Artificial Food Coloring Free Classic Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Warm, chewy, and speckled with plump raisins, these homemade bagels hit every note you want from a bakery classic — without a single drop of artificial dye or synthetic coloring agent in sight. Store-bought cinnamon raisin bagels are a surprisingly common offender when it comes to added colorants, so making your own from scratch is one of the cleanest swaps you can make. Every ingredient here is straightforward: bread flour, ground cinnamon, raisins, yeast, and a touch of barley malt syrup that gives the crust its gorgeous deep amber color the completely natural way. The overnight cold retard in the refrigerator does the heavy lifting on flavor, so by the time you're boiling and baking, the dough is already packed with that slow-fermented depth that makes a great bagel great. Boiling in malt syrup and baking soda water creates that signature chewy, shiny crust — no food coloring needed to make these look absolutely stunning. Let them cool just long enough to slice cleanly, then toast and load them up however you like.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the dough
- 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups warm water (105–110°f / 40–43°c)
- 3 ½ cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp barley malt syrup or honey
- 1 cup raisins
For the boiling water
- 2 tbsp barley malt syrup or honey
- 1 tbsp baking soda
Instructions
- 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 5–8 minutes, until foamy and fragrant.
- 2
Add the bread flour, salt, ground cinnamon, and 2 tbsp barley malt syrup to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes, then increase to medium speed and knead for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, stiff, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.
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