These homemade cinnamon swirl bagels are chewy on the outside and soft on the inside just as any good bagel should be. But what makes them extra special is that cinnamon swirl inside and sweet, cinnamon crunch on top!
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Why you'll love these cinnamon swirl bagels
- Chewy Outside, Soft Inside
- Sweet, Crunchy Topping
- Cinnamon Swirl Interior
For a more savory bagel recipe, make these New York Style Bagels! If you'd like more sweet breakfast recipes, try my Yeasted Belgian Waffles or Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: To achieve the soft & chewy balance I landed on a combination of all-purpose and bread flour.
- Yeast: You can use either active dry or instant yeast here!
- Salt: Kosher salt is a very important ingredient in all baking recipes, but it is especially important in these bagels. It adds flavor to the yeasted dough and helps to produce the right texture. Don't skip on the salt!
- Brown Sugar: A small amount of sugar helps to activate the yeast, as well as adds a touch of sweetness.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this cinnamon swirl bagel recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the bagel dough. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the lukewarm water and brown sugar, then sprinkle the yeast on top and stir to combine. Add in the flours and salt, then turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. While the dough is mixing on low speed, add the cinnamon paste a few spoonfuls at a time to evenly disperse swirls throughout the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rise overnight.
STEP 2: Shape the bagels. Once the dough has proofed, divide it into 12 equally portioned balls. They should weigh about 90g each. Roll each into a smooth ball, covering them as you go. To shape into bagels, roll each ball into a log. Flatten out one end of the log and place the other end on top. Bring the edges of the flattened out dough up and over to encase the second end of the log. Place the shaped bagels on the prepared parchment squares on one baking sheet. Cover the bagels with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour.
STEP 3: Add the bagels to a water bath. In a large pot, bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil. Once the bagels have fully proofed and the water is boiling, add the barley malt syrup and baking soda to the water. Bring the water down to a simmer, then add 2-3 bagels at a time to the water for 30 seconds on each side. Place the bagels back on the baking sheets, about 6 per baking sheet. Brush an egg white on each of the bagels, and top with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
STEP 4: Bake. Bake the bagels for 18-20 minutes or until deeply golden brown. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Expert Baking Tips
- Proof the dough overnight: I recommend allowing your dough to rise slowly overnight in the fridge. Cold dough is so much nicer to work with! But you can also let it proof at room temperature for one hour and make the bagels immediately.
- Bake the dough within 24 hours: To find that sweet spot between properly proofed with a developed flavor and over-fermented, I recommend giving the dough at least 5 hours to rise in the fridge, but no more than 24 hours.
- Brush the dough with an egg white: To give the bagels a deep golden, shiny crust, as well as help the topping stick, brush them with an egg white after the water bath and before baking.
Recipe FAQs
Homemade bagels are best eaten the day that they are made, but these will taste almost as good the next day if they are stored in an airtight bag/container at room temperature. They will also last for up to three months in the freezer!
I like to enjoy these cinnamon swirl bagels with peanut butter! But other great toppings include, cream cheese, jam, and nutella.
Store leftover bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other breakfast recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Swirl Bagels
Ingredients
For the bagels:
- 400 g (1 ¾ cups) water, lukewarm
- 53 g (¼ cup) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 g (2 tablespoon) cinnamon, mix with 1 tablespoon water
For the water bath:
- 4 quarts water
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) barley malt syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the toppings:
- 1 egg white
- 50 g (¼ cup) raw sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the lukewarm water and brown sugar, then sprinkle the yeast on top and stir to combine.
- Add in the flours and salt, then turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of water to form a thick paste.
- While the dough is mixing on low speed, add the cinnamon paste a few spoonfuls at a time to evenly disperse swirls throughout the dough. You can also do this by hand to ensure it's properly dispersed without being overly mixed.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rise overnight. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- When ready to bake the bagels, prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper and 12 individual squares of parchment paper.
- Once the dough has proofed, divide it into 12 equally portioned balls. They should weigh about 90g each. Roll each into a smooth ball, covering them as you go.
- To shape into bagels, roll each ball into a log. Flatten out one end of the log and place the other end on top. Bring the edges of the flattened out dough up and over to encase the second end of the log. Alternatively, you can press your thumb through the center of the ball and gently spin it around to create a bigger hole.
- Place the shaped bagels on the prepared parchment squares on one baking sheet. Cover the bagels with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Towards the end of the proof time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large pot, bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil.
- Once the bagels have fully proofed and the water is boiling, add the barley malt syrup and baking soda to the water.
- Bring the water down to a simmer, then add 2-3 bagels at a time to the water for 30 seconds on each side. Use the parchment squares to lower the bagels into the water.
- Place the bagels back on the baking sheets, about 6 per baking sheet.
- Brush an egg white on each of the bagels, and top with the raw sugar, cinnamon mixture.
- Bake the bagels for 18-20 minutes or until deeply golden. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Proof the dough overnight: I recommend allowing your dough to rise slowly overnight in the fridge. Cold dough is so much nicer to work with! But you can also let it proof at room temperature for one hour and make the bagels immediately.
- Bake the dough within 24 hours: To find that sweet spot between properly proofed with a developed flavor and over-fermented, I recommend giving the dough at least 5 hours to rise in the fridge, but no more than 24 hours.
- Brush the dough with an egg white: To give the bagels a deep golden, shiny crust, as well as help the topping stick, brush them with an egg white after the water bath and before baking.
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