Homemade pumpkin bagels topped with a whipped honey pecan cream cheese spread are perfect for those chilly fall mornings!
Pumpkin bagels are chewy and easier to whip up than you think! Overnight Oats, 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls, and Breakfast Burritos also make great go to make ahead breakfasts.
never made homemade bagels? now is the time!
Alright friends, today I’m coming at you with with LOTS of tips & tricks for making delicious homemade bagels. Since it’s officially fall, I thought I’d share one of my latest obsessions: pumpkin bagels.
They’re crisp, chewy and full of fall spices. And if that alone doesn’t sound amazing enough, they’re topped with a heavenly whipped cream cheese honey pecan spread.
They’re really not that intimidating, I promise. Plus I’m here to guide you through the process so it’ll be even easier.
Enjoy these bagels as-is or slice them and toast them. Either way, they’re going to be delicious. Homemade bagels require a little bit of work, but they’re totally doable. This spiced pumpkin version is perfect for those chilly fall mornings!
Making Pumpkin Bagels from Scratch
You’ll want to grab bread flour for this recipe. Bagels need lots of gluten. The more the merrier. All-purpose flour is fine, but it won’t yield the same results.
Second, you’ll need pumpkin pie spice (a staple in my pantry during the fall) which can be found near all of the other spices at the grocery store. And finally, you’ll need a pastry brush.
YEAST. Fill a glass measuring cup up with ¾ c. warm water. Add yeast and a pinch of the brown sugar. Allow to proof until foamy.
WET INGREDIENTS. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the pumpkin puree and brown sugar. Pour in yeast mixture and mix until combined.
DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, whisk together the bread flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients. Once a sticky dough forms, switch to the dough hook and mix on lowest speed for 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours.
SHAPE. Punch the dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces (mine were about 3 ⅜ oz each). Pull the sides underneath and pinch to seal the bottoms. Press your finger through the center of each ball to form a hole, then gently stretch it out.
CHILL. Place the bagels onto a parchment or baking mat lined sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours (this step can be skipped, however, it helps improve overall taste and texture).
Baking + Topping Pumpkin bagels
PREP. Place a oven-safe dish filled with 3 cups of water onto the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
PAR BOIL. Remove the tray from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (skip if bagels are not refrigerated). Meanwhile, bring a large Dutch oven filled two-thirds full with water and the baking soda (or malt extract) to a boil. Drop the bagels two at a time into boiling water, cook for 45 seconds, then flip and cook for an additional 45 seconds. Remove with a mesh spider or a slotted spoon, place on lined sheet.
BAKE. Brush egg white mixture over bagels. Add additional butter and brown sugar if desired. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer bagels to a wire rack to cool completely.
TOPPING. To make the cream cheese spread, in a small mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, mix for an additional minute. Add the nuts and mix just until combined.
Recipe Tips
These homemade pumpkin bagels really are the best. Here are a few tips you might like before you get started whipping up a batch:
- If you don’t have pumpkin puree available, you can substitute pureed cooked butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
- Homemade pumpkin puree would be wonderful in this recipe. Here is a link to a recipe where I show you how you can easily make your own: Homemade Pumpkin Puree
- A good substitute for a bench scraper would be a quality chef’s knife to cut the dough in this recipe.
- If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice on hand – not to worry. You can make your own by combining ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ginger, ⅛ tsp nutmeg, & ⅛ tsp all-spice. This combination will give you 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice.
Best Ways to Store
Storing your leftover bagels is a snap!
STORE fresh bagels sealed in a plastic bag or wrapped securely in a paper bag keeping them out of direct sunlight. If they are stored in the pantry they can stay good for up to 5 days.
It is not recommended to store your bagels in the fridge as they will become dry and less chewy.
FREEZE sealed tightly in a plastic freezer bag for up to 3 months. They can be thawed out on the counter overnight and then stored in a cool and dry place away from the sunlight.
When you are ready to warm up your defrosted bagels you can either do so in the oven or the microwave. The microwave is, of course, the fastest way – simply sprinkle your bagel with a little water and warm it up on high for 30-45 seconds. To warm them in the oven you’re going to want to wrap the bagels in foil first. Then warm them in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
Here are some other delicious fall recipes:
Homemade Pumpkin Bagels Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm water - about 115 degrees
- 1 packet active dry yeast - 2 ¼ tsp
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup brown sugar - packed
- 3 cup bread flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/4 tsp coarse kosher sea salt
- 1 tbsp baking soda - or malt extract
For the Topping
- 1 egg white - +1 tbsp water whisked
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter - melted
- 6 tbsp brown sugar - optional
For the Cream Cheese
- 6 oz original cream cheese - softened
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch coarse kosher sea salt
- 2 tbsp chopped pecans - toasted
Instructions
- Fill a glass measuring cup up with ¾ c. warm water. Add yeast and a pinch of the brown sugar. Allow to proof until foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the pumpkin puree and brown sugar. Pour in yeast mixture and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients (except for the baking soda or malt extract which is used in step 8) to the wet ingredients with the mixing speed on low. Once a sticky dough forms, switch to the dough hook and mix on lowest speed for 5 minutes.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours.
- Punch the dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces (mine were about 3 ⅜ oz each). Pull the sides underneath and pinch to seal the bottoms. Press your finger through the center of each ball to form a hole, then gently stretch it out.
- Place the bagels onto a parchment or baking mat lined sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours (this step can be skipped, however, it helps improve overall taste and texture).
- Place a oven-safe dish filled with 3 cups of water onto the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Remove the tray from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (skip if bagels are not refrigerated). Meanwhile, bring a large Dutch oven filled two-thirds full with water and the baking soda (or malt extract) to a boil. Drop the bagels two at a time into boiling water, cook for 45 seconds, then flip and cook for an additional 45 seconds. Remove with a mesh spider or a slotted spoon, place on lined sheet.
- Brush egg white mixture over bagels. Add additional butter and brown sugar if desired. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer bagels to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the cream cheese spread, in a small mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, mix for an additional minute. Add the nuts and mix just until combined.