There's nothing quite like homemade sourdough bagels, especially when they're brimming with chocolate chips. These Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bagels are the perfect combo of the cherished New York-style bagel's chewiness and the delightful chocolate chips, reminding you of your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes.
Using your sourdough starter adds depth to the flavor profile, making these homemade bagels the best part of your morning.
If sourdough bagels are something you enjoy, be sure to check out my cinnamon raisin sourdough bagels, sourdough blueberry bagels, and sundried tomato sourdough bagels!
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Ingredients
Aside from the chocolate chips (these are my favorite since they are not overly sweet), these bagels stick to basic ingredients. I used regular sugar instead of honey, finding little difference in taste, and it’s simply easier to handle.
- active sourdough starter
Sourdough requires an active starter, but don't worry too much about catching it at its peak every time. It's okay if you're preoccupied and miss the ideal moment — mature starters are forgiving. I've had success using my starter straight from the refrigerator; it just needs a little extra time to do its job in the dough.
Here's a practical tip: mark the level of your starter after feeding it. This way, you can easily monitor its activity. For this recipe, it's best to use the starter when it's very active, having doubled in size or more, regardless of whether it's starting to fall or still rising!
- water
Water temperature is vital in sourdough baking. Cold water can extend the dough's rising time slightly, while warm water may reduce it. In this recipe, I use cold water for convenience, and I suggest you do the same to follow the suggested rise times accurately.
It's fine to use tap water if it's safe to drink and low in chloride. Too much chloride can harm wild yeast and bacteria. If your tap water has a noticeable chlorine smell, it's wiser to use bottled or filtered water instead.
- bread flour
Choosing bread flour is beneficial when making homemade bagels due to its higher gluten content, which contributes to a chewier texture. There's a distinct difference between using bread flour and regular all-purpose flour. However, because bread flour is more expensive, I usually save it for recipes that require a softer, more spongy texture, such as these chocolate chip bagels.
- salt
Including salt in sourdough recipes is crucial, not only for taste but also for strengthening the dough and ensuring a proper rise. Omitting salt can lead to sticky, unusual dough and may allow undesirable elements to affect the flavor. From my experience, it's essential to use the correct quantity of salt in sourdough bread.
I usually just use regular table salt. But if you can, find some good-quality salt without any extra stuff in it.
Some in the sourdough community prefer to delay adding salt due to its potential to slightly retard the starter. However, this effect is minimal. I typically include salt with the other ingredients for convenience, as the minor slowdown is negligible—it's akin to the starter operating at 96% efficiency instead of 100%.
- sugar
Use sugar if possible, as this recipe is formulated for white or brown sugar. If you choose liquid sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, adjust the flour quantity to maintain the dough consistency due to the additional liquid.
Don't use artificial sweeteners; they don't provide the necessary nutrients for the yeast, and your dough won't rise correctly. Sugar is added to aid the starter, particularly important for denser doughs like this bagel recipe.
- chocolate chips
Ensure to use the chocolate chips you love most; that's the key! I generally prefer those from darker chocolate, but any type works. Even a broken-up chocolate bar or chocolate chunks would do!
- baking soda (to boil bagels)
Baking soda raises the water's alkalinity when dissolved, enhancing the Maillard reaction. This reaction, a heat-triggered interaction between amino acids and sugars, creates a delicious brown crust and ideal texture on bagels. Understanding its importance means you shouldn't skip this step!
- optional: sesame seeds, or your choice of bagel seasoning, egg for egg wash
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bagels
Remember, this bagel dough isn't extremely low-hydration. While some recipes use minimal water for extra chewy texture, too little can be excessive. This dough maintains a balance — not too stiff, not too wet — for chewy, yet not overly dense bagels.
In a large bowl of your stand mixer equipped with a dough hook attachment, combine all of the ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated with the wet ones, then increase to medium speed until a smooth, elastic bagel dough forms. This process helps develop the gluten structure necessary for chewy bagels.
Cover the large mixing bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for the first rise, allowing the sourdough flavor to develop beautifully.
You can also transfer the dough to a glass bowl for the bulk fermentation to better see when the dough will be ready.
The first rise will take anywhere from 6 - 8 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. You'll know the dough is done rising when you see bubbles along the bowl's sides and it has increased in size.
