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Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Bagels (with homemade cinnamon chips!)

Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Bagels (with Homemade Cinnamon Chips!)

If you love Panera Cinnamon Crunch Bagels but don't love the list of ingredients- this recipe is for you! These Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Bagels (with Homemade Cinnamon Chips!) are everything you love with a soft chewy center, and topped with a crackly, caramelized cinnamon sugar shell. But what really makes these next-level? The homemade cinnamon chips baked right into the dough. You'll have everyone running to the breakfast table for these!
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Prep Time 1 day 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 9

Equipment

  • Kitchen scale for accurate measurements
  • Stand mixer or a large bowl for mixing and kneading dough
  • Small mixing bowl for mixing cinnamon chips
  • Pizza cutter or pastry wheel to cut cinnamon chips
  • Bench knife for dividing dough
  • 9 4x4 in parchment squares to void bagels sticking while proofing and boiling
  • Large pot for boiling bagels
  • Slotted spoon or spider to remove bagels from water
  • Baking sheets for cinnamon chips and baking bagels

Ingredients
  

Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Bagels

Sweet Levain:

  • 1 Tablespoon (25g) sourdough starter (100% hydration)
  • ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) water
  • 1 tbsp + 2 tsp (25g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Chips:

  • 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp (25g) dark brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
  • 1½ tbsp (12g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Bagel Dough:

  • 3⅓ cups (500g) all-purpose or bread flour
  • ¾ cup (200g) sweet levain
  • 1 cup (236g) warm water
  • ¼ cup (70g) honey
  • 1¾ tsp (10g) sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • All prepared cinnamon chips
  • 1/4 cup (40g) white chocolate chips

Cinnamon Crunch Topping:

  • 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp (25g) dark brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp (8g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions
 

Make the Sweet Levain (Night Before):

  • Mix all ingredients until a paste forms.
    1 Tablespoon (25g) sourdough starter (100% hydration), ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) water, 1 tbsp + 2 tsp (25g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) all-purpose flour
  • Cover and let ferment at 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 10–12 hours, or until doubled and domed.

Make Cinnamon Chips:

  • Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
  • In a small bowl, melt your butter. Add your brown sugar, white sugar, flour and cinnamon. Mix ingredients in the bowl until a thick paste forms.
    2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted, 2 tbsp (25g) dark brown sugar, 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar, 1½ tbsp (12g) all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • Spread paste thinly onto lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven. Allow to cool for about five minutes, then using a pizza cutter or pastry wheel cut into 1/4 inch strips diagonally and horizontally to form small squares.
  • Allow chips to cool completely then break up and store in an airtight container until ready to make your bagels.

Make Bagel Dough:

  • In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, water, sweet levain, honey, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
    3⅓ cups (500g) all-purpose or bread flour, ¾ cup (200g) sweet levain, 1 cup (236g) warm water, ¼ cup (70g) honey, 1¾ tsp (10g) sea salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then knead until mostly smooth (5–8 minutes by hand or stand mixer).
  • Transfer dough to an oiled bowl or container. Loosely cover dough with plastic or a lid while resting. Allow dough to rest 30 minutes, and then add all of your homemade cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips if using.
    All prepared cinnamon chips, 1/4 cup (40g) white chocolate chips
  • Perform a set of stretch and folds to incorporate inclusions into the dough. You do this by grabbing the edge of the dough, and folding it towards the center. Repeat until you've worked the dough into a ball.
  • Repeat your step of stretch and folds again one more time 30 minutes later to fully incorporate your inclusions. Cover dough and allow to rest.

Bulk Fermentation:

  • Cover dough and rest at room temperature until doubled (this will take anywhere between 6-10 hours). Seal container with lid or plastic, and transfer to refrigerator for overnight cold fermentation.

Shape the Bagels:

  • Divide dough into 9 equal pieces (roughly 120 grams each). Shape into tight balls, allowing them to rest 10-15 minutes.
  • Line your baking sheets with 9 4x4 parchment squares. Spray squares with non-stick oil. Poke a hole in the center of each dough ball and gently stretch into a bagel shape. Roll between your fingers to stretch the bagel hole wider. You want a hole about the size of a quarter. Transfer shaped bagels to pre-cut parchment squares. Cover bagels with oiled plastic wrap and allow to proof roughly 2 hours until puffy. See below on how to shape your bagels.

Prepare Cinnamon Crunch Topping:

  • While bagels are rising, prepare your cinnamon crunch topping.
    2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, softened, 2 tbsp (25g) dark brown sugar, 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tbsp (8g) all-purpose flour, 1/8 tsp salt
  • In a bowl combined your softened butter (make sure this isn't melted) with your brown sugar, white sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. This should form a crumbly mixture. Set this aside for later.
  • To help the topping adhere, prepare an egg wash for the tops of the bagels.
  • Beat 1 egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of water and set aside for later. Cover lightly with plastic if needed.

Boil and Bake Bagels:

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Fill a medium sized pot of water with about 2 quarts of water with 2 Tablespoons (30g) of white granulated sugar or honey added to water. Bring pot of water to a boil on high heat.
  • When water is boiling, transfer 2-3 bagels with the parchment paper to the pot of water. Bagels should float to the top of the pot, this can take 1-2 minutes. Remove parchment paper after it separates from bagels from the pot with tongs. Transfer bagels to a parchment lined cookie sheet, and repeat with remaining bagels until all bagels have been boiled.
  • Fold up a paper towel to form a little brush, and dip into the egg wash. Brush all of the bagels with the egg wash. This paper towel trick helps avoid an egg rim at the base of the bagel.
  • Top bagels with 1-2 Tablespoons of cinnamon topping.
  • Transfer bagels to preheated oven and bake 22-25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven when bagels have a golden exterior and internal temperature has reached 190-200 F. Allow to cool fully before slicing.
  • Yields 9 bagels
Course Artisan Sourdough
Cuisine Artisan Sourdough Bread, Bagels, Breakfast