These Sourdough Discard Strawberry Bagels are bursting with fresh strawberry flavor and make a wonderful spring or summer breakfast. The recipe uses a full pound of fresh strawberries and optional freeze-dried strawberries for concentrated taste. Serve warm with cream cheese or your favorite spread for a delightful morning treat.
This recipe is a strawberry variation of the classic sourdough discard bagel recipe.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make and freezer-friendly — bake some now and freeze extras for later.
- Packed with fresh strawberries (1 pound) plus optional freeze-dried strawberries for an intense strawberry note.
- Designed for sourdough discard, with a simple adjustment to use active starter if you prefer.
- Versatile for brunch — pairs well with cream cheese, jam, or other spreads.
Ingredients
Key ingredients you’ll need to make these bagels:
- Fresh strawberries: Fresh berries deliver the best flavor; frozen can be used if needed.
- Sourdough discard: Use unfed discard at room temperature. This recipe assumes a starter fed 1:1 (equal flour and water).
- Freeze-dried strawberries (optional): Adds concentrated berry flavor if you want a stronger strawberry profile.
Full ingredient amounts and the complete recipe follow below.
Substitutions & Variations
This recipe adapts well to a few swaps:
- Use active sourdough starter: Omit the yeast and replace the discard with 200g active starter; allow longer rise times.
- Swap berries: Try raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries instead of strawberries for a different flavor.
- Other bagel ideas: If you enjoy discard bagels, try plain, cinnamon raisin, or blueberry variations.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Strawberry Bagels
These bagels come together in a few straightforward steps. The full recipe is below.
- Step 1: Trim and dice the strawberries.
- Step 2: Cook the diced strawberries with lemon juice and a portion of the sugar in a skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the berries break down.
- Step 3: Let the cooked berries cool about 10 minutes before adding them to the dough to avoid killing the yeast.
- Step 4: Mix the cooled strawberry mixture with flour, salt, yeast, discard, and optional freeze-dried strawberries. Knead until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky. Place in an oiled bowl and let rise about 90 minutes, until doubled.
- Step 5: Divide the dough into eight equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball.
- Step 6: Poke a hole through each ball with your thumb and stretch to shape the bagel.
- Step 7: Make the center hole larger than you think — bagels expand during boiling and baking. Place shaped bagels on a lined sheet and let rest briefly before boiling.
- Step 8: Boil each bagel 15–30 seconds per side, drain, then bake until lightly browned and cooked through.
Expert Baking Tips
- Knead until smooth: The dough should be soft and uniform before the first rise. A slight tackiness is fine — freeze-dried strawberries will absorb some moisture.
- Freeze-dried strawberries are optional: They concentrate strawberry flavor if you want a bolder taste.
- Shape with a larger hole: Bagels expand during boiling and baking, so make the center opening bigger than you expect.
- Float test tolerance: These berry bagels can be heavier than plain bagels and may take a few seconds to float in the boiling water. If they float after a short nudge, that’s acceptable.
Passing the Float Test
When you boil bagels, they should float. Because these bagels include fruit, they may sink briefly before floating. If they sink and never float (even after 10–15 seconds and a gentle nudge), cover them and let them rest for 10 more minutes, then try boiling again. If they still don’t float, the dough likely needed more rising time; baking them without a full rise can produce dense bagels.
Storage
Room temperature: Once cooled, store bagels in a sealed bag for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave about 30 seconds to soften.
Freezer: Cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe bag for up to three months. Freeze individually if you plan to reheat single bagels. Microwave frozen bagels about 60 seconds until warm.
Recipe FAQs
If bagels don’t float within 10–15 seconds (even after nudging), cover them and let them rise another 10 minutes before trying again. Failure to float usually means they need more rising time.
Use both the cooked fresh strawberries and the optional freeze-dried strawberries for the most pronounced strawberry flavor. Skip the freeze-dried berries for a subtler taste.
Serve with cream cheese, jam, or a slightly sweet spread. They’re excellent warm and sliced.
Sourdough discard is the portion of starter removed before feeding. Instead of throwing it away, use it in recipes like these bagels to add flavor and reduce waste.
More Sourdough Discard Bagel Recipes
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Sourdough Discard Bagels
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Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
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Blueberry Bagels
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Protein Bagels
If you try these Sourdough Discard Strawberry Bagels, please leave a star rating and a comment to share how they turned out. Happy baking!
Sourdough Discard Strawberry Bagels
Jessica Vogl
Pin Recipe
Equipment
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Skillet or sauté pan
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Kitchen scale (helpful)
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Parchment paper
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Half-sheet baking pans
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries trimmed and diced
- 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 200 grams sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature (about ¾ cup)
- ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries optional
Instructions
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1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, combine the diced strawberries, 3 Tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves. When the mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, mashing occasionally. Set aside to cool about 10 minutes.
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2. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a large bowl by hand), combine the cooled strawberry mixture, bread flour, salt, yeast, sourdough discard, and optional freeze-dried strawberries. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
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3. Knead on a floured surface for 4–5 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time only if the dough is too sticky.
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4. Place dough in a large oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 90 minutes or until doubled.
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5. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces (about 153g each). Roll into smooth balls, press a hole through the center with your thumb, and widen the hole. Cover and rest 20–30 minutes.
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6. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Bring 2 quarts water and 2 Tablespoons sugar to a boil.
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7. Boil each bagel 15–30 seconds per side, transfer to baking sheets, and bake 18–22 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
If bagels don’t float during boiling, cover and let them rest 10 more minutes before trying again.
To use active starter: Omit the instant yeast and replace discard with 200g active starter. Increase rise times accordingly.