Quick & Easy Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Recipe (Same-Day Recipe!)
Cinnamon raisin bagels are the perfect combination of warm cinnamon spice and sweet, slightly tart raisin flavor. This recipe makes eight bagels in just a few hours and is a great bagel recipe for beginners! I truly can't believe it's taken me this long to add such a classic bagel flavor to my collection of easy bagel recipes, I am so excited for you to make them.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Dough
- 300 grams warm water (100°F)
- 100 grams raisins
- 500 grams all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 18 grams brown sugar
- 8 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
- 6 grams instant yeast
- 6 grams ground cinnamon
Egg Wash
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Soak. In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, soak the raisins in the warm water for 10 minutes.
- Mix. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together flour, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and yeast. Make a well in the middle and pour the warm water and raisins into the center. Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed until the dough comes together and the water is absorbed. Pause and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to help everything combine. This may take 3-5 minutes.
- Knead. Increase the speed to low-medium and let the mixer run for another 3-5 minutes, dusting in more flour if the dough is sticking to the bowl. You’re looking for a dough that is a little firm and stiff, nice and smooth, and just slightly tacky to the touch. It shouldn’t cling to your hands or the bowl.
- First rise. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and tuck it into a smooth round ball. Lightly spray the mixing bowl with nonstick spray and return the dough to the bowl. Cover and let it rise for an hour at room temperature until just about doubled in size.
- Preheat. Toward the end of the rise time, preheat your oven to 425°F and fill a wide, deep pan or wide pot with at least 3 inches of water. Bring it to a low boil on the stove. Line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicone mat and set aside.
- Pre-shape. Deflate the dough and divide it into eight equal pieces (use a kitchen scale for precision) and shape them into balls. Gently flatten the piece of dough against a lightly floured surface, then tuck the edges up into the middle, pinching them together to form a smooth surface on the underside of the dough. Then flip the dough over, cup your hand around it, pinkie against the counter, and drag your hand towards your body. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat as needed until you have a smooth taught surface on top and a seam underneath.
- Shape. Starting with the first dough ball you shaped, coat your thumb in flour and poke it through the seam-side of the dough, pushing any extra edges into the middle. Slide your other thumb in and gently stretch the dough out until the hole in the middle is at least the same width as the sides. The hole will close as the dough rests and will close again as it boils and bakes, so don’t be stingy here.
- Boil. Reduce the water to an active simmer. Briefly stretch each bagel one more time before gently placing into the water, top-side facing down. Work in batches as needed (I can usually fit 4 at a time in my pot). The bagels will expand as they boil, so don’t overcrowd them. Boil bagels for 30-60 seconds per side, using a wire spider to flip them.
- Remove the shaped bagels from the water and put them on the prepared sheet pan at least 2 inches apart from each other.
- Brush each bagel with egg wash, making sure to get the sides and centers. Optional: Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake the cinnamon raisin bagels for 20-23 minutes, until nicely golden brown.
- Let the bagels cool for a few minutes on the sheet pan, then transfer to a wire rack. Bagels are best enjoyed freshly baked, but try to wait at least 15-20 minutes before cutting them open so the starches can set.
If you live somewhere very humid, hold back about a ¼ cup of water to start. Let the dough mix for a full 3 minutes. If the dough still seems dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time directly onto any dry bits in the bowl, giving at least 30 seconds to knead between additions, until the dough comes together in a messy ball. Then move on to kneading.
Use the fingerprint test to determine if the dough is ready to shape.
RECIPE NOTES
- To knead by hand, mix the dough with a wooden spoon or dough whisk, then knead by hand on a lightly floured work surface. Double the kneading time (about 8-10 minutes) and dust in more flour as needed just to prevent sticking. The rest of the recipe follows as written.
- Bagels should float almost immediately when you add them to the boiling water but the added weight of the raisins makes these babies sink at first. It can take about 30 seconds for them to bob up to the top; sometimes it helps to use the edge of the wire spider to give them a little nudge in the pan to get them floating!
- Store in an airtight bag with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Bagels are best within 24 hours. Stored properly, they will stay good for 2-3 days at room temperature. For best results, freeze any bagels you know you won't eat immediately as soon as they are cool.