Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

About this Recipe

If you carefully follow this recipe you can make a good cinnamon raisin bagel at home. I mean, there are loads of really bad bagels in the world and life is just too short to eat a bad bagel.

This recipe is a variation of my popular New York Style Bagels.

Obviously I added cinnamon and raisins to the dough, but I also thought carefully about how the ingredients are put together.

First we start by soaking the raisins. This softens the raisins so they meld into the bagels nicely for a soft and luscious bite.

Because we never want to waste an opportunity for more flavor, we use the soaking water from the raisins in the dough. It’s a subtle change, but using that sweet, raisiny water in the dough perfumes the entire batch of bagels with more raisin flavor.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Bread Flour – Cinnamon Raisin Bagels have a very chewy crumb from a strong gluten network in the dough. High protein bread flour develops plenty of gluten.
• Yeast – I prefer instant yeast to rapid rise yeast for a slightly slower rise. A slow overnight rise in the refrigerator allows more time for flavor to develop.
• Barley Malt Syrup – Adds a traditional slightly sweet note to the dough that works perfectly with the raisins. You can substitute honey or a combination or honey and molasses for the barley malt syrup.
• Baking Soda & Sugar – For boiling the bagels. The boiling process creates the specific shiny and chewy bagel crust.

Process Photos

See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.

• Pour boiling water over the raisins and set them aside until the water cools to 110F.
• Drain the raisins, save the water.
• Add water as needed to bring the level back to 16oz.

• Combine the raisin water with the yeast and some of the flour to form a thick batter.
• Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining ingredients.
• The dough will start out quite sticky and shaggy.
• After 5 minutes of kneading the dough should clear the sides of the bowl and cling to the hook.

• Pat the dough to a rectangle and sprinkle the plumped raisins evenly over the dough.
• Fold the raisins into the dough
• Knead until the raisins are evenly distributed.
• Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a tight ball.

• Poke a hole through the center of a dough ball.
• Use your fingers to stretch the center hole and form the bagel.
• Line the bagels onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Wrap the tray and refrigerate overnight.
• The next morning, remove the bagels from the refrigerator. Let them come to room temperature while the oven preheats. During the night the bagels should rise slowly in the refrigerator and will finish rising as they come to room temperature.

• Gently lower the bagels into the boiling water. Adjust the heat to keep the water at a steady simmer. Flip the bagels every 30 seconds for 2 minutes.
• Transfer the boiled bagels to a cooling rack to drain.
• Arrange the bagels onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Brush them with egg white for a shiny finish.
• Bake until well-risen and golden brown.

Make Ahead Tips

• After the first rise, the dough can be wrapped and held in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Continue with shaping when you’re ready.
• If you want to make the bagels in one day, skip the time in the refrigerator. As soon as the bagels are shaped set them aside for 30-60 minutes until they’re about 1/3 larger. Keep an eye on them so they don’t over-proof. Continue with boiling and baking.

Storage

• Cinnamon Raisin Bagels are best the day they’re baked.
• For longer term storage slice the bagels about 3/4 the way through and pack them into freezer bags.
• Previously frozen or day-old bagels are best if toasted before serving.

More Recipes Like This

• New York Style Bagels
• Rye Bagels
• Onion & Poppy Seed Bialys
• Sourdough Bagels