Sourdough Montreal-Style Bagels – Vegan

Perfectly chewy and satisfying, these are the BEST sourdough Montreal-style bagels out there.

I have perfected sourdough Montreal-style bagels. These bagels are so good that Nick, upon eating one, immediately declared me the Bagel Master. My sourdough Montreal-style bagels are easy and (relatively) fast to make. Unlike other sourdough recipes, these Montreal-style bagels can be ready in the span of an afternoon.

These Montreal-style bagels are:

• Authentic. While I hate the word, I have adapted this recipe from what is allegedly the original and authentic recipe used at St. Viateur – but with the caveat of veganizing and “sourdough-izing” their recipe! If you would like to try THE St. Viateur recipe, here are the links I found [first source; second source], both of which were purportedly shared from St. Viateur themselves (one having been scribbled on a brown paper bag during training).
• Vegan. Traditionally made with eggs and honey, this recipe veganizes the St. Viateur recipe while still delivering on flavour and texture.
• Naturally Leavened. Instead of instant yeast, sourdough starter is used to leaven the bagels.

Note: for the basics of how to make bagels, including how to form their shape and how to boil them, see my easy bagel recipe here, or watch the embedded video below which explains the two ways of forming bagels.

Developing the recipe

As noted above, I developed this recipe from two sources which claim to have St. Viateur’s bagel recipe. I made the recipe as it was written, using an egg, malt, and oil, but swapping out the yeast and a portion of flour and water with sourdough starter.

I also made a vegan version without egg, where I upped the water content to account for the loss of moisture. For this version, I inadvertently forgot to add the oil.

Here is what I found. The “authentic” version made with egg and oil was more dry, had a finer crumb, and stayed the same (did not dry out further) on subsequent days. They were easier to slice through than the no-oil, no-egg version. The bagels were good, but had a doughy, tender crumb. Personally, I thought they were not as good as the ones from St. Viateur. Something was missing in the texture department – there was not enough chewiness.

On the other hand, the no-oil, no egg version had a crunchy crust and a chewy center – in my opinion, the perfect texture! They were more difficult (but not impossible) to slice (because of a harder crust) as the days went on. They were fantastic the first day but dried out faster than the oil and egg version. Still, the bagels remained delicious when toasted.

The effect of fat in bagels and bread

Fats, such as egg and oil, are used to soften dough. Fat “shortens” the gluten structure of a dough. Shorter strands of gluten make the final bread softer and less chewy. An enriched bread dough with oil added will therefore have a more tender and tighter crumb because the gluten strands will not be as elastic. Comparatively, a sourdough loaf with an open and airy crumb will have gluten strands that are not inhibited by fat, which can absorb more water and therefore be more elastic.

This means that using a lean dough without oil and egg with result in a chewier bagel. A chewy bagel is a delicious bagel in my book!

How are Montreal bagels different from other bagels?

Montreal-style bagels are unique in two aspects. First, the bagels are traditionally boiled in a honey mixture. Some people claim this gives the crust a slight sweetness, but in my experience, you cannot taste the effect of honey unless an inordinate amount is added. More importantly, honey – or other syrups – in the boiling water helps toppings stick to the bagel.

Second, Montreal-stye bagels do NOT have salt. This makes them unique in terms of bread. I only know of two types of bread which do not use salt – Tuscan bread and Montreal-style bagels.

Since salt slows down fermentation, no-salt Montreal-style bagels will rise much faster than other bagels made with salt. Traditionally, the dough is only given a short bench rest after mixing before being formed, boiled, and baked.

Even using sourdough, the lack of salt makes Montreal-style bagels a much faster project than their salted counterparts. Depending on your proofing temperature, sourdough Montreal-style bagels only need to bulk-ferment for 2-6 hours before they can be shaped, boiled and baked. This makes them a great same-day bread – a rarity for sourdough recipes.

The lack of salt also makes Montreal-style bagels a good option for people watching their sodium intake.

For a basic bagel recipe (with salt) – see my overnight sourdough bagel recipe.

