Bagels are one of my favorite things to have for breakfast on an early morning. It is easy to throw together and grab when heading out of the door. This season, I am doing everything fall. Earlier in this blog, I made pumpkin shaped cinnamon rolls, and they were a hit in my family. As I was scrolling through Instagram, I came across pumpkin shaped bagels. This made me think that I just had to take my sourdough bagel recipe and modify it to make pumpkin bagels.
My Sourdough Bagels
About two years ago, I got into sourdough. That hobby has stayed, as I am always trying to find my favorite sourdough recipes. One of my favorites is my sourdough bagels. These are delicious, fluffy, and have just the right amount of chewiness. I love this recipe, as it is simple, and easy to customize to make whatever type of bagels you want. I made some small modifications to this recipe, and I made pumpkin sourdough bagels.
Spreads and Toppings That Pair Perfectly with Pumpkin-Shaped Bagels
Here are some ideas for spreads and toppings:
- maple cinnamon cream cheese
- hummus
- cranberry goat cheese spread
- apple butter
- cinnamon sugar and cream cheese
- peanut butter and thinly sliced apples
- cottage cheese and honey
- Any jam
How to Shape into Pumpkins
After shaping my cinnamon rolls into pumpkins, I was amazed how simple it was. I use the same trick for shaping these. All that is needed is some kitchen twine. Lightly oil the string to prevent sticking, then wrap it around the dough ball four times, crossing at the center each time to form eight even sections. Tie loosely. Do this while you are shaping the bagels.
PrintPumpkin Sourdough Bagels
Ingredients
– 400 g bread flour
– 100 g canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
– 100 g active starter
– 245 g water
– 12 g salt
– 10 g olive oil
– 1 tablespoon honey (plus extra for boiling water)
– 1 egg, whisked (for egg wash)
Instructions
1. Feed starter 4-12 hours before prepping the dough
2. Once the starter doubles, combine salt, water, active starter, pumpkin, olive oil, and bread flour in a large mixing bowl. I like to mix with a bread whisk, but you can also use a fork or your hands
3. Allow to rest for 30 minutes with a damp tea towel covering the bowl
4. Perform a round of stretches and folds. To do this, grab one end of the dough and lift about 6 inches, and fold over towards the other side of the dough. Quarter rotate the bowl and repeat 3-5 times
5. Do a total of three rounds of stretches and folds, each 30 minutes apart. Make sure you cover the bowl with a damp towel between each round. Dough should feel elastic by the last round.
6. Cover the dough with a damp towel until it doubles. This typically takes me about 4 hours, and I keep my house between 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. If your house is colder, this may take longer
7. Transfer the dough into the refrigerator to finish fermenting overnight
8. In the morning, take the dough out of the fridge. Roll the dough into 8 balls using your hands. Then take your thumb and press a hole into the middle of the ball. Then stretch outwards to make a bigger hole.
9. Use kitchen twine to make pumpkin shape. To do this, wrap oiled twine around the bagel four times loosely, and tie at the top. Cover bagels with a damp towel during the next step.
1o. Bring a pot of water and a tbsp of honey to a boil. Preheat oven to 435 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare toppings and whisk an egg to create an egg wash
11. One water is boiling, place a bagel at a time into the boiling water. Boil on each side for about 20 seconds. Then remove the bagel from the water and transfer it onto a lined baking sheet.
12. Brush bagels with egg wash, then sprinkle chosen toppings onto the bagels
13. Bake for 25 minutes