Homemade Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bagels with Discard
Learn how to make homemade sourdough cinnamon raisin bagels with this simple recipe. They take less than a day and taste WAY better than store-bought bagels!
Why This Recipe Works
- Inspired by NYC Bagels!
- Perfectly chewy bagels
- Filled with streaks of cinnamon and juicy raisins
- Golden brown and soft in the center
- Perfect amount of sweetness
Ingredient List
These ingredients are all easy to find at any grocery store. The only ingredient that you might not have is the sourdough discard.
- Sourdough Discard + Yeast: The discard should be unfed and at room temperature.
- Bread Flour: We want these extra chewy! Make sure to use flour that has a high protein percentage. We want these to be chewy and not soft.
- Brown Sugar: New York City bakeries use barley malt syrup to sweeten the bagel dough. However, this ingredient is difficult to find. The good news is that brown sugar is a great substitute.
- Raisins: Use ¾ Cups. We will be soaking these in water so that they become nice and plump.
- Warm Water: Water should be warm! Cold water will slow down the yeast, which will give you a slow rise.
- Ground Cinnamon: We will use our hands to knead the ground cinnamon into the bagel dough. This method helps create swirls of cinnamon!
A Note On NYC Bagels and Dough Hydration Percentage
In making this sourdough discard recipe, I aimed to recreate delicious New York City bagels at home without any special equipment. I’ve tried many cinnamon raisin bagel recipes (both sourdough and non-sourdough). Sadly, they never quite amounted to live up to the bagels I’d eat during my trips to New York.
Overview: Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Discard Bagels Recipe
Sourdough NYC-style bagels are easy to make! Since this is a low-hydration dough, the dough is easy to work with and perfect for beginners. Here is an overview of the steps:
- Make the Bagel Dough: Knead the dough in your stand mixer. This will take roughly 10 minutes in total. You can knead this by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer.
- Shape The Bagels: After the dough doubles (which takes about 1-1.5 hours), it’s time to shape them into the classic bagel shape! Divide the dough into 8 pieces, shape each piece into a ball. Then, poke a finger in the middle of the ball and make a 1-1.5 inch hole in the center.
- Boil The Bagels: We boil the bagels for 15-30 seconds each side before we bake them. Boiling the bagels gives them that classic exterior that we love.
- Bake The Bagels: Bake them at 425°F (218°C) for 25 minutes and then enjoy!
Boil Bagels Before Baking
After we shape the bagels, we boil them in a large pot of water. Why do we boil the bagels right after shaping?
- Texture: boiling sets the exterior of the bagel dough, giving the bagels that chewy texture. This helps prevent the bagels from rising too much in the oven.
- Flavor: The boiling water typically has malt syrup or honey. This adds sweetness to the bagel and helps create the golden-brown crust during baking.
- Shape: Since boiling cooks the outer layer of the dough, the bagels will hold their shape during baking.
Bagel Dough
- ¾ Cup Raisins (110 grams)
- 1 Cup Warm Water (236 grams)
- 1 Teaspoon Yeast
- 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (39 grams)
- 4 Cups Flour (480 grams)
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- ⅔ Cup Sourdough Discard (200 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
Water Bath
- 2 Quarts Water
- ¼ Cup Honey (85 Grams) or barley malt syrup or maple syrup
Egg Wash
- 1 Egg Beaten with 1 Tablespoon Water
Instructions
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Soak The Raisins: Place the raisins in a small bowl filled with warm water. Let sit while you prepare the dough.
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Bloom the yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, yeast, and one tablespoon of brown sugar. Let sit for five minutes until the yeast mixture becomes foamy.
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Knead the dough: Add the rest of the brown sugar, flour, salt, and sourdough discard into the bowl. Knead with the dough hook attachment on low speed for seven minutes.
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Add the raisins: Drain the raisins. Then, add the raisins to the dough and knead for one to two minutes until the raisins are evenly distributed into the dough.
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Add the cinnamon: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the ground cinnamon on the dough and knead until it is streaky. You can also do this in your stand mixer.
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First rise: Place the dough in a lightly greased container, cover it, and let it rise for 1-1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
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Shape the bagels & second rise: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release air bubbles. Place it onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round dough ball with your hand. Then, press your index finger into the center of each ball to make a hole about 1 ½ – 2 inches in diameter. Cover the shaped bagels with a kitchen towel or loose plastic wrap while you prepare the water bath.
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Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
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Water Bath: Fill a large pot with water and stir in the honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high. Drop the bagels in the boiling two at a time. Boil the bagels for 15-30 seconds on each side.
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Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of the bagels with eggwash. Place the bagels on a full baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them one to two inches apart to give them room.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through. The bagels should be dark, golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit on a wire cooling rack before slicing and eating.
Notes
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the dough through step five, cover, and allow it to rise in the fridge overnight. The next morning, take the dough out and let it rise for 30-45 minutes at room temperature. Continue with step 6.
- Freezing Instructions: These bagels freeze beautifully! You can freeze them for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw the bagel overnight in the fridge or at room temperature.
- Sourdough Starter Instructions: Turn this sourdough discard recipe into a sourdough recipe by omitting the yeast and adding a fed and active sourdough starter instead of discard. The recipe steps will be the same. However, the rise times will differ.
- Special Tools: Stand Mixer | Baking Sheets | Pastry Brush | Wire Cooling Rack
- Yeast: Use active dry yeast or instant yeast. Since this is a sourdough discard recipe, the yeast is in charge for giving the bagels their rise.
- Double Batch: You can double this sourdough recipe by simply doubling all of the ingredients (do not double the water or honey for the boiling step).