Homemade Cinnamon Crunch Bagels (Panera Bread Copycat)
These homemade cinnamon crunch bagels are the ultimate breakfast treat—with a crisp streusel topping, swirls of cinnamon chips, and a perfectly chewy crust, they’re best served toasted with a smear of cream cheese!
Cinnamon Crunch Bagels
When I was little, my family and I occasionally went to Panera Bread, but I still vividly remember my favorite menu item—a freshly baked cinnamon crunch bagel with cream cheese. They’ve got it all: a perfectly chewy bagel crust, swirls of sweet cinnamon bits throughout, and a crunchy streusel topping to top it off. Whenever my mom bought some Panera Bread bagels to bring home, I always rummaged through the box to find these cinnamon-swirled delights.
Now looking back, are they the most balanced breakfast? Nope. But are they delicious? Absolutely. And with my perfected recipe, you can make these bagels at home (and even better)!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bread flour. For this recipe, I recommend using a high-protein flour (like bread flour) for the best texture. If you use all-purpose flour, you’ll get less chewy bagels, since you can’t develop as much gluten in the dough. If needed, however, you can substitute all-purpose for bread flour.
- Barley malt syrup. Barley malt is traditionally used in New York-style bagels, but it can be substituted with honey or molasses.
- Light brown sugar. Similar to barley malt syrup, this will add color, sweetness, and softness to the dough.
- Warm water. Any clean, warm water will do (just make sure it’s not too hot or it will kill the yeast).
- Instant yeast. I like using instant yeast instead of active dry yeast, since it doesn’t need to be dissolved before going into a recipe.
- Kosher salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. To enhance flavor. Kosher salt is the most popular type of salt to use in cooking and baking, since you can better control the salt levels in a recipe. If you use Morton’s salt, you’ll need to reduce the amount by half, since Morton’s is twice as strong as kosher salt.
- Cinnamon chips. If you can’t find any in your local grocery store, check Amazon.
- White chocolate chips. For an authentic Panera Bread bagel, don’t skip the white chocolate! It adds a subtle sweetness that melds into the dough and perfectly enhances the cinnamon.
- Honey + baking soda. When boiling the bagels, we’ll add honey and baking soda to the simmering water, which will produce a chewy, golden-brown, and subtly sweet bagel.
- Egg white. To help the cinnamon crunch topping stick, we’ll brush each bagel with a bit of egg white before baking.
- Sugar, brown sugar, flour + cornstarch. This will form the base of the cinnamon topping.
- Cold butter. Similar to a streusel, we’ll rub the cold butter into the topping ingredients to form a crumble.
- Turbinado sugar + flaky salt. These are both optional, but I love to add them as a topping to my bagels for extra crunch and a salty-sweet balance.
How to Make Cinnamon Crunch Bagels
I’ll be the first to admit that there are a lot of steps to this recipe, but here’s a quick breakdown to simplify everything:
- Make the dough. First, we’ll mix together the dry ingredients—the bread flour, salt, and cinnamon—then add in the water, barley malt syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and instant yeast. After the dough comes together, add in the cinnamon chips and white chocolate and knead for 10-15 minutes. Bagel dough has a relatively low hydration compared to other breads, so the dough will be stiff. If needed, however, you can add a bit of extra flour or water to get it to the right texture.
- Proof. After that workout, the bagel dough needs to rest and rise for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preshape. Once proofed, divide the bagels into individual pieces and form into balls.
- Shape. I’ve found that the easiest method for shaping is to poke a floured finger through the center of the bagel, then gently roll and stretch the dough until it is wide enough.
- Overnight proof. Yeah, I know—no one wants to wait that long for bread, but an overnight rest time takes a bagel from average to amazing! If you don’t have time for this step, you can let the bagels rest at room temperature until they pass the float test.
- Boil. A lot of people don’t know that bagels are boiled before baking, but this is actually the key to getting that trademark chewy crust.
- Egg wash + streusel. After mixing together the cinnamon crunch ingredients, we’ll egg wash the bagels to help the topping stick.
- Bake. Phew! We made it to the final step. In my oven, the bagels take around 18 to 22 minutes to cook, but be sure to keep an eye on yours since some ovens run hotter than others!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Even though homemade bagels are a labor of love, here are my top tips and tricks so you end up with perfect bread every time.
- Use a stand mixer. You can make this recipe by hand, but it’ll be a workout (trust me, I’m speaking from experience). For a much quicker mixing time, let a good ol’ KitchenAid do the work for you!
