These apple cinnamon sourdough bagels is one of our fall favorites. Elevate your next sourdough bagel recipe with apples and a cinnamon crunch topping.
I am always looking for creative ways to use up small portions of apples. My daughters are all about fall apple season, but finishing a full apple is not a strong suit yet!
I always laugh when I see a couple of bites taken out of an apple and a happy toddler running away. And of course we may eat with our eyes and take too many apple slices, only to leave some behind.
For this reason, we try to reuse anything with leftovers. Because of this, we are big on making our home have a frugal kitchen. This is one of our many ways to use scraps- or leftover apples.
This sourdough discard apple bagel recipe calls for roughly 3/4 cup of diced apples. A tablespoon of diced apples is mixed into this sourdough bagel dough giving the perfect amount of flavor and texture without changing the consistency of the dough.
If you have leftover apples from visiting an orchard this fall, try this recipe or a sourdough apple Dutch baby. Both are creative ways to use use one apple (or less).
These bagels rely on sourdough discard to rise rather than instant yeast. They are quick to rise and can be made within 12 hours.
And if you need to adjust your baking timeline, these apple cinnamon sourdough bagels can sit in the fridge and bulk ferment for up to 72 hours after fermenting on the counter. Like our sourdough cinnamon crunch bagels and chocolate chip bagels, let the dough sit longer to ferment if you like tangy bagels.
As a former person who ate gluten free for over 13 years, I love how long this dough can ferment for without impacting the final structure of the dough. I have no stomach troubles from digesting these sourdough bagels, making these bagels a staple in our household meal prep.
The best part about this recipe? My toddler came upstairs saying ‘what’s that smell?’ And literally took the bagel off of the plate I was shooting a final photo for.
Not a crumb was left behind. My momma heart was left overflowing!
Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Bagels
Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Bagel
- All purpose flour
- Can substitute with bread flour
- Sourdough discard
- We have tested our homemade bagels with active starter, sourdough discard from the fridge and sourdough discard that needs is very hungry (aka it needs to be fed). All turn out with great results and little impact on dough rise time.
- Water
- Honey
- Can substitute with agave, maple syrup or sugar
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Apples
- Any kind of apple works. We have used Johnny, Golden Crisp, Macintosh, Cosmic Crisp and Honeycrisp. All apples are firm in nature but cook down well without absorbing into the bagel dough.
Cinnamon Crunch Topping
- Cinnamon
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Flour
Kitchen Equipment
To make these sourdough apple bagels, a mixing bowl, large pot and baking sheet are necessary.
If you want a good arm workout, stir the dough by hand. Alternatively, if you have a kitchenaid mixer, these blend up well. I tend to use my refurbished kitchenaid mixer and wash measuring utensils while the sourdough bagel dough is mixing.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Bagels
Sourdough bagels are one of my favorite recipes to make. The base and process of making the bagels is fairly similar but the flavors are customizable.
The first step in making apple cinnamon bagels is having enough sourdough discard. This recipe calls for a whopping 3/4 cup of starter to make 12 bagels.
All types of sourdough starter (active sourdough starter or sourdough discard) work within this recipe and will not impact final taste or texture.
Add the water, sourdough discard, honey and salt together. Stir until mixed. Add the flour and stir together.
If you allow the dough to sit for a few minutes so the flour can absorb the water, the process of kneading the dough will be quicker. I wait 5-15 minutes.
If kneading by hand, knead in a large bowl until you no longer feel salt granules within the dough. When stretched, the dough will create a windowpane. When touched, the dough will spring back.
If using a kitchenaid mixer or other stand mixer, mix on low using a dough hook attachment. This takes about 5-8 minutes. The same texture of the dough will occur as when mixing by hand.
Cover with plastic wrap, a tea towel, beeswax wrap or anything to sure the dough is not exposed to air as the top will dry out. Allow to sit on the countertop at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, place into the refrigerator (covered) until you are ready to boil the bagels. This is the bulk fermentation period.
When you are ready to make the bagels (perhaps the next morning), remove from the fridge and place the dough on the countertop.
In a large pot, bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and brown sugar to the boiling water. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer.
Add a generous amount of cinnamon and the diced apples to the bagel dough. Knead by hand until mixed to your liking.
Split the sourdough bagel dough into twelve equal pieces. Allow to sit on the countertop until water is simmering for a second rise.
Shape the bagels by inserting a finger into the center of the bagel. Stretch the center by putting pointer fingers in the center and rotating in a circle, creating a bagel shape. The hole will not stay as large once cooked because of the gluten in the dough.
Place 3-4 bagels in the warm water at a time. They will sink to the bottom of the pan before they release. Once they release, flip them and allow them to simmer for 30 seconds. If they do not release from the bottom of the pan when initially placed, allow them to cook in water for 2 minutes total.
