Time to Upgrade Brunch with Sourdough Bagel Bombs
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I wanted to have some fun with sourdough bagel bombs today, so I’m inviting you to join me on this adventure. These babies start with really easy sourdough. Then, we’re going to stuff them with cream cheese loaded with smoked salmon, red onion, dill, and capers.
From there, they get the full bagel treatment: a dip in a baking soda/molasses bath, a health coating of Everything mix, and a hot bake to perfection.
How good does that sound? Let’s get started!
The Sourdough Bagel Bomb Filling
First off, we have to start our cream cheese mixture. This is fairly simple. It starts with room temperature cream cheese because that makes it easier to mix. Then, we’ll chop up some smoky salmon and dill and mince some red onion. Finish with a spoonful of briny capers (I chopped mine, but you don’t have to), and stir the whole affair together.
Cover and pop it back in the fridge until you’re ready to make your bagel bombs. It’s easier to fill your sourdough bagel bombs if the filling is cold. And the longer it sits in the fridge, the more the flavors will marry.
Once these are baked, the filling is a salty, smoky, creamy, herby surprise. It’s everything you want on a bagel in a perfect bite. If you’re wary of the filling being warm, you can always let these cool completely to room temperature and pop them in the fridge for an hour or two before serving.
If there’s something in the compound cream cheese you aren’t in the mood for, leave it out. Some people can’t stomach onions, and some folks can deal with dill. Just do you! These are also delightful if you just use plain cream cheese. As always, choose your own adventure.
You can also save some money by buying the smoked salmon flavor cream cheese.
Remember, I give you the recipe, but you are always free to make your own choices. It will likely turn out differently than mine, but that’s how you learn. That’s how you find a place where you love to make your food and enjoy what you’re eating!
Making the Dough
So, now, let’s talk about the sourdough bagel dough. This part is stupid simple in part because I’m lazy but also because I don’t like wasting anyone’s time.
The dough part is 2 cups of sourdough starter and 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix that together until it’s “shaggy.” Then, get your hand in the bowl and knead it until it’s smooth-looking. Put a lid on your bowl, or cover it really well with plastic wrap or wax cloth and fridge it for 48 hours. This translates to doing a little work on Friday morning and then making brunch Sunday morning.
Pull it out and let it come to room temperature. Divide it into 8 equal balls (mine weighed 80-81 grams each). Flatten each out and fill it with 2 tablespoons of that compound cream cheese you made earlier. Now, you’re going to wrap the dough around the filling and pinch it well to seal it in.
To do this, I grab two corners and pinch. I grab the opposing two corners and pinch into the first set. Then, pinch in the northeast and southwest corners and the southeast and northwest corners. Do whatever clean-up pinching you have to in order to feel that you’ve sealed them well enough.
Then, I like to flip each one over so the seam is on the counter and give it a good roll around. This helps to really seal it tight, and make it really spherical. Put your hand like a little claw-cage over the ball and draw it around in a circle, dragging the ball around with it. That spirals that seal in on itself and tightens the skin a bit, too.
From here, they need a little bit of a rest. So, I dust the sheet pan I’ll use for baking with some flour to prevent sticking, place them on there, cover them with a towel, and give them a half-hour nap. This gives me time to preheat the oven and boil a big pot of water.
The Boiling Part of Bagel Making
As with all bagel making, the sourdough bagel bombs are going for a dip in boiling water before they bake. And as you probably know, you have to add a base to the water to make it really alkaline.
Proper bagel shops use lye, which is extremely corrosive but highly basic. Its purpose is to enhance the Maillard reaction on the crust to make it that lovely golden brown we associate with bagels and pretzels.
At home, you can safely achieve the same result with baking soda. If you want the crust to be even darker brown, you can add molasses to the mix. We add these to boiling water, and then give our bagels a short dip in the solution. You don’t want to overdo it, or you’ll waterlog the poor things and they just won’t turn out right.
Watch them turn a little darker in color and start to look wrinkly. This is when you pull them out. It’ll take like 5 seconds. It’s so short a dip! Depending on the size of your pot, you can put 4 in at a time. Beyond that, you’ll end up over boiling one of them just trying to get everyone in the pot. If you’re not super quick, I’d go one at a time.
