into the blueberry/water mixture. This will increase the weight by 50g or so. Equaling roughly 275g in total.
MAKE THE DOUGH :
- To the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, add all of the ingredients and knead on low speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, pulling from the sides of the bowl and tacky to the touch.100 grams sourdough discard, 40 grams sugar, 500 grams bread flour, 7 grams instant yeast, 10 grams salt, 120 grams dried blueberries
- Place the dough in a lightly greased straight-edge bowl. Cover and wait until it doubles in size, typically 1-1½ hours, depending on the temperature of your dough and environment.I love this straight edge bowl because it allows me to clearly see when the dough has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove all of the air bubbles. Then, place the dough on a clean work surface.
SHAPE :
- Stretch and shape the dough into a big rectangle, about 1/2 of an inch high. With a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 equal triangle pieces. (I cut it like I would a pizza.)
- You can weigh the pieces of dough on a kitchen scale to verify that they are all equal. I usually want each to weigh about 130g (116g if you didn't add dried blueberries).
- Now to shape them into that classic bagel look. Grab the corners of the triangles and pinch them toward the center. Then roll until formed into a dough ball.
- One at a time, use your thumb to punch a hole in the center of each ball. Stretch the dough ball with both thumbs, about 2 inches. The dough will shrink back a bit, but that’s totally okay.
SECOND RISE :
- Grab a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
- Place your shaped bagels on the baking sheet and cover them fully with plastic wrap or my favorite plastic cover so they don’t dry out.
- Cover the baking sheet with this plastic cover and let the dough rest for its second rise, about 30-45 minutes. The final proof is complete when the bagels have doubled in size and look puffy.
BOIL BATH :
- While your bagels are rising, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Fill a large pot with water. Add the honey and whisk until well mixed. Bring the water to a boil.20 grams honey
- Before boiling the bagels, I like to place a kitchen towel on the counter and a cooling rack on top to help for minimal cleanup later.
- Carefully drop 2-3 bagels into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds on each side. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the boiled bagels and place them on the cooling rack. Repeat with the rest of the bagels.
BAKE :
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels from the oven and move them onto a cooling rack.
- Once they are cool enough to handle, I highly recommend slicing them into one while it is still warm and spreading a slab of butter. That chewy, buttery bite will be out of this world. Enjoy!
Notes
Make-Ahead Options
If you prefer to mix your dough the night before and allow it to rise overnight in your fridge, here’s what I would do!- Mix the dough, then let it sit at room temp for just 30 minutes max (just to get things started)
- Then refrigerate right away overnight
- In the morning, once it’s doubled in size, take it out, then shape, proof, boil, and bake as normal! Since the dough is cold from being in the fridge, the second rise will most likely take a little longer.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sourdough Discard – I use fresh, room temperature sourdough discard that’s no more than 1 to 2 days old. If you use it straight from the fridge, it slows down the rise time. You can swap in the same amount of active sourdough starter (in grams).
- Instant yeast – I use commercial yeast for these homemade bagels, and I prefer instant yeast over active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid to activate and takes longer to rise dough. Instant yeast, in contrast, goes straight into the dry ingredients and works much faster.
- Bread Flour – You can use all-purpose flour for this recipe, but I recommend a high-protein flour like bread flour. It helps the dough rise higher and gives you a chewier bagel.
- Sugar – I use white sugar for a touch of sweetness that balances the natural sweetness of blueberries, but you can also use cane sugar or honey.
- Blueberries – I use frozen wild blueberries. They’re available year-round and give these homemade sourdough blueberry bagels more flavor and a more vibrant color than fresh blueberries. Feel free to use what you have.
- Dried Blueberries – Don’t skip the dried blueberries in the dough. They add extra blueberry flavor and little chewy bites from the dried fruit.
- Honey – I add a little honey to the boil bath to give the bagels a deep golden brown crust and a slightly chewier exterior once baked. You can also use brown sugar or maple syrup.
Helpful Tips
- Use frozen wild blueberries for the best color and flavor. They release more juice as they cook, which gives your bagels that deep purple color and more blueberry flavor.
- Don’t skip the dried blueberries. They add extra blueberry flavor and give you little chewy bits in the finished bagels.
- Don’t rush it. The first rise usually takes about 1 to 1½ hours, but go by how the dough looks. It should be noticeably bigger and puffy before you move on.
- Keep your bagels the same size. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (about 130g each) so they bake evenly and finish at the same time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bagel | Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 490mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram!
