This is a version of my very popular sourdough discard bagel recipe but filled with banana bread flavor and finished with a crispy, crunchy, cinnamon crunch topping. This is such a special bagel that you can truly only get when you make them at home.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Banana Bread Bagels

There was a morning when I was developing this recipe that I had ripe bananas and a craving for bagels. Normally, I would have used those perfectly brown bananas for banana bread… but my craving wanted bagels (and I have a hard time saying no to my cravings). So, I decided to mash the two (literally) and make banana bread bagels. I used a version of my sourdough discard bagel recipe, so these can be made all in just a couple of hours, and you have sweet, unique, fluffy, delicious homemade bagels that will knock your socks off!

🍲 Ingredients

Sourdough Discard – Inactive, unfed sourdough starter that’s been on your counter or stored in the fridge.

Flour – Unbleached all-purpose flour (but bread flour would work great too)

Yeast – I love this specific brand of instant yeast; it doesn’t need time to bloom, and I never have an issue with my bread rising. Highly recommend!

Water – Room temperature filtered water is best.

Honey – For sweetness

Bananas – With any banana bread recipe, the riper the better.

Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon

Brown Sugar – For the cinnamon crunch topping! Can be dark or light, use whatever you have on hand.

Baking soda – To add to the boiling water, this is what gives the bagels their chewy texture.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Banana Bread Bagels

  • In your stand mixer bowl, add in the flour, salt, and yeast.
  • In a small bowl, mix together your sourdough discard, honey, and warm water until the starter has dissolved and a milky liquid forms.
  • Using the paddle attachment with the speed on low, slowly add the liquid into your dry ingredients. Mash your bananas and add them into the bowl.
  • Keeping the speed on low, knead your bread for 5 – 7 minutes until a smooth ball forms. If your dough looks too sticky, add one tablespoon of flour in at a time until it comes together.
  • Once your dough is in a smooth, cohesive ball, cover with a damp bowl cover and place in a warm spot. Let the dough rise for 2 hours until it has doubled in size.
  • Once your dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a clean workspace and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll those pieces into a ball and poke a hole in the center. Stretch the hole as wide as it will go without ripping.
  • Place the pieces of dough onto parchment paper.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of sugar into the water.
  • Carefully drop each bagel into the water. Let them boil for 45 seconds on one side, flip them over with a slotted spoon or spatula, and boil for 45 seconds on the other side. Careful not to over load the pot (I usually boil 2 – 3 bagels at a time)
  • Remove your bagels from the pot and onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Melt 3 tablespoons of butter down, add brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until you have a crumbly mixture.
  • Brush the tops of the bagels with one whisked egg and top with the cinnamon crunch topping.
  • Preheat your oven to 425 and bake for 20- 23 minutes until golden brown on top.
  • Serve warm with a big smear of cream cheese and cinnamon!

🪄 Tips and Tricks

  • Since the size of bananas vary, two ripe bananas for you might be different than two ripe bananas for me. Once they are mashed you should have about a 1/2 cup worth of bananas. If you have more than that, add one tablespoon of flour at a time to the batter to compensate for the moisture. 
  • This recipe makes 8 large bagels, but you can easily divide them into 10 equal sized pieces for a small/medium sized bagel if you want to freeze them or enjoy with some friends. 
  • If you only have active starter, that’s okay! measure it out like normal and add water. Once the starter is dissolved it will work the same. If you want to leave out the yeast, 1/2 cup of active starter and leave the dough on the counter overnight to ferment. Divide the dough and let rise for another 1-2 hours before boiling and baking.
  • All oven temperatures vary, my oven runs warm so I bake my bagels closer to 20-22 minutes, so they don’t overcook! 
  • You can also make these bagels the night before and leave them covered in the fridge overnight then boil and bake them first thing in the morning.

🗒 Variations

I love making homemade bagels because they are so much easier than people think, I have a lot of variations of sourdough discard bagels. Check them out!


🗒 Substitutions

There aren’t many ways to make substitutions to this bagel recipe because the ingredients are so simple to begin with. But if you wanted a chewier texture to the bagel, you can substitute half of the all-purpose flour for bread flour.