Transfer your bagel dough to a clean work surface. You may need a lightly floured surface if the dough is sticky, though it should be very sticky. Divide it into 4 equal pieces, rolling each piece into a smooth ball.
You can cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest briefly for the gluten to relax, but you can easily skip this step if you're in a hurry.
Using your index fingers, poke a hole through the center of each ball, twirling the dough a bit (imagine a gentle barrel roll in the air), to form it into the classic bagel shape.
Cover the bagels with a damp tea towel again and let them do the second rise, which will take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. You'll know it's done when bagels become light and puffy again.
The boiling step, often skipped in easy sourdough bagels recipes, is critical here. It gives the bagels their iconic smooth crust and chewy texture.
Ready a large pot, fill it with about 2 quarts (about 2 liters) of water, and add in 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
Bring it to a vigorous simmer. Using a slotted spoon, gently place bagels in the boiling water, giving them about 1 minute per side.
After boiling, use the slotted spoon to transfer them back to the parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing excess water to drip off.
You can preheat your oven while you boil the bagels.
After boiling, arrange the shaped bagels on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet or sheet pan.
At this point, you can brush each with an egg wash for that golden brown sheen, and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, sesame seeds, or any favorite toppings.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes at around 425°F (about 220°C). If your oven is quite powerful, you might want to lower the temperature slightly to avoid over-baking. The aim is to achieve a lovely golden brown, not a deep brown.
After baking, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, which is the best way to prevent soggy bottoms.
Hint: If you have a feeling your bagels will stick to the parchment paper during the second rise, you can sprinkle some flour underneath them.
Substitution Notes
Keep to the recipe for the best bagels, but some small changes are okay and won't mess things up too much:
- Sugar - you can use maple syrup, brown sugar, or any other natural sweetener if you like, just make sure to adjust the liquid to get the right dough consistency.
- Vegan - use vegan chocolate chips and omit the egg wash (you can use olive oil or a milk substitute)
- Flour - Bread flour is best for fluffy bagels because it has more gluten, but you can use all-purpose flour instead. Just use a bit less water because it doesn't soak up as much. You can mix in a little whole wheat flour, but not too much, or your bagels might get too heavy and tough.
Variations & Add-ins
- Muesli Bagels - For a fun twist, try making chocolate chip muesli bagels by adding a handful of your favorite muesli to the dough mix.
- Double Chocolate - Experiment with chocolate chip sourdough bagels incorporating cocoa powder for double chocolate delight or even transition to sourdough chocolate chip cookies!
Tools You'll Need
- Kitchen scale - I can vouch for this one; it's cheap and does the job done!
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- Large mixing bowl
- Slotted spoon
- Baking sheet or cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Wire rack for cooling
💭Crucial Success Tips
Monitor your dough's hydration; it needs to be tougher than your usual bread dough. Tweak water or flour amounts during mixing to hit the right consistency.
Kneading is Key: Thorough kneading is vital as it forms gluten, essential for texture. Aim for a supple, smooth dough. Using a stand mixer for about 10-15 minutes gets the best results, but 5 minutes can work if you're short on time.
Patience in Proofing: Let the dough rise until it grows significantly (about 75%). This patience pays off in flavor and texture. For reference, here's more on the duration of sourdough proofing at room temperature.
Consistent Shaping and Boiling: Uniformity in bagel size is critical for even cooking. You're free to alter the size, but remember to modify the cooking time accordingly (increase for larger bagels, decrease for smaller ones).
FAQ
Yes, but bread flour is preferable for its higher protein content, contributing to a chewier texture.
I highly recommend chocolate spread! However, there are many options for toppings, preferably sticking to sweeter varieties.
All kinds of sliced fruit combinations work well: sliced bananas, apple slices, etc. If you don't have any fresh fruit on hand, go for fruit preserves or jam.
Greek yogurt with a little bit of honey drizzled on top will help you feel fuller longer because of all the added protein.
I saved the best one for the end: Nut butter! I don't know what it is, but they pair extraordinarily well with chocolate! My favorite is almond butter, but peanut butter or any other nut butter will work as well.
