Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

These sourdough cinnamon raisin bagels are soft and chewy. They’re lightly flavored with cinnamon and dotted with raisins.

This is a rewrite of this recipe and I love the tweaks I’ve made! The base for these sourdough cinnamon raisin bagels is the same as my New York style Sourdough bagels, but with the addition of cinnamon and raisins. I used to just add the raisins to the dough after kneading, and cold-proof the dough with the raisins in there. However the raisins tended to dry out the dough around them as they’d soak up all the moisture. It made the dough trickier to roll, slower to rise and more dense.

Now I make the bagel dough, let it rise, give it a cold-proof, and then only add the raisins the following day when I am shaping them. The results are so much better!

Don’t have a sourdough starter yet to make this recipe? Check out my sourdough starter guide to prepare an active sourdough starter for baking!  

Equipment

This sourdough recipe can easily be made by hand or use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.

Method

1. In the morning or the evening before, feed your sourdough starter.

1. Let rise until doubled in size.

1. In a large bowl, add flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and water. Add in the sourdough starter.

1. Use a fork and then your hands to mix the dough into rough and shaggy dough ball. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it is smooth.
2. The dough should be worked and kneaded for around 6-8 minutes for optimal gluten development. Alternatively, mix the dough in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment on low speed.
3. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot around 25°C/77°F until it almost doubles in size. You can create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough in a turned-off oven next to a mug of boiled water. This can take around 4-6 hours in a warm space.
4. Once the dough has risen, place it in the refrigerator until the next morning or for up to 24 hours.

Shaping and adding the raisins

1. Remove the stiff dough from the refrigerator and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured bench.

1. Stretch the dough out into a rectangle, and press on half the raisins.

1. Fold the sides of the rectangle up like a pamphlet. Then press in the remaining raisins.

1. Roll the dough up like a sleeping bag to encapsulate the raisins.

1. Shape it into a ball, then weight it on a scale. Divide this number by 8.

1. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Let them rest for 5 minutes
2. Generously dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour and set aside.

1. Take a ball of dough and use both hands’ thumb and index finger to push a hole into the center.

1. Roll the dough ball around your fingers in a circular motion to widen the hole.

1. Place the shaped bagels on the prepared parchment paper. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let them puff while the oven preheats and a pot of water is brought to a boil.

Water bath

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Once the water is boiling, stir in brown sugar or honey.

1. Dust any excess flour off the bagels and drop them in the boiling water one at a time. Boil 1-2 bagels at a time.

1. Let them poach in the water for 1 minute in total, flipping them after 30 seconds.

1. Remove the bagels from the water using a slotted spoon to drain the water, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue with the rest.

Baking

1. Bake them in the oven for 22-25 minutes until a deep golden brown. If they are baking unevenly or your oven has hot spots, turn the oven tray around after 15 minutes of baking.
2. 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. Sourdough cinnamon raisin bagels freeze very well, too. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

Elien Lewis

These sourdough cinnamon raisin bagels are soft and chewy. They’re lightly flavored with cinnamon and dotted with raisins.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

14 hours hrs

Total Time 14 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings 8

Calories 288 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Starter

• 40 g starter
• 40 g all-purpose flour
• 40 g water

Dough

• 440 g bread flour or strong all-purpose flour with a protein level of at least 11%*
• 220 g water
• All the sourdough starter around 100g
• 12 g brown sugar
• 8 g salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 140 g raisins

Poaching

• 2 L water
• 1 Tablespoon honey or brown sugar

Instructions

 

• In the morning, feed the sourdough starter and let it rise until it is doubled in size.
• In a large bowl, add flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and water. Add in the doubled sourdough starter.
• Use a fork and then your hands to mix the dough into a rough and shaggy ball. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 6-8 minutes it until smooth and strong. Alternatively, mix the dough in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment on low speed.
• Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot around 25°C/77°F until it almost doubles in size. You can create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough in a turned-off oven next to a mug of boiled water. This can take around 4-6 hours in a warm space.
• Once the dough has risen, ensure it's tightly covered and place it in the refrigerator until the next morning or for up to 24 hours.

Shaping and adding the raisins

• Remove the stiff dough from the refrigerator and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured bench.
• Stretch the dough out into a rectangle, and press on half the raisins.
• Fold the sides of the rectangle up like a pamphlet. Then press in the remaining raisins.
• Roll the dough up like a sleeping bag to encapsulate the raisins.
• Shape it into a ball, then weigh it on a scale. Divide this number by 8.
• Cut the dough into eight equal pieces and shape them into balls. Let them rest for 5 minutes.
• Generously dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour and set aside.
• Take a dough ball and use both hands’ thumb and index finger to push a hole into the center.
• Roll the dough ball around your fingers in a circular motion to widen the hole.
• Place the shaped bagels on the prepared parchment paper. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel for 1-2 hours to lightly puff 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 425°F/220°C, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Once the water is boiling, stir in brown sugar or honey.
• Dust any excess flour off the bagels and drop them in the boiling water one at a time. Boil 1-2 bagels at a time.
• Let them poach in the water for 1 minute, flipping them after 30 seconds.
• Using a slotted. spoon, drain the bagels from thece them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue with the rest.

Baking

• Bake them in the oven for 22-25 minutes until a deep 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 8gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 457mgPotassium: 210mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg

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