Instructions/Notes available for:
Air fryer cooking method& oven cooking method, vegan version, sourdough discard version, active sourdough version, or no sourdough version

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Happy National Bagel Day!

Apparently, January 15 2021 is National Bagel Day. Who knew? I sure didn’t– I found out this morning and I just HAD to make bagels in honor of it.

When you think of sourdough you definitely don’t think fast. What comes to mind is a multi-day laborious process. I wanted to make something with sourdough but being so last minute, I didn’t have time to make a levain, let it rise for 12 hours and babysit it for half a day. My workaround is to make bagels using sourdough discard, which will give the bread that tangy depth of flavor, and spike it with active dry yeast for that faster rise time. On top of that, I baked it in an air fryer. Yes, air fryer. Honestly, with work and with this whole recipe being thrown together so last minute and the fact that I am only making four bagels, I just didn’t want to bother to heat up an oven. I also wanted to experiment with the texture and consistency of the brown sugar cinnamon shell in between spurts of work, and the air fryer allowed me that flexibility. So that is how this recipe came to be.

I included instructions for an oven cooking method as well since not everyone has an air fryer.

Non Sourdough Version:

Luckily, for this recipe, if you do not have sourdough it is very simple to make a non-sourdough version by replacing the weight of sourdough discard with flour and water and increasing the amount of active dry yeast you are using by 2g without changing the proof/rest times. Thats not always the case but in this situation it works since I intended it to be quick so most of the leavening is from the already included active dry yeast.

TLDR: for non sourdough version, replace 60g sourdough discard with 30g flour and 30g water + 2g active dry yeast.

100% Sourdough Version:

Alright, so I was in a rush but you want to make a proper sourdough version. There are different methods out there, but quickest method using 100% sourdough (and no active dry yeast) only needs a slight modification. It is as follows: replace the sourdough discard with active sourdough starter of the same weight. Omit the active dry yeast. Follow Step 1, but let the dough rest for 30 minutes to hydrate. Then knead again into a smooth ball, cover and let proof for about 6-8 hours. Proceed with the rest of the steps as is.

Vegan Version:

This one is easy. In the Cinnamon Brown Sugar recipe, just replace the butter with coconut oil! Or any other oil would work.

Print Recipe

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Brown Sugar Bagels

Quick Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Brown Sugar Bagels. Air fryer AND oven baking instructions available.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword: sourdough, sourdough discard

Servings: 4 bagels

Ingredients

Bagels

• 80 g warm water
• 21 g honey
• 2 g active dry yeast optional*
• 60 g sourdough discard or starter
• 160 g bread flour all purpose ok
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Shell

• 50 g brown sugar
• 25 g granulated sugar
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter melted, or oil
• 10 g flour
• pinch salt omit if using salted butter

Water bath

• 6 cup water
• 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

• Combine warm water, honey and active dry yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Then mix in sourdough starter/discard, salt and cinnamon. Finally add flour and knead until a smooth dough forms. Let proof for 2 hours. If omitting active dry yeast, increase the proof time to 4 hours.
• Transfer the dough to your work surface and divide into 4 even pieces and roll into tight balls. Using your middle finger and thumb, poke a hole in the center of the dough balls and stretch until the hole is about 2 inches in diameter. Place bagel on a parchment lined baking tray, cover and repeat with the rest of the dough. Let rest for 30 minutes.
• Make the brown sugar shell: mix together brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, all purpose flour and salt (omit if using salted butter). Set aside
• Air fryer option: Preheat air fryer by turning it on 400F for 5 minutes

  Oven option: Preheat oven to 425F
• Bring a pot of water and sugar to a boil. Boil bagels for 3 minutes, about a minute and a half per side. Transfer back to the lined baking tray and repeat with the rest of the bagels. Using a spoon, spread the brown cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the bagels, clumps are OK.
• Air fryer option: Cook bagels in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 400F. 

  Oven option: Bake for 25 minutes.
• Let the bagels cool ~5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. The melted sugar mixture will spread and is HOT so be careful.
• Storage: Store in a ziplock bag for up to 4 days or longer in the fridge.

Notes

*active dry yeast is optional if you are using active sourdough starter. After Step 1, let the dough rest for 30 minutes to hydrate and then knead again into a smooth ball and let proof for about 6-8 hours. Proceed with the rest of the steps as is.