Remove with a slotted spoon or wooden spoon. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or cookie sheet.
In a small bowl combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Place up to a tablespoon of the sugar mixture on top of each bagel. Add towards the center as the cinnamon crunch mixture will spread slightly while baking.
By adding to the center, this will ensure it will not fall to the bottom of the bagel onto the parchment paper (and burning). These are similar to a Panera cinnamon crunch bagel thanks to the cinnamon sugar.
Cook at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat for 350 and cook for 8-12 minutes or until the outside is golden brown in color and the bagels are firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before placing in a ziplock baggie. Store with the corner open so condensation does not occur on the inside of the bag.
Bagels are good for up to one week on the counter or three months in an airtight container or ziplock baggie in the freezer.
We like to pre-slice the bagels before placing in the freezer for easy reheating in the toaster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are bagels boiled?
The purpose of boiling bagels is to seal the dough. Additionally, it creates the chewy texture recognized with a bagel. Similar to sourdough chocolate chip bagels, are boiled in baking soda and brown sugar. They are boiled in a smaller amount of baking soda than sourdough pretzel bagels, which lends to the pretzel flavor.
Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Bagels
Equipment
- 1 Kitchenaid Stand Mixer optional
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Sheet Pan lined with parchment paper
- 1 Pastry Cutter Optional optional
- 1 Large Pot
Ingredients
Sourdough Bagel Dough
- 1 TBSP Salt
- 2-1/2 TBSP Honey or Maple Syrup
- 3/4 Cup Sourdough Starter Active or discard work well
- 5-1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour Can be more or less by 1/4 cup *see notes
- 1-1/2 Cup Water
- 1/4 Cup Apples Peeled and diced
- 1 TBS Cinnamon
Baking Soda Bath
- 6-8 Cups Water
- 1 TBSP Baking Soda
- 1 TBSP Brown Sugar
Cinnamon Crunch Topping
- 2 TBS Butter
- 1 TBS Flour All purpose flour or gluten free flour
- 1 TBS Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Mix the Dough and Fermentation Period
- The first step in making apple cinnamon bagels is having enough sourdough discard.
- Add the water, sourdough discard, honey and salt together. Stir until mixed. Add the flour and stir together. If you allow the dough to sit for a few minutes (5-15) so the flour can absorb the water, the process of kneading the dough will be quicker.
- If kneading by hand, knead in a large bowl until you no longer feel salt granules within the dough. When stretched, the dough will create a windowpane. When touched, the dough will spring back.
- If using a kitchenaid mixer or other stand mixer, mix on low using a dough hook attachment. This takes about 5-8 minutes. The same texture of the dough will occur as when mixing by hand.
- Cover with plastic wrap, a tea towel, beeswax wrap or anything to sure the dough is not exposed to air as the top will dry out. Allow to sit on the countertop at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, place into the refrigerator (covered) until you are ready to boil the bagels. Allow the bulk fermentation period to occur for up to 3 days.
- When you are ready to make the bagels, remove from the fridge and place the dough on the countertop.
Shape and Boil the Bagels
- In a large pot, bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and brown sugar to the boiling water. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Add a generous amount of cinnamon and the diced apples to the bagel dough. Knead by hand until mixed to your liking.
- Split the sourdough bagel dough into twelve equal pieces. Allow to sit on the countertop until water is simmering for a second rise.
- Shape the bagels by inserting a finger into the center of the bagel. Stretch the center by putting your pointer fingers in the center and rotating in a circle, creating a bagel shape. The hole will not stay as large once cooked.
- Place 3-4 bagels in the warm water at a time. Allow them to cook in water for 2 minutes total – flipping halfway.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or wooden spoon. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or cookie sheet.
- In a small bowl combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Place up to a tablespoon of the sugar mixture on top of each bagel. Add towards the center as the cinnamon crunch mixture will spread slightly while baking. By adding to the center, this will ensure it will not fall to the bottom of the bagel onto the parchment paper (and burning).
Cooking and Cooling Sourdough Bagel
- Cook at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat for 350 and cook for 8-12 minutes or until the outside is golden brown in color and the bagels are firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before placing in a ziplock baggie. Store with the corner open so condensation does not occur on the inside of the bag.
Video
Notes
- Active sourdough starter or sourdough discard can be utilized. Note, if you use sourdough discard, the bagels may not rise as much as active sourdough discard. We like to use discard which is hungry and ready to be fed.
- When making the dough, you may need more or less water. I like to add water by a tablespoon or two at a time – up to 1/4 cup. Depending on how active your sourdough discard is can impact how much water you need.
What is your favorite topping for sourdough bagels? Similar to an apple cinnamon sourdough bread recipe, these apple cinnamon sourdough bagels are great toasted with butter or cream cheese. Let us know in the comments below!