More Sourdough Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖Printable Recipe
Easy Homemade Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bagels
There's nothing quite like homemade sourdough bagels, especially when they're brimming with chocolate chips. These Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bagels are the perfect combo of the cherished New York-style bagel's chewiness and the delightful chocolate chips, reminding you of your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (about 70 grams) active sourdough starter
- ½ cup (about 100 grams) water
- 1 ½ cups (about 200 grams) bread flour
- ¾ teaspoon (about 4 grams) salt
- 2 ½ teaspoon (about 10 grams) sugar
- 3 ⅓ tablespoon (about 50 grams) chocolate chips
For boiling:
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer equipped with a dough hook attachment, combine all of the ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated with the wet ones, then increase to medium speed until a smooth, elastic bagel dough forms. This process helps develop the gluten structure necessary for chewy bagels.
- Cover the large mixing bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for the first rise, allowing the sourdough flavor to develop beautifully.
- You can also transfer the dough to a glass bowl for the bulk fermentation to better see when the dough will be ready.
- The first rise will take anywhere from 6 - 8 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. You'll know the dough is done rising when you see bubbles along the bowl's sides and it has increased in size.
- Transfer your bagel dough to a clean work surface. You may need a lightly floured surface if the dough is sticky, though it should be very sticky. Divide it into 4 equal pieces, rolling each piece into a smooth ball.
- You can cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest briefly for the gluten to relax, but you can easily skip this step if you're in a hurry.
- Using your index fingers, poke a hole through the center of each ball, twirling the dough a bit (imagine a gentle barrel roll in the air), to form it into the classic bagel shape.
- Cover the bagels with a damp tea towel again and let them do the second rise, which will take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. You'll know it's done when bagels become light and puffy again.
- The boiling step, often skipped in easy sourdough bagels recipes, is critical here. It gives the bagels their iconic smooth crust and chewy texture.
- Ready a large pot, fill it with about 2 quarts (about 2 liters) of water, and add in 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
- Bring it to a vigorous simmer. Using a slotted spoon, gently place bagels in the boiling water, giving them about 1 minute per side.
- After boiling, use the slotted spoon to transfer them back to the parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing excess water to drip off.
- You can preheat your oven while you boil the bagels.
- After boiling, arrange the shaped bagels on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet or sheet pan.
- At this point, you can brush each with an egg wash for that golden brown sheen, and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, sesame seeds, or any favorite toppings.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes at around 425°F (about 220°C). If your oven is quite powerful, you might want to lower the temperature slightly to avoid over-baking. The aim is to achieve a lovely golden brown, not a deep brown.
- After baking, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, which is the best way to prevent soggy bottoms.
Notes
If you have a feeling your bagels will stick to the parchment paper during the second rise, you can sprinkle some flour underneath them.
Monitor your dough's hydration; it needs to be tougher than your usual bread dough. Tweak water or flour amounts during mixing to hit the right consistency.
Kneading is Key: Thorough kneading is vital as it forms gluten, essential for texture. Aim for a supple, smooth dough. Using a stand mixer for about 10-15 minutes gets the best results, but 5 minutes can work if you're short on time.
Patience in Proofing: Let the dough rise until it grows significantly (about 75%). This patience pays off in flavor and texture.
Consistent Shaping and Boiling: Uniformity in bagel size is critical for even cooking. You're free to alter the size, but remember to modify the cooking time accordingly (increase for larger bagels, decrease for smaller ones).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 bagelAmount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1068mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 8g
Baking Schedule
A schedule that works for me most of the time goes like this:
4:00 PM - feed the starter
10:00 PM - mix the dough and prepare it for bulk rise
10:30 PM - bulk rise
The next day:
6:30 AM (when I wake up) - transfer the dough to the fridge (to pause the fermentation)
04:00 PM (or whenever I have time that day) - take the dough out of the fridge and shape the bagels.
06:00 AM - boil and bake, so you can enjoy fresh bagels for dinner!
How to Store Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bagels
Once they're cooled down, store your chocolate chip sourdough bagels in an airtight container.
They'll stay fresh at room temperature for a couple of days, but for longer storage, you can freeze them. Just be sure to slice them first if you prefer toasting straight from the freezer.
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End Notes
Feel free to comment down below if something did not go according to plan or if you tried to make this recipe and had problems following the recipe. I will try my best to get back to you. Or just leave your comment and tell me how it went. I love getting feedback from you!
HAPPY BAKING!👩🏻🍳
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