Cinnamon Sugar Crunch Bagels

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To welcome Spring, I bring you: Cinnamon Sugar Crunch Bagels!

Seriously, these easy to make at home bagels are mind blowingly delicious… If I could make these with a toddler around, you can surely make them, too!

Life has been such a whirlwind in the last year! Last summer Grace turned 1, we traveled to Alaska, got back and shortly thereafter found out we were expecting baby #2!

We did a few Disney trips in the Fall and then buckled down to get this house ready for the next babe that will be joining us! We are so excited to have him with us!

And I have a feeling I will become addicted to the same breakfast as I did when I had Grace… Cinnamon Sugar Bagels!

Oh goodness, I just loved them. The ones from Panera are the best, topped with that crunchy cinnamon sugar.

I can’t exactly buy a bagel from Panera everyday (lol) so I resorted to the Thomas cinnamon swirl bagels. They’re pretty good except they are missing the topping!

Once I felt up to it after having Grace, I decided I’d try my hand at these delicious bagels at home. This recipe has been a long time coming. I’ve made it a few times, teased it on Instagram, but the recipe wasn’t juuuuust right.

But I’m here to tell you that these delicious bagels are finally ready to go (and just in time for my next postpartum experience! Hahaha).

What should I do with such a huge batch of bagels you ask?

I recently had someone ask me what to do with so many bagels. I know it seems like a lot if you’re not planning to eat a bagel every day, but you will use them up!

They are the perfect freezer breakfast! I like to freeze a batch and then bring them out a few at a time for breakfasts during the week.

This way I’m not wasting any. If I know I usually only eat 2-3 bagels per week, that’s all I remove from the freezer. You’ll have some breakfasts set for a month if you do it this way :)

Around Fall, I add more spices to the topping (think cardamom, nutmeg, etc). This is my very favorite with a good smear of cream cheese or even a thin coating of butter.

But honestly? I’ve also totally eaten some of these right out of the oven with nothing on them. They’re just so good!

Flavor Adjustments and Add-ins:

For flavor adjustments, there really isn’t much more to make these better. These are simply amazing as they are. Maybe if you want a deeper cinnamon taste, add about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dough when you add in the flour!

If you’re looking for add-ins for these bagels, there’s a few you can do that will make them even yummier!

The most obvious add-in for cinnamon bagels: raisins! Adding raisins will give you an extra chewy sweet surprise in there. They’re delicious and a cinnamon sugar classic combination!

Another one that’s like raisins, but will give a fruitier flavor is adding cranberries! The texture is the same, but the taste is a little different. Also amazing!

You could add chocolate chips and omit the cinnamon in the topping. Just add a sugary crust on top or add pearl sugar beads! I mean, you can’t go wrong with chocolate chips!

Easy clean up tips for baking bagels:

Cinnamon Crunch Bagels usually make a pretty big mess. In the oven, that cinnamon sugar topping melts a bit and really makes a messy, sticky mess on your pan.

Always, AlWaYs, ALWAYS use parchment paper. Believe me, it’ll make clean up a snap! You can get a roll for under $5 here: Parchment Paper.

Just keep in mind that parchment paper is only safe as long as you keep the oven under 500degrees F. This recipe calls for the oven at 425degrees so we’re safe!

Another option is to buy my FAVORITE pan ever. You’ve heard me rave about it before and I’ll never stop because USA pans are the very best!

You don’t even need parchment paper for these because nothing ever sticks! Just a simple cloth or paper towel to wipe it and you’re done (although feel free to use the parchment if you want to avoid cleaning at all. The paper just goes straight to the trash!).

If you’re looking to upgrade your pans, check out USA pans. The prices are comparable to other pans (maybe just a little more), but the quality is so much better! They’re outstanding and last forever!

If you make these bagels, please send me a picture! Or tag me on instagram. I’d love to see your creation!

Cinnamon Sugar Bagels

Sophia Inza

An easy to make cinnamon sugar crunch bagel recipe. These are just like Panera Bread's. Or just like Thomas Cinnamon Swirl bagels, plus the delicious crunchy topping! 

3.67 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

  

• Dough starter
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3.5-4 cups all purpose flour
• Topping
• 3 tablespoons butter melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For boiling water:

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the ingredients for the first four ingredients (yeast, water, honey and salt). Let it set for 10 minutes and ensure that it has gotten foamy.
• Add in the 3 ½ cups of flour and mix. If the dough is still very wet, add a little flour at a time. However, the dough will definitely be sticky so you might not need it. Once combined, add your dough hook and knead for 5 minutes (or do this by hand).
• Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes and then knead for another 5 minutes. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 4-5 hours or in the fridge overnight if you’re planning to enjoy these for breakfast.
• If they were in the fridge overnight, remove about an hour before using so it’s a little easier to shape. Go ahead and shape the dough into bagel form and place on a greased parchment lined baking pan. (for tips on how to shape, read the notes below). Let these sit here for an hour so they firm up.
• Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add baking soda, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Place bagels in the boiling water for 1 minute on each side. Make sure not to overcrowd the pot or else the bagels will stick to each other. Let an excess water drip back into the pot and then place back onto the same parchment lined baking sheet.
• Immediately brush with the melted butter and top with as much cinnamon/brown sugar topping as your heart desires (ok, not that much, we need this to be enough for all of them!). Make sure you do it to each one as they come out of the pot or else the water will dry up and the cinnamon sugar won’t stick.
• Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove one from pan and slice in half to make sure they’re fully cooked. If they’re not, leave in the oven for another 3-5 minutes.
• Let them cool and enjoy!

Notes

Tips to shape: take a piece of dough and roll into a ball. Place on the counter and poke your thumb through the middle until you reach the counter. Then lift and just finish piercing the thumb all the way through. I like this method most because you don’t end up with weird seams from rolling out the dough into a little rope and then attaching the ends.

Another tip: make sure they’re all very similar in size or else they won’t bake evenly.

Other breakfast favorites around here…

Baked Oatmeal Cups

Oatmeal Cookies

1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Sugar Crunch Bagels