Easy Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
These homemade cinnamon raisin bagels are soft, chewy, scented with cinnamon, and dotted with juicy raisins.
They use a thick dough that’s easy to make by hand or in a stand mixer.
Homemade bagels are easy to make and they taste delicious! Fresh bagels make easy breakfasts or brunch ideas, and adding cinnamon and raisins to the bagel dough makes this recipe extra special.
For another kind, try these chewy blueberry bagels.
The bagel dough
Bagels are usually made from lean dough. This means it’s a dough where there is no fat added to it. They use quite a stiff dough, too, with low hydration. The results are chewy bagels that are still soft, a little bit dense, and with a great toothsome bite. This recipe is based on these overnight bagels.
Use high-gluten flour for the classic chewy texture – this is a flour with a protein level between 11-13%.
This is best done with bread flour. Some all-purpose flours have a protein level of over 11%, so you can use that sort of all-purpose flour for these bagels too.
The ingredients
Find the simple ingredients for this homemade bagel recipe listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
- Warm water
- Active dry yeast or instant yeast
- Soft brown sugar
- Bread flour or strong all-purpose flour
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon – woody and warming cinnamon is a perfect bagel pairing.
- Raisins – Plump raisins add texture and sweetness.
- More brown sugar or honey to boil bagels – Poaching the bagels in sweetened boiling water before baking gives them a golden and chewy crust. The added honey or other sugar gives them a beautiful golden sheen without needing egg wash.
Equipment
This simple recipe can easily be made by hand, though for extra ease, use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
Method
The dough
In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and brown sugar and stir them together. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt to the yeast mixture and use a fork to combine everything into a rough dough.
Switch to using your hands and push the dough together into a rough dough ball. Tip this onto a clean bench and knead the dough for around 6-8 minutes to develop the gluten.
The dough in this bagel recipe is relatively low hydration, so it makes a thick dough that is easy enough to work but requires a little elbow grease to knead. If using a stand mixer, use a dough hook attachment at low speed.
Press the dough into a flat disc and tip the raisins into the middle. Gather the sides of the dough up to cover the raisins, then knead the dough again carefully to work the raisins into the dough.
First rise
Once the raisins are incorporated, form the dough into a ball and place it into a large, greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
You can also let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator. A long rise like this will bring more flavor to the bagels.
Shaping the bagels
Pull the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a log.
Cut the dough into eight equal pieces (a kitchen scale works well to ensure even bagels) and shape each piece into a ball. Let these dough balls rest for 5 minutes.
Take a ball of dough and use both hands’ thumb and index finger to push a hole into the center, then roll the dough ball around your fingers in a circular motion to widen the hole.
Aim for a large hole, as it will shrink back in size once it sits. Continue with the rest of the dough balls.
Place the shaped bagels on a prepared sheet pan lined with parchment paper and let them puff out for around 30 minutes while the oven preheats and a pot of water is brought to a boil.
Water bath
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, preheat the oven to 428°F/220°C, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once the water is boiling, stir in brown sugar.
Dust any excess flour off the bagels and drop them in the boiling water one at a time. Boil 2-3 bagels at a time.
Let them poach in the water for 1 minute, flipping them after 30 seconds.
Remove the bagels from the water using a slotted spoon.
Drain the boiled bagels on a wire rack, then move to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Continue with the rest.
Baking
Place the bagels on the lined baking sheet.
Bake them in the oven for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. If they are baking unevenly or your oven has hot spots, turn the oven tray around after 15 minutes of baking.
Remove the baked bagels from the tray and let them cool to room temperature on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serving and storing
Serve the bagels with a smear of cream cheese, or toast them and spread with salted butter.
Store leftover bagels in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Bagels freeze very well, too. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Related recipes
Easy Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
These homemade cinnamon raisin bagels are soft, chewy, scented with cinnamon, and dotted with juicy raisins.
Ingredients
- 240g warm water (1 cup) (95-104°F / 35-40°C)
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast or active dried yeast
- 25g (2 tablespoons) soft brown sugar
- 406g (3 ¼ cups) bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 80g (½ cup) raisins
Poaching
- 2 quarts water
- 18g (1 ½ tablespoons) honey or brown sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and brown sugar and stir them together. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt to the yeast mixture and use a fork to combine everything into a rough dough.
- Switch to using your hands and push the dough together into a rough dough ball. Tip this onto a clean bench and knead the dough for around 6-8 minutes to develop the gluten. If using a stand mixer, use a dough hook attachment at low speed.
- Press the dough into a flat disc and tip the raisins into the middle. Gather the sides of the dough up to cover the raisins, then knead the dough again carefully to work the raisins into the dough.
- Once the raisins are incorporated, form the dough into a ball and place it into a large, greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
- You can also let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. A long rise like this will bring more flavor to the bagels.
Shaping the bagels
- Pull the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a log.
- Cut the dough into eight equal pieces (a kitchen scale works well to ensure even bagels) and shape each piece into a ball. Let these dough balls rest for 5 minutes.
- Take a dough ball and use both hands' thumb and index finger to push a hole into the center, then roll the dough ball around your fingers in a circular motion to widen the hole. Aim for a large hole, as it will shrink back in size once it sits. Continue with the rest of the dough balls.
- Place the shaped bagels on a prepared sheet pan lined with parchment paper and let them puff out for around 30 minutes while the oven preheats and a pot of water is brought to a boil.
Water bath
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, preheat the oven to 428°F/220°C, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the water is boiling, stir in brown sugar.
- Dust any excess flour off the bagels and drop them in the boiling water one at a time. Boil 2-3 bagels at a time.
- Let them poach in the water for 1 minute, flipping them after 30 seconds. Remove the bagels from the water using a slotted spoon. Drain the boiled bagels on a wire rack and continue with the rest.
Baking
- Place the bagels on the lined baking sheet. Bake them in the oven for around 22-25 minutes until golden brown. If they are baking unevenly or your oven has hot spots, turn the oven tray around after 15 minutes of baking.
- Remove the baked bagels from the tray and let them cool to room temperature on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
O. M. G! These were delicious! After making and eating these, now I know now what a real bagel is supposed to taste like. Thank you so much for giving us such an easy delicious bagel recipe! ❤️