If you want to leave off the cinnamon crunch topping because it’s too sweet, leave it out entirely and enjoy just a banana bread bagel 🙂

  • All-purpose flour – Bread Flour.
  • No cinnamon crunch topping


🗒 Best served with

  • Breakfast and fresh fruit
  • After school snacks
  • After dinner treat
  • Whipped cream cheese with a drizzle of honey

👝 How to Store Leftovers

My favorite way to store any fresh bread product to ensure you get the longest shelf life out of it, is placing it into a brown paper bag and storing it in a bread box or kitchen cabinet. I have had the most success with this method and the bread will last 4-5 day

Or freeze your leftover bagels for up to 3 months! Let them thaw on the counter all night and enjoy them in the morning.

🤔 Common Questions

Can I use active starter?

Yes! Leave out the yeast and add active starter to the dough, cover and leave on the counter overnight. Divide into 8 equal pieces and let rise for 1 – 2 more hours before boiling and baking.

Can I bake these first thing in the morning?

Yes! Start these at night, shape and place them on a baking sheet. Cover the sheet and leave them in the fridge overnight. Boil and bake first thing in the morning.

banana bread bagels
5 from 2 votes

Banana Bread Cinnamon Crunch Bagels

Print recipe
This is a version of my very popular sourdough discard bagels but filled with banana bread flavor and finished with a crispy, crunchy, cinnamon crunch topping. This is such a special bagel that you can truly only get when you make them at home.
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:25 minutes
Rising time:2 hours
Total Time:2 hours 40 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 ripe bananas mashed (about ½ cup)
  • ½ cup sourdough discard
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs baking soda for boiling water
  • 1 tbs sugar for boiling water

Cinnamon Crunch Topping

  • 3 tbs butter melted
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  • In your stand mixer bowl, add in the flour, salt, and yeast.
  • In a small bowl, mix together your sourdough discard, honey, and warm water until the starter has dissolved and a milky liquid forms.
  • Using the paddle attachment with the speed on low, slowly add the liquid into your dry ingredients. Mash your bananas and add them into the bowl.
  • Keeping the speed on low, knead your bread for 5 – 7 minutes until a smooth ball forms. If your dough looks too sticky, add one tablespoon of flour in at a time until it comes together.
  • Once your dough is in a smooth, cohesive ball, cover with a damp bowl cover and place in a warm spot. Let the dough rise for 2 hours until it has doubled in size.
  • Once your dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a clean workspace and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll those pieces into a ball and poke a hole in the center. Stretch the hole as wide as it will go without ripping.
  • Place the pieces of dough onto parchment paper.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of sugar into the water.
  • Carefully drop each bagel into the water. Let them boil for 45 seconds on one side, flip them over with a slotted spoon or spatula, and boil for 45 seconds on the other side. Careful not to overload the pot (I usually boil 2 – 3 bagels at a time)
  • Remove your bagels from the pot and onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Melt 3 tablespoons of butter down, add brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until you have a crumbly mixture.
  • Brush the tops of the bagels with one whisked egg and top with the cinnamon crunch topping.
  • Preheat your oven to 425 and bake for 20- 23 minutes until golden brown on top.
  • Serve warm with a big smear of cream cheese and cinnamon!

Notes

Since the size of bananas vary, two ripe bananas for you might be different than two ripe bananas for me. Once they are mashed you should have about a 1/2 cup worth of bananas. If you have more than that, add one tablespoon of flour at a time to the batter to compensate for the moisture. 
This recipe makes 8 large bagels, but you can easily divide them into 10 equal sized pieces for a small/medium sized bagel if you want to freeze them or enjoy with some friends. 
If you only have active starter, that’s okay! measure it out like normal and add water. Once the starter is dissolved it will work the same. If you want to leave out the yeast, 1/2 cup of active starter and leave the dough on the counter overnight to ferment. Divide the dough and let rise for another 1-2 hours before boiling and baking. 
All oven temperatures vary, my oven runs warm so I bake my bagels closer to 20-22 minutes, so they don’t overcook! 

Nutrition

Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 330mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bagels, banana bread, Cinnamon Crunch, Sourdough, Sourdough Discard
Servings: 8
Calories: 351kcal

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5 from 2 votes

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Recipe Rating




3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is a keeper! How do you keep the top of bagels from becoming wet the next day? Not sure if this is typical or just due to Florida humidity.

  2. Katie

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    The Real Person!

    Author Katie acts as a real person and verified as not a bot.
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    says:

    Love these!! I am having an issue with the topping not being a “crunch” and just being a melty mess! Helllppp! xoxo