Homemade Cinnamon Crunch Bagels.

For your weekend bagel fix...and every day in between. Made using pantry staples, a good amount of cinnamon, and a touch of sweet brown sugar. Perfect to make on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week.

Prep time: PT20M

Cook time: PT30M

Total time: PT50M

Rating

4.26 stars (228 reviews)

Ingredients

2 cups warm water
2 packets instant yeast
2 tablespoons honey
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour or pastry flour ((or more all-purpose) )
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Steps

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, yeast, honey, flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and salt. Knead until the dough comes together, about 1-2 minutes. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours. 2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.3. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and place on your counter, using a little more flour if needed to prevent from sticking. Divide dough into 10-12 balls. Working with one piece of dough at a time, use your finger to poke a hole in the middle. Gently stretch the dough until the hole is about 2 inches big. Place the bagel on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Cover the baking sheet lightly with plastic wrap and let the bagels rise for about 15 minutes.4. To make the topping: In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter. 5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lower 2-3 bagels at a time into the water. Boil for 3 minutes then flip to the other side and boil for 1 additional minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the pot letting the water drain. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until you've boiled all of the bagels.6. Brush each bagel with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and spoon clumps of the brown sugar mix over the bagels (see above photo). This is going to be your "crunch" layer. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the bagels are golden brown, rotating the pans half way through cooking. Allow the bagels to cool. Slice, toast, eat whole, slathered with butter or cream cheese! Bagels will keep for 4-5 days in a sealed storage bag.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 952 kcal

Reviews

ASHLEY TAYLOR on 2025-12-20 (3 stars):
It's a shame because I see how these could be so delicious but the sugar mix that melted off burned badly and ended up getting on the underside of the bagels. I grated it off to salvage and what's left is alright, but it have been so much better had the sugar mixture remained intact. I think I'm going to retry and refrigerate the sugar mix while the bagels bake for 20+ mins and add right before finishing baking. If it works I'll let you know and revise.
Suzanne Lyman on 2025-08-20 (5 stars):
My whole family loved these and raved at how successful my first ever attempt at making homemade bagels was. If I’d known they were so easy I would’ve made them a long long time ago. I too love Panera’s version of these. The only part that didn’t turn out the best was the crunch. I’m not sure why but it was more like a layer of cinnamon sugar than crunchiness. Will definitely make these over and over again. Thanks so much for another foolproof, yet amazing, recipe!
Russ Metz on 2025-01-17 (5 stars):
I just made these, I should have twice as many…. They were eaten with 20 minutes unbelievably Thank You for the recipe
Sophie on 2024-10-05 (5 stars):
Thanks for this recipe!! They were great!! I boiled them like traditional bagels and added some cinnamon sugar flour mixture to the dough. I had no problem with the sugar coming of. I used the aquafaba aka the juice from a can of white beans for brushing. This is great to not waste any ingredients!! Thanks!!
John D on 2024-06-22 (2 stars):
all of my topping melted off and was smokey :o