- Properly measure your flour. Ideally, you should measure this recipe with a kitchen scale for maximum accuracy. If you don’t have one, then be sure to properly measure your flour by spooning it into a measuring cup and leveling the top. If you pack in the flour, the ratios will be off and you’ll have a dry bread dough.
- Make sure your water isn’t too hot. The ideal temperature for bread dough is anywhere between 100°F and 115°F. If too hot, the water will kill the yeast and prevent the bagels from rising.
- Fully proof the dough. Spices like cinnamon slow down the yeast activity in bread, so it will take longer to rise (especially with the heavy additions of cinnamon chips and white chocolate). With this in mind, don’t rush the rise!
Can I Freeze Homemade Bagels?
Yes! Once baked and fully cooled, place the bagels in an airtight bag and freeze for 3-6 months. When ready to serve, either thaw the bagels at room temperature or in the microwave for 30 seconds before slicing.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments—happy bagel baking!
Homemade Cinnamon Crunch Bagels
These homemade cinnamon crunch bagels are the ultimate breakfast treat—with a crisp streusel topping, swirls of cinnamon chips, and a perfectly chewy crust, they're best served toasted with a smear of cream cheese!
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Servings: 11 bagels
Ingredients
For the bagels
- 4 ¾ cups (660g) bread flour
- 4 teaspoons (12g) Diamond crystal kosher salt or 2 teaspoons Morton's salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ⅓ cups lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cinnamon chips
- ½ cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
For boiling and baking
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the cinnamon crunch topping
- 1 large egg white
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 ½ tablespoons cold cubed butter
- Pinch salt and vanilla
- Turbinado sugar and flaky salt (optional, for extra crunch)
Instructions
- Make the bagel dough. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the 4 ¾ cups bread flour, 4 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and stir until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the 1 ⅓ cups warm water, 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast.
- Once homogeneous, pour the water mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until a shaggy dough forms. At this point, add in the 1 cup of cinnamon chips and ½ cup of white chocolate.
- Knead the mixture with the dough hook attachment for around 10 minutes, until the flour goes from a shaggy mixture into a smooth dough that springs back when poked. The bagel dough will be stiff, but you can add extra flour or water as needed to get the right consistency.
- Proof. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and let it rest, covered, for 1 to 2 hours or until almost doubled in size. Since the dough includes heavy additions like chocolate and cinnamon, it may rise slower than normal.
- Preshaping. Once proofed, gently press the dough down and turn it onto a work surface. Use a knife or bench scraper to divide it into 10 to 11 equal pieces (around 110 to 120 grams, if using a kitchen scale).
- To shape the bagels, take a piece of dough and pinch all of the edges into a teardrop shape. Place the dough seam side down onto the counter and form it into a ball; cup your hand over the dough and rotate it in a rapid circle, using the counter to tighten the surface tension to form a ball. Repeat with the remaining pieces, then cover them with a damp towel and rest for 5 minutes.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Shaping. To shape the bagels, take a ball of dough and use your fingers to poke a hole through the center (add flour as needed if the dough is sticky). Gently stretch and roll the bagel until the center is around 1 to 1 ½'' in diameter. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
- Once shaped, evenly space the bagels onto the prepared baking sheets and cover with a layer of cling wrap. Cover each tray with a damp towel, then refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
- Boiling. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425℉ and remove the tray of bagels from the fridge.
- To test if the bagels are ready to boil, fill a bowl with room temperature water and gently place a bagel into the water. If the dough relatively floats, it is ready to bake (it may not fully float since the dough includes heavy additions). If it sinks, it needs to rest for longer.
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil on the stove. Whisk in the honey and baking soda (be careful, as it may boil over).
- While the water boils, make the cinnamon crunch topping. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, cornstarch, and salt until combined, then add in the cubed butter and vanilla.
- Using your hands or a fork, pinch and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until evenly incorporated and a crumbly streusel forms. Set aside.
- Once the water is bubbling, reduce the heat to a gentle boil. Gently drop the bagels into the water in batches, leaving enough room for them to expand, then cook for 1 minute. Flip the bagels over and boil for another minute, then remove from the water and place onto a wire rack to cool.
- Once all the bagels are boiled, place them onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Top and bake. To make the egg wash, whisk together the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, evenly coat each bagel with the egg wash and generously sprinkle over the prepared cinnamon crunch topping, pressing to adhere. If desired, sprinkle turbinado sugar and flaky salt over each bagel for extra crunch.
- Bake the bagels for 18 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and fully cooked, rotating the tray halfway through. Once baked, remove the tray from the oven.
- Allow the bagels to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
