High-Protein Cinnamon Raisin Bagels (Printable)

Chewy bagels with cinnamon and raisins, boosted with protein and Greek yogurt for tender, flavorful bites.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 3 cups bread flour
02 - 1 cup vanilla or plain whey protein powder
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
04 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
05 - 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
06 - 1 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
08 - 1/2 cup warm water at 110°F

→ Mix-ins

09 - 3/4 cup raisins

→ For Boiling

10 - 2 quarts water
11 - 1 tablespoon honey or barley malt syrup

→ For Topping

12 - 1 egg beaten for egg wash
13 - Extra cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk together bread flour, protein powder, cinnamon, sugar, yeast, and salt until evenly distributed.
02 - Add Greek yogurt and warm water to the dry mixture, stirring with a spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
03 - Knead by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
04 - Add raisins to the dough and knead briefly until evenly distributed throughout.
05 - Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
06 - Punch down dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, then poke a hole through the center and stretch gently to form a bagel shape.
07 - Place formed bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes.
08 - Preheat oven to 425°F.
09 - Bring 2 quarts of water to a gentle boil. Add honey or barley malt syrup if using.
10 - Boil bagels 2 to 3 at a time for 1 minute per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and return to the baking sheet.
11 - Brush bagel tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired.
12 - Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
13 - Transfer bagels to a wire rack and cool before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They're dense enough to keep you full until lunch, but taste like a treat you shouldn't be eating.
  • The Greek yogurt makes them tender without being cake-y, which surprised even me the first time.
  • You can make a batch on Sunday and actually have breakfast sorted for the whole week.
02 -
  • That boiling step isn't optional—it's what separates these from just being sweet bread shaped like a bagel, and skipping it costs you everything.
  • If your dough is too sticky to shape, refrigerate it for 30 minutes and it becomes dramatically easier to work with.
  • Overproofing is the silent killer; if they double too fast or sit too long before boiling, they'll burst and deflate in the water.
03 -
  • Use a kitchen scale if you have one; it takes out guesswork and makes every batch consistent, which matters when you're relying on this for breakfast.
  • The water temperature for mixing matters more than you think—if it's too cool, yeast wakes up slowly; if it's too hot, you'll kill it entirely.
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