These cinnamon raisin bagels hit all the right notes for a delicious, sweet, and reasonably guilt-free snack. They are full of flavour and are not only surprisingly light (for quite a dense dough) but soft and chewy as the title suggests!
Bagels are among my favourite foods and homemade bagels are so delicious that you will not want to eat shop-bought ones again. They are so easy to make, the most difficult thing about them is how quickly they are consumed!
In my opinion, the key to these bagels is ensuring that the dough is kneaded properly. If you have a stand mixer use it otherwise knead by hand. If the mixture appears to be a little dry at first, you will find that as you continue to knead, it will soon become a slightly sticky dough. At this point try to avoid adding any more flour. Just a slight dusting if you are kneading on the countertop and when rolling and preparing the bagels for baking.
Like pretzels, bagels need to be poached in water before baking. This gives them that lovely chewy exterior, however, unlike pretzels you do not need to add anything to the water. I have tried molasses and honey but I did not notice any discernible difference to the taste.
So what makes these bagels better than the store-bought ones? Well, as I said, they do have that lovely chew on the outside, they are beautifully moist and soft when you bite into them and they remain that way for several days if stored in a suitable container. There is nothing dry or rubbery about these and they are perfect for toasting.
Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Ingredients:
500g Strong white flour
7g Dried yeast
10g Salt
1tsp Vanilla extract
3tsp Cinnamon
150g Raisins
35g Granulated sugar
50g Plain yoghurt
30ml Oil
210ml Warm water
Egg wash
1 Egg white mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
Method:
Weigh the flour, yeast, salt, cinnamon, sugar and raisins into a large mixing bowl.
Add the oil, Vanilla, yoghurt, and water.
Use a spatula and mix until combined.
Knead for 8 to 10 minutes by machine and 10 to 12 minutes by hand until a smooth stretchy dough is formed.
Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for an hour and a half or until the dough almost doubles in volume.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into smooth round balls and using your fingers and thumb pinch the middle of each one, widening it evenly until you have a good hole in the centre.
Cover the bagels and leave them to rest while you bring a large pan of water to the boil.
Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a large baking sheet.
Carefully place a couple of the bagels into the boiling water and poach for 1 minute.
Using a slotted spoon, gently turn the bagels and poach for a further minute.
Take out of the water and place on the baking sheet. Repeat this with the remaining bagels.
Brush each bagel with the egg wash.
Bake for 20 minutes and cool on a rack.
For delicious plain bagels be sure to check out my recipe here.
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