Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bagels

Soft on the inside, chewy on the outside, with just the right amount of sweetness – these Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bagels are sure to please.

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Homemade cinnamon raisin bagels, leavened with wild yeast from sourdough starter, are definitely a new favorite in our house. Just the smell of these bagels baking in your kitchen will bring a smile to your face.

It’s that time of year when the days get shorter, the nights get cooler and the leaves start to change. It’s the fall season that I just love warming up my kitchen with home-baked goods full of warm spices and cozy flavors.

These bagels are no exception. They have just the right amount of sweetness and spice to make for a cozy breakfast, even if it’s quick.

Find more fall flavors from Quail Creek Homestead:

• Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Coffee Cake
• Sourdough Carrot Muffins
• Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Sourdough Apple Bread with Crumb Topping

Tips to Make the Best Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bagels

Start with a strong, active leaven. While you can also use active sourdough starter for this recipe, I like to use a sourdough leaven that was made specifically for this recipe. This ensures it is strong and robust to be most effective in leavening the dough. Not sure what the difference is? I explain this below in How to Make a Leaven for This Recipe.

Give your leaven plenty of time to become active. I have really noticed my leavens taking much longer to activate lately, as the house isn’t warming up as much or as quickly as it does in the summer. If I’m taking starter directly out of the fridge to mix a leaven, it’s been taking at least 12 hours to become active enough to use in a recipe. You can speed up the process by placing your leaven in a warm area of your home, such as on top of the fridge.

Soak the raisins before adding to the dough. Soaking the raisins helps make them plump and juicy, not dry and shriveled when you bake the bagels.

What You Need to Make This Recipe

Large mixing bowl and spoon

Kitchen scale

Large pot or Dutch oven – for boiling bagels

Slotted spoon

Baking sheet lined with parchment paper

How to Make a Leaven for This Recipe

Some sourdough bakers use a leaven, others use active sourdough starter. So what’s the difference? They’re both sourdough starter, but a leaven is made separately just for use in a recipe. Active sourdough starter usually refers to a large starter that has been fed within the last 4-12 hours.

I prefer to make a leaven, separate from my starter, for all of my sourdough recipes calling for active starter. A leaven is a small amount of starter that has been fed larger equal amounts of flour and water, resulting in a thick, robust starter which will leaven recipes very well.

Here’s how I make a leaven for this recipe. In a clean jar, mix the following ingredients well and cover with a breathable lid. Place in a warm spot in your kitchen and allow to activate.

• 50 grams non-chlorinated water
• 50 grams bread flour
• 10 grams active sourdough starter

Ingredients for Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bagels

For the bagels:

Water – use non-chlorinated water if you can. If you have to use chlorinated water, let it sit out for a bit before using.

Active sourdough leaven

Honey

Bread flour

Salt – my favorite salt is Redmond Real Salt.

Raisins

Boiling water – for soaking raisins

Cinnamon

For boiling the bagels:

2 quarts (1/2 gallon) boiling water

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp brown sugar

How to Make Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bagels

Measure raisins in a small bowl and add boiling water to cover. Soak raisins in boiling water for 30 minutes to an hour before adding to the dough.

In a large bowl, measure water then whisk in leaven. Whisk in honey.

Add bread flour and stir to combine. The dough will be very thick and stiff so use a wet hand to finish combining the dough. Cover and let the dough rest about 20 minutes.

Add salt to the dough and 10 grams water. Use a wet hand to combine well. Cover the dough and let rest another 15 minutes or so.

Perform 4 sets of folds over the next hour, 15 minutes apart. To fold the dough, grab it and fold over onto itself, working your way around each side of the dough. Similar to a stretch and fold, but the dough is very stiff.

On the second set of folding, add in raisins and cinnamon. Don’t worry if the raisins don’t combine all the way at first – they will over the next couple sets of folding and bulk fermentation.

Cover the dough and place in a warm spot to rise for the next 8-14 hours. The dough should become nearly doubled.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll the dough into balls, then poke a hole in the middle with your fingers. Stretch the hole a bit as it will shrink back up as the bagels rise.

Place bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover and let them rise for another 1-3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and prepare a pot of boiling water. Stir baking soda and brown sugar to the water.

Add bagels to boiling water. Cook for 1 minute, then flip and cook another minute on the other side. Remove the bagels from the boiling water with a slotted spoon, shaking off excess water before placing them back on the baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.