Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bagels

These jalapeño cheddar sourdough bagels are a spicy twist on a classic! If you love all things Jalapeño Cheddar then you are going to adore these! These sourdough jalapeño cheddar bagels use active sourdough starter (although you can use discard too if you prefer).

Chewy, flavorful sourdough bagels topped with bubbly, golden sharp cheddar cheese and spicy jalapeño slices - they are full of flavor in every single bite. Served these bagels as they are or spread with simple cream cheese or homemade cultured butter. I love serving them with these sourdough scrambled eggs.

If you love all things spicy, make sure you check out this Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread Recipe, sourdough jalapeño cheddar crackers or this jalapeño honey butter.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

• Spicy Twist on a Classic - If you love classic, chewy sourdough bagels with a spicy twist, then you are going to absolutely love these spicy jalapeño cheddar sourdough bagels! They're so good, you don't even need to spread them with anything if you don't want to!
  
• Minimal Effort with Spectacular Results - these sourdough bagels look incredible yet take minimal effort! If you can bake plain bagels, you can make these!
  
• Freeze for Later - one of the best things about these spicy jalapeño cheddar sourdough bagels is that they freeze really well and can be made to freeze and use later.

How To Make Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bagels (Step by Step Instructions)

Sourdough bagels are relatively easy to make, they just take a little know how when it comes to shaping. This is something that comes with practice ... so bake bake bake! And if you need extra help, you'll find a video to shape sourdough bagels here.

I recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe as it is a stiff dough and can easily be kneaded in a stand mixer. However it's perfectly fine to use your hands too (you'll just need to use your muscles to really work that dough)!

Add sourdough starter, water, flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer and bring together to form a shaggy dough (you can use the paddle for this part). If using a Thermomix, just knead the ingredients for 30 seconds til it forms a shaggy dough.

Allow the dough to rest for around 15 to 30 minutes.

Now, knead the dough for around 10 minutes until it is smooth and supple. This is a stiff dough (much like sandwich bread dough) so it won't be super elastic, however it should be smooth and not sticky. Remember to give the stand mixer a break every few minutes. If using a Thermomix, knead the dough for up to 4 minutes.

Once the dough is sufficiently kneaded, you'll need to allow it to rise or ferment. You want the dough to double and be puffy and soft. It is a lower hydration dough, so it will take a while for this to happen - don't rush it though or you'll get dense, hard bagels.

Once the dough has risen, you'll need to shape the bagels. It's quite simple, you just need a little patience. Divide the dough into 11 pieces weighing 80g each. Shape each piece of dough into a small ball. If you want 12, reduce the weight of each bagel down to 75g.

Take each ball and poke a hole in the middle. Gently stretch the hole out and then place each bagel on a sheet of baking paper to rise.

Cover the bagels with a dish cloth and allow them become lovely and puffy.

While they are puffing up, bring a pot of water with 40g of honey added to the boil and preheat your oven to 200C/392F.

When the water is boiling, carefully place 3-4 bagels into the boiling water at a time. You want to boil them for around 30 seconds each. They should float to the surface and that's when you know to take them out.If you prefer really chewy bagels, boil them for up to 2 minutes each.

Carefully remove the bagels from the boiling water using a slotted spoon.Place boiled bagels onto a baking tray and top with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced jalapeños.

Bake the bagels for around 20 - 25 minutes at 200C/392F. Remove them from the oven when the cheddar cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Allow them to cool before you enjoy them!

This process has been adapted from my recipe for simple overnight sourdough bagels - you'll find lots of tips and tricks and a video to shape bagels there.

Ingredient Notes

These homemade jalapeño cheddar sourdough bagels use pantry staple to produce a delicious bagel, sure to please the fussiest bagel connoisseur! But here are a few notes on the included ingredients and how you can substitute them if you'd like to put your unique touch on this recipe:

• You can swap up to half of the bread flour for whole wheat flour for a more nutrient dense bagel. You may need to add a little extra water if you are using whole wheat flour though. 
  
• You can add a little bit of non-diastatic malt powder to increase the color and texture of your bagel crust. You'll have a deeper color and chewier texture.
  
• If you'd prefer not to use honey to boil the bagels, you can use brown sugar, barley malt syrup, maple syrup or even baking soda.
  
• You can use any type of cheese you like. A strong or sharp cheddar cheese works really well, but use whatever cheese you have on hand. Pre-shredded cheese does contain some anti caking agents, but it won't make too much difference in this instance.
  
• I've used sliced, pickled jalapeños as I love the flavor that they give to the finished bagel. I also find they cook up the best. You can of couse use fresh jalapeño slices if you prefer.

Can I Add Jalapeños & Cheddar to the actual bagel dough?

You could if you want to, but I find it much easier to just make the bagel dough plain and then add the jalapeño and cheddar cheese topping right before you bake.

This also means that you can make some more spicy than others by controlling how many jalapeño slices you add to each one. I also leave a few without the jalapeño for my kids who don't like spicy food. 

Can You Add Active Dry Yeast To This Recipe?

Yes, if you want to use sourdough discard or a less than mature sourdough starter then adding up to 7g of active dry yeast is a great way to make sure your sourdough bagels rise.

Using commercial yeast is a great way to be able to use up your sourdough discard if you have a bit sitting in the fridge as this recipe uses 100g.

Obviously if you're using active dry yeast, you'll need to shorten the bulk fermentation and rising times to suit.

Baker's Timeline

Sourdough baking can sometimes be a little difficult to schedule.

It's really good to have a timeline worked out for baking sourdough bagels - so that you can have them baked fresh for breakfast.

It can be overwhelming to schedule sourdough, so here's the timetable I work to when making these for breakfast. Remember this is an example only - you can adjust it to suit your sourdough starter and lifestyle.

DAY 1

Lunchtime - feed sourdough starter.

7pm - mix the bagel dough and set aside to ferment overnight.

DAY 2

6am - shape sourdough bagels and set aside to get puffy.

7.30am - preheat oven and put on pot of boiling water.

7.45am - boil bagels and then into the oven by 8am

Using this timetable, you could be eating warm bagels by 8.30am!

If you are using discard with a little yeast, this timetable will still work - just make sure it's literally just a pinch or they will over ferment overnight.

You'll find a full guide to creating sourdough baking timetables here.

What special equipment do I need?

You really don't need anything too specialised to make bagel recipes of any kind, but these items, most of which you've probably already got in your kitchen, will make life easier and give you a successful bagel bake!

• Kitchen Scale
• Stand Mixer (Kitchen Aid or Thermomix)
• Large Mixing Bowl (for proofing dough)
• Clean kitchen towel to cover for the second rise
• Large Pot for the water bath (I use my Dutch Oven)
• Baking Sheets & Parchment Paper

How To Store + Freeze Sourdough Bagels

These sourdough jalapeño cheddar bagels are really best eaten within 12 hours of baking, unless you are going to toast them (although I recommend warming them in the oven rather than toasting them because of the cheese topping).

They are suitable to freeze. I find the best way to freeze them is to place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and popping in the freezer for 2 hours. Once they are snap frozen, transfer to a plastic bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. After 3 months, they may lose their chewy texture.

To use frozen bagels, remove from plastic bag and allow to come to room temp. Alternatively you can zap in the microwave for 20 seconds. Then you can warm in the oven as per normal.

Frequently Asked Questions

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