Baking Your Loaded Everything Sourdough Bagel Bombs
Once they’ve all boiled, they shouldn’t want to stick to your silicone baking mat any more. So, all that’s left is to brush them with egg wash and sprinkle them with a hearty helping of Everything Bagel seasoning.
You can find Everything But the Bagel at Trader Joe’s. This is the OG version. Or, at this point, most grocery stores have their own version of it. I got mine at Aldi for about $2. It’s cheaper just to buy that little thing than to buy all the components to make it yourself. So, unless you already have poppy seeds, white and black sesame seeds, flaky sea salt, dried minced onion, and dried garlic, just buy it.
Once they’re sprinkled, pop them in the oven for about half an hour until they’re golden brown.
Serving Up Bagel Bombs for Brunch
Now for the fun part, serving them up! These are wonderful on their own or next to a steamy pile of soft scrambled eggs. All the bagel fixings are already inside, so you’re ready to go. Pour a cup of coffee and enjoy your family time.
You’ll want to store the leftovers in the fridge because of the cream cheese filling. They’ll be good for about 3-4 days. You could also freeze them to keep them for up to 3 months. You’ll want to thaw them completely in the fridge before serving them again.
The leftovers are a great grab-and-go breakfast before work. The key is serving them the right temperature. They’re pretty good cold. But if you have a little time, you could toast it in a toaster oven for a minute or air fry it at 350ºF for 3-5 minutes.
This will help get the crust crispy again. It’s actually kind of nice if the bagel part is warm and the filling is still cold. However, they’re also magical if you heat them long enough for the filling to warm up.
You’ll figure out your favorite way to eat these. Then, you’ll want to make them every week! Enjoy!
Tools to Get You Started
Here are the tools you’ll need to make your bagel bombs:
- Large mixing bowl & small mixing bowl with lids
- Large pot
- Baking sheet
- Silicone baking mat
- Kitchen scale
- Pastry brush
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Sourdough Bagel Bombs
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Sheet pan
- Large pot
Ingredients
Sourdough Bagel Dough
- 2 cups sourdough starter unfed
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Bagel Bomb Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup red onion minced
- 1 Tbsp capers
- ¼ cup smoked salmon chopped (or 1/2 pouch of salmon + 4 drops liquid smoke)
- ½ tsp dried dill
For Assembly
- 2 Tbsp Everything Bagel seasoning
- 1 large egg + 3 Tbsp water
- ¼ cup baking soda
- 8 cups tap water
Instructions
Making the Bagel Bomb Dough
- Start the dough 48 hours before you want to eat them. Mix together the starter and flour. Once it's shaggy looking, get your hands in there and knead it for 5-10 minutes until it's smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- At 24 hours, bring to room temperature. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on salt. Knead to incorporate for 2-5 minutes. Return to the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for another 24 hours.
Making the Filling
- Bring your cream cheese to room temperature for easier mixing.
- Stir in the minced red onion, capers (chopped if you prefer), chopped salmon, and dill.
- Refrigerate until you're ready to assemble. This can be done at the 24-hour mark or the morning of. The longer it chills the more the flavors marry.
Assembling Your Sourdough Bagel Bombs
- The morning you want to serve them, bring the dough to room temperature. Split it into 8 equal portions (mine weighed 80g each; you should weigh the mass and divide that number by 8 to know what each portion should weigh).
- Roll each portion of dough out to about 6-inches in diameter.
- Spoon about 2-Tbsp of the filling into the center of each dough round.
- Pinch up all 4 corners to the center. Then, pinch up the 4 corners created by the first folding.
- Pinch all the seams to seal. Then flip the ball over so the seam-side is on the counter. Roll it with your hand to seal tighter.
- Once all 8 balls are sealed up tightly, let them rest for 30 minutes on floured surface, covered.
- While your balls rest, start a large pot of water to boil. Add baking soda to the boiling water. Also, preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Boil each dough ball for 5 seconds until dough looks darker and slightly wrinkly. Gently remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry. Move to a lined baking sheet while you complete the others.
- Mix the egg with 3 Tbsp of water and brush onto the tops and sides of all your bagel bombs. Sprinkle thoroughly with Everything Bagel seasoning.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until they are a nice golden brown. When you tap the bottom, they should sound hollow-ish, but remember there is cream cheese in the middle.
- Allow them to cool before serving. They're best served at room temperature.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