Third, Montreal-style bagels are LOADED with toppings. While some bagels have a measly sprinkling of toppings, Montreal-style bagels are coated on all sides. The most popular toppings being sesame seeds and poppy seeds. See below for my tips on how to get sesame seeds to stick to your bagels.

What is malt and should I get some?

The short answer is that “malt” in bagel recipes likely refers to diastatic malt for the dough. For Canadians, diastatic malt is a bit difficult to find.

Malt can be substituted with a variety of more common pantry items such as molasses, Chinese maltose, brown rice syrup, or other syrups. Your local health food store may stock barley malt syrup, which is also commonly used in bagel making. However, I do not recommend buying diastatic malt or even barley malt syrup unless you are a hardcore bagel aficionado. Malt in bagel recipes can easily be replaced with existing syrups in may have in your pantry.

I go into depth about this topic in my article: Malt, Maltose, Barley Malt Syrup – What’s Best for Bagels?

Tips for maximal topping – getting sesame seeds to stick to bagels

If you’re a Montreal local, you’ll know that the classic Montreal bagel flavors are sesame and poppyseeds, and sesame is really the true classic.

Montreal-style bagels are unique in that they are completely coated in toppings! Sadly for the home baker, sesame seeds are notoriously difficult to stick onto bagels.

Here are my tips for getting sesame seeds to stick onto bagels:

1. Use some sort of syrup in the boiling liquid – this helps toppings stick.
2. Make sure your hands are dry. Maximal seeding means you will need to turn the bagel over and roll the bagel on its sides with your hands. If your hands are slightly wet or damp, the sesame seeds that are already on the bagel may release from the bagel and stick to your fingers instead.
3. Use enough seeds. If there are any gaps on your plate of seeds, those gaps are places where your bagel will need to be reseeded. Your plate or container should be completely covered in seeds. If there are enough seeds to come up on the sides of the bagel, you may not even need to roll the bagel on its side. If you look at how bagels are made at St. Viateur, their bagels are tossed in literally inches deep of seeds.
4. This is the most important. Dip your bagels soon after they are boiled. You want the skin of the bagels to be slightly tacky but NOT wet. If they are sopping wet, then the extra moisture will make the sesame stick to themselves, or your hands instead of the bagel. Beads of liquid will make the sesame seeds clump together, instead of stick to the bagel one by one. When you boil your bagels, air dry them on the strainer for 10-30 seconds before transferring to the toppings.
5. Replenish the seeds as you go along. You can pour more seeds onto the plate/container before putting in the following bagel or pour seeds directly onto the underside of the bagel while it is being dipped in seeds.
6. Keep your seeds as dry as possible. When transferring the bagels to the seeds, avoid dripping boiling liquid into the seeds, as this will make them clump together.
7. Sesame seeds that are flat on the skin of the bagel (instead of sticking up) will stay on better. To ensure more seeds are flush, try patting the bagels with your hands on the seed plate, pressing the bagels lightly down onto the seeds, or lightly tamping with a flat object like a tray, once bagels are on the baking tray.

Note: these tips will help you get maximal sesame seeds onto the bagels and have them stay on as they come out of the oven. BUT expect sesame seeds to scatter once you move and slice the bagels. I wish I could tell you how to get seeds to stick indefinitely, but this seems a near impossible task. The best case sticking scenario will come from a combination of technique and having enough seeds.

Some people like to use egg white or a starch slurry to get toppings to stick but that is a bit high effort and impractical if coating the bagel on all sides.

Reusing excess seeds

Now that you’ve covered your bagels liberally in seeds, what do you do with the excess?

Let the seeds air dry for a couple of hours if they are damp from the bagels. Then, they can be put away in a container and reused in baking recipes. Add them to sourdough bread or baked goods like cookies and muffins.

Storage

If you don’t finish these Montreal-style bagels the same day that they are baked, leftover bagels can be stored in an airtight container and left out at room temperature for a couple of days or in the fridge for longer.

