I bought a box of Raisin Bran a few weeks ago to make Raisin Bran Chocolate Chip Cookies. As usual, I needed to use it in something else, which is how Raisin Bran Bagels came about. My goal was big, fluffy, cinnamon raisin flavored bagels enhanced with a little fiber and sweetness from the bran. The recipe worked perfectly on the first try.
Part of the reason it worked so well was it's adapted from my Sweet Potato Bagel recipe, which started as a way to use up leftover Thanksgiving side dishes. The concept still applies here, but with softened Raisin Bran cereal. The cereal adds mild sweetness, texture, and a hint of bran flavor that pairs well with honey, peanut butter, or cream cheese.
Bagel Dough
This dough is extremely easy to work with and you shouldn't have any problems shaping the bagels. If you want to add extra fruit to some of the bagels or mix things up a bit, you can roll it up in each individual dough section while shaping.
Variations
I don't know what it is about these bagels, maybe the Raisin Bran, but they are among the best I've made, and I make a lot of bagels. I got a little carried away and tried some variations including adding 3 tablespoons of cornmeal to the soaked cereal and adding cranberries and pecans. It worked well to the point I now want to try using soaked Corn Flakes and making cornbread themed bagels.
Raisin Bran Bagel Making Tips
Here are some tips. I am an amatuer bagel maker at best, but I've learned a few things from making them over and over.
- Use a strong bread flour like King Arthur and measure it by weight.
- Don't overproof after shaping. The fast rising instant yeast is already working hard by the time you've shaped that first bagel. In my experience it's a little better to err on under-proofing bagels than over. I haven't tested these with active dry but it might work even better.
- Specific to these bagels, you can leave out the cinnamon if you want a more neutral bagel. If you're not a raisin fan you can leave them out, but if you are a dried fruit lover you can add more.
- If you feel like making bagels but have other things to do, you can shape them and put them in the refrigerator for a few hours, then boil and bake later.
- I added notes on how to make the bagels even sweeter if you'd like.
- Don't get too hung up on measurements when making the boiling water bath. I usually use my trusty 3 ½ quart pot and only 6 cups of water rather than 12. I don't really measure the honey & molasses, I eyeball it.
Recipe
Raisin Bran Bagels
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raisin Bran (60 grams)
- ½ cup warm milk (114 grams)
- ½ cup warm water, about 115 degrees F. (114 grams)
- 1 ¾ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar (18 grams)
- 2 cups bread flour plus another ⅓ cup (280 grams plus about 40 later)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt (Morton kosher)
- 1 large egg white (30 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil or any other oil
Boiling Solution
- 6-12 cups water
- ½-1 tablespoon honey or barley malt syrup
- ½- 1 tablespoon mild molasses
Instructions
- Put the Raisin Bran in a cereal bowl and pour the milk over it. Let stand for about 20 minutes or until it is soft.
- Put ½ cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the yeast to proof.
- Add the sugar, 2 cups flour (reserve the other ⅓ cup), cinnamon and salt to the mixing bowl. Give it a quick stir then add the cereal mixture, egg white and the oil.
- Attach dough hook, put the bowl on the stand and begin kneading the dough. Gradually add 20 grams of the reserved flour, allowing the machine to knead for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough will seem dry at first, then sticky. You should end up using at least 40 grams of the extra flour, but always go by the feel of your dough rather than trying to match the amount given. If you knead and knead and dough is too dry, add a touch more water. If too loose, add a little more flour.
- Once the dough is smooth and elastic you can simply cover the bowl with plastic or if you prefer, transfer the bowl to a second lightly greased bowl.
- Allow dough to rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 6 pieces. Shape each section into a ball, then poke your finger through the center and twirl the dough around your finger to form a loop with a hole about 2 inches in diameter. The holes will shrink as the bagels are boiled and baked, so at this point the holes should seem quite large.
- Set the bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a greased sheet of plastic wrap. Let sit for about 20 minutes while you prepare the water bath. You don't want to overproof them on the second rise. By the time you are done shaping the bagels and making the water bath, it will probably be time to bake.
- Put enough water in a pot so that it's 3 inches deep (in my pot that is 12 cups, but this could vary depending on size and shape of your pot).Turn heat to medium. Add honey and molasses and bring to a boil. Carefully put 2 or 3 bagels in the boiling water and boil for 20 seconds on each side. Lift with a slotted spatula and allow excess water to drip off, then return to the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake the bagels at 450 for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Leave a Reply