Sourdough Montreal-style Bagels (Vegan)
Perfectly chewy and satisfying, these are the BEST sourdough Montreal-style bagels.
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.