Sourdough Everything Bagel Balls (Pull-Apart)
Tender, chewy sourdough bagel balls boiled and coated in everything seasoning, baked together into a shareable pull apart bread. No hole poking required, with optional cheese filling for an extra indulgent surprise.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Stand mixer with dough hook (or use hands)
- kitchen scale
- plastic wrap
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- 13x9 inch baking pan
- Large pot or Dutch oven for boiling
- Slotted spoon
- Kitchen towel
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 600 g bread flour 4¾ cups
- 310 g water 1⅓ cups
- 180 g active sourdough starter ¾ cup
- 25 g brown sugar 2 Tablespoons
- 12 g salt 2 Teaspoons
For boiling:
- 6 to 8 cups water 1½-2 quarts
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar 40g honey or 25g sugar
For topping:
- Everything bagel seasoning generous amount for coating
Optional cheese filling:
- Low moisture mozzarella or sharp cheddar cut into 10 to 15g cubes
Instructions
Day 1:
- In a large bowl, dissolve the starter and brown sugar in the water.
- Add flour and salt. Mix until all flour is absorbed and forms a shaggy dough.
- Cover and rest 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes or stand mixer on speed 2 for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place in lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let bulk ferment at room temperature until 1.5x in size, approximately 5 to 7 hours depending on temperature. Do NOT let it fully double before shaping.
- Once dough reaches 1.5x, divide into 18 pieces at 60g each. You could also make these larger or smaller depending on the desired amount or size.
- If using cheese filling, flatten each piece, place cheese cube in center, wrap and seal completely. Shape into tight balls by cupping hand over dough and rolling in circles on unfloured surface.
- Arrange shaped balls on parchment lined baking sheet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or place in large covered container.
- Transfer immediately to refrigerator for overnight cold proof, 12 to 18 hours.
Day 2:
- Remove shaped balls from refrigerator first thing in the morning.
- Let come to room temperature for 60 to 90+ minutes. Watch for signs of proper fermentation: balls should feel slightly puffy, have a little give when gently pressed, and look visibly larger than when first shaped.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line 13x9 pan with parchment.
- Bring 6 to 8 cups water to boil. Add 2 tablespoons honey or sugar.
- Test one ball in the boiling water. If it floats immediately and bobs on surface, they are ready. If it sinks or struggles to float, give remaining balls another 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Boil 4 to 6 balls at a time, 20 to 30 seconds per side. I could fit 10 in my shallow but wide pan i used.
- Remove with slotted spoon, drain briefly on towel.
- While still wet, roll each ball in everything bagel seasoning, coating generously.
- Arrange in 13x9 pan.
- Bake 22 to 25 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Cool 5 to 10 minutes before pulling apart.
Notes
SOURDOUGH STARTER: Use active, bubbly sourdough starter that has doubled in size with plenty of bubbles throughout. If your starter has been refrigerated, feed it 4 to 8 hours before mixing the dough.
HYDRATION: This is a stiff bagel dough at approximately 50 to 52% hydration. The low hydration creates the characteristic dense, chewy bagel texture.
FERMENTATION: Watch your dough carefully during bulk fermentation. Shape the balls at 1.5x size, not fully doubled. If the dough doubles or triples before shaping, it will over proof and bake up dense.
FLOAT TEST: Properly proofed bagels float immediately when added to boiling water. If they sink, they need more proofing time.
STORAGE: Store cooled bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat frozen bagels in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Instead of shaping on Day 1, you can refrigerate the bulk dough after it reaches 1.5x. On Day 2, remove from fridge, let rest 30 to 45 minutes, then divide and shape into balls. Let rest 15 to 20 minutes, then proof another 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature until puffy before boiling. This method works well but requires more hands on time in the morning.
NON SOURDOUGH YEAST VERSION:
To make this recipe with yeast instead of sourdough starter, make these changes to the ingredients (more details on the blog):
Replace the 180g sourdough starter with:
7g (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast OR 8g (2 3/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
plus 90g additional water (for a total of 400g water)
plus 90g additional bread flour (for a total of 690g bread flour)
If using active dry yeast: Dissolve it in the warm water (100 to 110°F / 38 to 43°C) with the brown sugar and let bloom for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy before adding to flour.
If using instant yeast: You can add it directly to the flour mixture and use room temperature water.
For timing: Bulk fermentation will take 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled in size instead of 5 to 7 hours to 1.5x.
You can still do the overnight cold retard after shaping. Follow the same Day 1 evening and Day 2 morning instructions.
Everything else in the recipe remains the same.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
Dense, heavy bagels: Over proofed during bulk fermentation (let dough rise past 1.5x) or under proofed during final rise (didn't give shaped balls enough time). Watch dough carefully and refrigerate at 1.5x, not doubled.
Bagels sink during boiling: Under proofed. Let remaining balls continue proofing at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes and test again.
Cheese leaking out: Make sure to seal the dough completely around the cheese cube. The boiling seal side down step helps seal any small gaps.