Note that if you don’t add oil, bagels will become slightly harder to slice as the days go by. If you plan on toasting bagels in subsequent days, I recommend pre-slicing bagels on the first or second day before setting them away.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Sourdough Montreal-style Bagels (Vegan)

Perfectly chewy and satisfying, these are the BEST sourdough Montreal-style bagels.

Prep Time6 hours hrs

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time6 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Diet: Kosher, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Low Salt, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Bagels, Baking, Bread, Sourdough

Servings: 6 bagels

Ingredients

Dough

• 85 g starter
• 6 g barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup/Chinese maltose, molasses, or other syrup (roughly 1 tsp)
• 14 g sugar
• 135 g water
• 312 g bread flour
• 3/4 tsp oil optional (see notes)

Toppings

• 1 plateful plus more to top desired toppings such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dehydrated onions etc

Boiling Liquid

• 1 pot water
• 1-2 tablespoons barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup/Chinese maltose, or other syrup optional (see notes)

Instructions

Mixing the dough and bulk fermentation

• Combine all dough ingredients and mix until well combined and dough is evenly hydrated.
• For stand mixers, start at the stir setting for 1-2 minutes, then use setting 2 for 2-3 minutes, and finally setting 4 for 1-2 minutes. The dough should be smooth and well combined. Note this is a stiff dough. My kitchen aid stand mixer was able to handle this dough at the above settings. If you scale the recipe up, your stand mixer will likely be UNABLE to handle the dough and the dough should be mixed in separate batches.
• For hand mixing, start with a dough hook, then move the dough onto a clean countertop and knead until well combined for 5-8 minutes. Note that this is a stiff dough and requires some elbow grease for hand kneading.
• Bulk ferment for 3-6 hours, giving the dough 2-3 stretch and folds at 30 min to 1 hour intervals. This photo shows the dough at the beginning of bulk fermentation.
  
• At the end of bulk fermentation, the dough should be slightly puffy but not doubled. It may not even have risen 1.5; that is okay and normal. The dough will be more elastic, and the gluten structure of the dough should have been significantly strengthened. This photo shows the dough at the end of bulk fermentation.
  

Forming, boiling, and baking the bagels

• Preheat oven to 460 degrees.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and form into bagels by (1) making a ball, and then poking a hole through the ball and widening the hole; or (2) making a strip of dough, then rolling the ends of the strips together to form a “O” shape.
• Meanwhile, boil a pot of water with the optional sweetener. Once boiling, drop each bagel into the water and boil for 30-60 seconds before removing with a wire strainer. If you are using a small pot, boil one bagel at a time. If you are using a wider pot, you may be able to fit several at a time. However, if you are topping your bagels, it may be more practical to boil one bagel at a time.
• If you are topping the bagels, spread your toppings liberally on a plate or shallow bowl. After each bagel is boiled, air-dry on the wire mesh strainer for 10-30 seconds. While the boiled bagels are still warm, dip the bagels into the plate of toppings to coat, turn the bagels over to cover the other side with toppings. Turn the bagels on their sides to cover everywhere else with toppings, then place on a baking tray.
• Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes (for a total of approximately 25 minutes,) or until bagels are evenly golden.

Video

@hellenshouse

montreal style bagels are the fastest bagels to make – the perfect project for a rainy afternoon!! trust me when I say that these vegan sourdough version of montreal-style bagels are so delicious and rivals those from the holy st viateur!! 🔗https://hellenshouse.com/sourdough-montreal-style-bagels-vegan/ #stviateurbagels #montrealbagels #montrealstylebagels #bagelrecipe #veganbaking #sourdoughbreadbaking #sourdoughbagels #wildyeast #breadislife #homemadebagels

♬ original sound – Hellen Chan – Hellen Chan

Notes

Note 1: If you want bagels to dry out less fast, add oil. If you want a more chewy texture, omit oil.

Note 2: Syrup in the boiling liquid is optional but may help toppings stick. Almost any syrup can be used, including molasses, maple syrup, or honey. Adjust amount according to how much water is used.