Pumpkin Bagels
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Chewy, pumpkin-spiced bagels are a comforting autumn treat.
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp instant yeast
  • 3 - 3½ cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ cup water, lukewarm
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree*
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ginger powder
Water Bath
  • 2 quarts water
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
Egg Glaze, Optional
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
  1. Stir the yeast, sugar and water in a mixer and let it rest for 5 minutes while you gather the remaining ingredients in order to proof the yeast.
  2. Once the mixture is bubbly, add the salt, pumpkin, spices and 2 cups of flour and stir until a dough forms.
  3. Gradually add the remaining flour until the dough forms a ball that is not too sticky and can be easily handled.
  4. Knead the dough vigorously with a dough hook or by hand for 10 minutes.
  5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and let it rise for 1 - 1½ hours until it has almost doubled in size.
  6. Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured work surface and divide it into 8-12 pieces. {The original recipe makes 8 large bagels but I made 13 smaller bagels, breaking the dough into roughly 2-ounce pieces.}
  7. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball.
  8. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes
  9. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, brown sugar and sugar to a gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan.
  10. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
  11. Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, twirling the dough on your finger to stretch the hole to roughly 2 inches in diameter (the entire bagel will be about 3-4 inches across).
  12. Place each bagel on a lightly greased baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough.
  13. Transfer the bagels, four at a time, to the simmering water.
  14. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary.
  15. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes on one side and then flip them over to cook for an additional minute.
  16. Using a skimmer or strainer, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet.
  17. Repeat the process with the remaining bagels.
  18. Brush all or some of the bagels with an egg glaze if desired.
  19. Bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like, turning them over 10-15 minutes into the baking time to help keep them tall and round. Remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Recipe by Itsy Bitsy Foodies at http://itsybitsyfoodies.com/pumpkin-bagels/