Put all of the bagel ingredients into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook. Knead on medium speed to bring the mixture together into a rough dough.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. The dough will be thick, heavy, and hard to knead, but the more you knead, the smoother it will become.
Once kneaded, place into a well-greased bowl. Spray the top of the dough with baking spray, then cover the bowl with a damp tea towel. Set the bowl in a warm place to rise for about 2-3 hours or until doubled in size.
Once doubled, remove the tea towel and punch down. Let rise for 20 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a taught ball. Press a clean finger into the center of each ball and gently stretch into a center hole.
Place each formed bagel onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a damp tea towel and set in a warm place to rise for another hour or until almost doubled in size.
Once the bagels have risen, preheat the oven to 400° F (200℃). Place a large pot with the water over high heat to boil. Mix in the honey and baking soda.
Once the water is boiling, add one or two risen bagels in and boil for 1 minute per side. Once boiled, remove from the water and place back onto the baking sheet, leaving about ½” of space at least between each one.
If desired, sprinkle toppings on at this point. Once all the bagels have boiled, place the pan into the preheated oven to bake for 20 minutes or until browned on all sides.
Notes
Storage: Bagels may be stored at room temp for up to 3 days, although they are best consumed the day of.Tips:
Sugar may be used in place of the honey in the boiling mixture.
The rise time will vary depending on the activeness of your sourdough starter. The dough will not always rise like typical bread dough.
The dough, once kneaded, can rise overnight in the fridge and be ready to be formed in the morning for baking.