No-Knead Sourdough Blueberry Bagels
This is an easy recipe for a simple no-knead overnight sourdough blueberry bagel made with real blueberries, sourdough, and partly freshly milled khorasan flour.
My family loves blueberry bagels and I would love to be able to easily make them from scratch on a more regular basis. What I love about this recipe, is that is comes together really quickly and easily in one mixing bowl and then you can boil and bake it in the morning the next day when you are feeling fresh and ready for the day! I also make a homemade blueberry compote for the blueberry flavor, and I like using the extra to flavor our homemade yogurt.
Main Ingredients and Swaps
- All Purpose Flour – You can also use bread flour, which would work even better. However, all purpose is the flour I buy in bulk and typically have on hand.
- Sourdough Starter – Feed your starter 4-6 hours before making this dough so it’s fresh and active.
- Homemade Blueberry Compote – This is easy to make with frozen wild blueberries, lemon juice, and sugar. This adds a really nice blueberry flavor to the bagel and also creates some lovely streaks of blue on the dough which I love! We use the extra to make more bagels or flavor plain yogurt.
- Fresh Milled Khorasan – I love incorporating freshly milled flour into almost all of my recipes. Khorasan is a higher protein ancient grain and works well here! If you don’t have a mill, you can sub this for all-purpose or bread flour. You may need to add a little bit extra since freshly milled flour absorbs more water then all-purpose.
- Yeast – This is an optional addition to give a little pep in your sourdough step. It aids the rising of the dough and will give you a puffier bagel. I did not use it in my original recipe but feel it could be a beneficial addition, especially if your sourdough starter is lagging or you would like to hurry up the bulk fermentation process.
How I Make No-Knead Sourdough Blueberry Bagels
To make these bagels, I start by feeding my sourdough starter at least 4–6 hours before I plan to mix my dough. I like to mix my dough in the late afternoon, so I usually feed my starter around 9 or 10 a.m.
Make the blueberry compote: Combined 2 cups of frozen wild blueberries, 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of organic cane sugar into a small saucepan. Cover and cook on low until the blueberries have cooked down. Remove the lid and let the liquid reduce more until the compute looks thick. This takes about 10 minutes. Let it cool down completely. This makes more than you need, so I transfer it to a container and use it for flavoring yogurt.
Around 4 p.m., pull out a large mixing bowl and mix together the water, salt, and starter first. Add the flour and mix until almost fully combined. You can use a wooden spoon, dough whisk, or your hands. Add 90 grams of the blueberry compote and knead briefly, either with a spoon or your hands, until it is incorporated. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough ferment for 4 hours. If you are using the 1/4 tsp of yeast, this may take less than 4 hours. When your dough looks like it has risen some and is a bit puffier (but not doubled in size) it’s ready for shaping.
Four hours later, dump the dough onto a lightly floured counter and shape it into a log. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into a tight ball, press your thumb through the center, and gently stretch the hole to form a bagel. Place the bagels on a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with cornmeal or flour.
Once all the bagels are shaped, cover them and let them rise for 30–45 minutes. Transfer the sheet pan to the refrigerator for a cold overnight ferment. I like to use this sheet pan set because it has a snap-on plastic lid that doesn’t touch the bagels.
In the morning, take the bagels out of the refrigerator and let them sit on the counter while you boil the water and preheat the oven to 450°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of honey or barley malt syrup. Boil each bagel for about 30 seconds per side. Use a spider skimmer to transfer the bagels to a cooling rack with a towel underneath so they can drip dry while you boil the remaining bagels.
Transfer bagels to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cornmeal. Bake at 450 for 17 minutes.
Watch the YouTube video below to see my process of making these blueberry bagels in a real life kitchen.
No-Knead Sourdough Blueberry Bagels
Ingredients
Method
- Feed your sourdough starter 4–6 hours before mixing the dough. I like to mix my dough in the late afternoon, so I usually feed my starter around 9 or 10 a.m.
- In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups frozen wild blueberries, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and ¼ cup organic cane sugar.
- Cover and cook over low heat until the blueberries have broken down. Remove the lid and continue cooking until the mixture thickens and most of the liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes total.
- Let the compote cool completely before using. This recipe makes more compote than you’ll need for the bagels, so transfer any extra to a container and enjoy it stirred into yogurt or save it for another batch.
- Around 4 p.m., combine 280 grams water, 100 grams active sourdough starter, and 8 grams salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add 200 grams freshly milled khorasan flour, 300 grams all-purpose or bread flour, and ¼ teaspoon instant yeast (if using). Mix until almost fully combined using a wooden spoon, dough whisk, or your hands.
- Add 90 grams blueberry compote and knead briefly until incorporated. The dough will become lightly streaked with blueberry throughout.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough ferment at room temperature for 4 hours. If you are using the 1/4 tsp of yeast, this may take less than 4 hours. When your dough looks like it has risen some and is a bit puffier (but not doubled in size) it's ready for shaping.
- After the bulk fermentation, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a log.
- Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Shape each piece into a tight ball. Press your thumb through the center and gently stretch the hole to form a bagel.
- Place the bagels on a parchment-lined sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal or flour.
- Cover and let rise for 30–45 minutes.
- Transfer the sheet pan to the refrigerator and cold ferment overnight.
- The next morning, remove the bagels from the refrigerator and let them sit on the counter while you preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add 1 tablespoon honey or barley malt syrup to the boiling water.
- Boil each bagel for 30 seconds per side. Transfer the boiled bagels to a cooling rack with a towel underneath to catch any excess water.
- Transfer the bagels back to a parchment-lined baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal or flour.
- Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 17 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- Allow the bagels to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
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