Description
Delight in these homemade Pumpkin Sourdough Bagels paired with a luscious Pumpkin Cream Cheese spread. This recipe combines the tangy depth of sourdough with seasonal pumpkin and warming spices, perfect for fall breakfasts or cozy brunches. The dough undergoes a slow fermentation to develop rich flavor and chewy texture, then is boiled and baked to perfection. The creamy pumpkin-spiced cream cheese adds a subtly sweet and aromatic complement to the bagels.
Ingredients
Bagel Dough
- 125 grams (1 cup) sourdough starter, bubbly and active
- 215 grams (3/4 cup) pumpkin purée (canned or freshly baked/pureed pumpkin)
- 110 grams (1/2 cup) filtered water
- 42 grams (2 tablespoons) honey
- 550 grams (3 1/2 cups) unbleached bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 grams (1 teaspoon) pumpkin spice
- 12 grams (2 teaspoons) salt
Boiling Water Bath
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
Pumpkin Cream Cheese
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Instructions
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add sourdough starter, pumpkin purée, water, and honey to a stand mixing bowl. Whisk until the mixture is fully combined and smooth.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add bread flour, pumpkin spice, and salt to the wet ingredients. Using a dough hook on a stand mixer, mix slowly until a dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- First Rise: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for one hour. Afterward, shape the dough into a ball, cover again, and let it ferment for 8-12 hours or until it has doubled in size. Timing depends on your home’s temperature.
- Divide the Dough: Once doubled, turn the dough onto a clean counter surface without flour. Divide it into 8 equal pieces for bagel shaping.
- Shape Bagel Dough Balls: Flatten each piece into a rectangle and fold the outer edges toward the center about 8 times, then roll into a tight ball. Repeat for all pieces.
- Rest Dough Balls: Place the shaped dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten.
- Form Bagels: Poke a hole in the center of each dough ball and gently stretch it out to create a bagel shape. Make holes larger than you think, as they will puff and shrink while baking. Let bagels rest another 15 minutes.
- Prepare Oven and Boiling Water Bath: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, adding sugar and baking soda to it.
- Boil Bagels: Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower 2-3 bagels into the boiling water. Boil each side for 1 minute (total 2 minutes), flipping halfway.
- Bake Bagels: Remove bagels from water and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
- Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese: In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and pumpkin spice. Whip together using a hand or stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Chill Cream Cheese: Place the pumpkin cream cheese in the refrigerator to chill while the bagels finish baking.
Notes
- The slow fermentation of the sourdough dough is crucial for flavor development—don’t rush the 8-12 hour rise.
- Boiling the bagels before baking gives them their signature chewy crust and dense interior.
- Adjust pumpkin spice to taste depending on your preference for warmth and spice intensity.
- Ensure cream cheese is softened to avoid lumps in the pumpkin cream cheese spread.
- Bagels can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days or frozen for longer storage.
- For a crispier crust, bake bagels on a preheated baking stone if available.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
