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sourdough discard blueberry bagels

Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels Recipe

By McKenna Pulda
Yield: 8 bagels
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rise Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
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.
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Equipment

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

  1. 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
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. 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 :

  1. 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
  2. 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.
  3. 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 :

  1. 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.)
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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 :

  1. Grab a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 :

  1. While your bagels are rising, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. 
  2. Fill a large pot with water. Add the honey and whisk until well mixed. Bring the water to a boil.
    20 grams honey
  3. 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.
  4. 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 :

  1. 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.
  2. 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
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