Easy Cottage Cheese Bagels with Sourdough Starter

If you’re looking for an extremely nutritious way to use your sourdough starter, these sourdough cottage cheese bagels are a high-protein solution! This recipe combines the tangy flavors of sourdough with the convenience of instant yeast, allowing you to whip up a batch of high-protein, chewy bagels in just four hours with minimal hands-on effort.

For those seeking an extra benefit of sourdough digestibility, there’s an optional overnight fermentation step in the fridge. The overnight fermentation enhances the bagels’ flavor and improves their digestibility.

Ingredients for sourdough cottage cheese bagels in a mixing bowl, including flour, cottage cheese, sourdough starter, and yeast.

Dough for sourdough cottage cheese bagels dusted with flour in a bowl during the dough forming process.

The Best Cottage Cheese to Use for Bagels

For these bagels, I recommend one of three cottage cheese options:

Homemade Cottage Cheese (click here for the recipe)
Good Culture 2% Cottage Cheese
Kalona Organic Whole Milk Cottage Cheese

Stretching a portion of sourdough cottage cheese bagel dough by hand to develop gluten structure.

Shaped sourdough bagel dough in hand, ready to be placed for proofing.

Gently shaping a piece of sourdough cottage cheese bagel dough to form a smooth round.

Hands holding a perfectly shaped ball of sourdough cottage cheese bagel dough.

The Best Flour for Making Cottage Cheese Bagels

When making any kind of homemade bagels, using organic bread flour is a game changer. Bread flour is designed explicitly for yeast-leavened baked goods, boasting a higher gluten content than all-purpose flour. This elevated gluten level is crucial for developing the best bagel texture.

The robust gluten network formed by bread flour helps the bagels hold their shape during boiling and baking, ensuring they have a nice crust and tender, chewy interior. Additionally, choosing organic bread flour means you’re opting for a product free from synthetic pesticides and additives, which can contribute to a cleaner, more wholesome bagel. All in all, organic bread flour is an essential ingredient for homemade bagels.

Hands shaping a ball of dough into a bagel by creating a hole in the center.

Two hands forming a bagel shape from dough with a baking tray of shaped dough balls in the background.

Cottage Cheese Bagels No Yeast: Three ways to make this recipe with sourdough starter

Active, bubbly, peaking sourdough starter: The first option is to make cottage cheese bagels with an active, bubbly, peaking sourdough starter. This is the best option for making these bagels without packaged yeast. I do this all the time, and it works great; I double (sometimes triple if it’s cold) the proofing times in the recipe card when using only an active starter.
Sourdough discard from the fridge: The second option for making these bagels without any packaged instant yeast is to use sourdough discard from the fridge. You’ll need to start the dough the night before you plan to bake. So, in step 4 in the recipe card below, you will leave the dough covered overnight for 8-12 hours, then the following day, continue with step 5. This should allow enough time for the starter to become active in the dough. This method isn’t always successful and depends on the individual starter, how long it’s been in the fridge, and how established it is. This method also tends to result in more sour flavors.
Sourdough Discard + Instant Yeast: This is the method the recipe is written with. It’s the easiest and quickest. Adding instant yeast with the sourdough starter gives you all the great flavors of classic sourdough but with the reliable results of packaged yeast. You can still get long-fermentation benefits by proofing the shaped bagels overnight in the fridge before cooking. (see next paragraph for details on long overnight proofing)

My best advice for getting the best results from this recipe is to use an active peaking starter or a combination of starter discard and instant yeast.

A wooden spoon lifting a freshly boiled sourdough bagel from a pot of bubbling water.

Brushing boiled bagels with egg wash on a parchment-lined tray before baking.

Long Ferment Sourdough Discard Bagels Overnight

To long ferment these bagels overnight, you place them in the fridge after they’re shaped. Once in the fridge, you can leave them to long ferment for up to 72 hours. Then, continue with the recipe as written.

Hand dipping a boiled bagel into a plate of sesame seeds to coat the surface evenly.

Close-up of sesame-seeded and plain sourdough bagels resting on a parchment-lined tray.

Why Do You Boil Bagels?

Boiling bagels is a crucial step in achieving their distinctive texture and flavor. Here’s why this process is essential:

Texture: Boiling bagels before baking helps to create their characteristic chewy crust. The boiling process gelatinizes the starches on the surface of the dough, forming a barrier that traps moisture inside the bagel. This results in a chewy interior and a shiny, crisp crust.
Structure: Boiling helps to set the bagels’ shape. It provides an initial dough firming, allowing the bagels to retain their round shape during baking.
Flavor Development: The boiling water, often with added ingredients like malt syrup or honey, contributes to the bagels’ flavor. Malt syrup, for example, adds a subtle sweetness and enhances browning during baking.
Browning: The boiling process affects how the bagels brown in the oven. The gelatinized surface helps achieve a rich, golden-brown crust.

Hands slicing a freshly baked sourdough bagel with a serrated knife on a wooden cutting board.

Why are My Bagels so Chewy?

Boiling bagels for too long can make them excessively chewy. Boiling bagels for too long can lead to over-gelatinizing the starches on the surface, resulting in a denser and chewier texture than desired. Additionally, extended boiling times can cause the bagels to become overly puffy or misshapen as the dough expands.

Typically, bagels are boiled for about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. This short boiling time is usually sufficient to achieve the desired texture and flavor without compromising the bagels’ quality.

Two halves of a sliced sourdough bagel held in hand, showing its soft and airy interior.

How to Store Cottage Cheese Bagels

Cooling: Allow your homemade bagels to cool completely on a wire rack before storing them. This prevents condensation from forming, which can make them soggy.
Room Temperature: Store bagels at room temperature in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 4 days.
Freezing: To freeze bagels, wrap each bagel individually in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Then, place them in a freezer-safe plastic bag or airtight container. This prevents freezer burn and helps maintain their quality. You can freeze bagels for up to 3 months.
Thawing: When you’re ready to eat them, you can thaw bagels at room temperature, or for a quicker option, toast them directly from the freezer. You can also defrost them in the microwave for a few seconds, then toast them to restore some of the crispy texture.

Things You May Need:

A product image of a counter top oven showing the front face

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

A kitchen scale top down showing the dual scale platforms and digital measurement screen

Kitchenaid Dual Platform Scale

French Sourdough Starter

Teakwood Stirring Spatula for Sourdough

Active Dry Yeast

Sourdough

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