Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bagels

Could Fall get any better? First off, Fall is my favorite season because the weather is mild ( well in New England anyway), the leaves are starting to turn different colors and there is pumpkin..... in everything. Some of my favorites include pumpkin lattes from Starbuck's, pumpkin ravioli, and now these whole wheat pumpkin bagels.

When I saw this recipes for Pumpkin Bagels Ambitious Kitchen I literally was literally gitty thinking about having pumpkin bagels before work every day this week. As if it could not get any better, I made them with whole wheat flour and they are served with cinnamon sugar butter <swoon.>

Contrary to what I had previously believed, there really isn't that much work that goes into making home made bagels. And if you can make bagels at home you control the ingredients and even make them whole wheat if you want to. This is a perfect Sunday project for you and even kids. They can help with dumping the flour and even shaping the bagels. And if you use a kitchen aid mixer like I did you will wonder why you never made bagels at home before. You can thank me later. Don't get worried that the bagels don't look gourmet bagels you get at your local store. I made two batches so my second batch were much better shaped than the first. I made these with a mixture of whole and white flour( mostly whole wheat.) Sometimes when I use only whole wheat flour, the food I am making gets very dense. Use your judgement. Either way it will be delicious!

What's your favorite pumpkin dish?

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bagels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of warm water (110° to 115°)
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• ⅔ cup canned pumpkin
• ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
• 1½ cups of white bread flour + 2 cups of whole wheat flour ( or mixture you prefer)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• Olive oil
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• For Cinnamon-Honey Butter:
• ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Place warm water in a large bowl and add yeast and brown sugar. Stir and let sit for about 3-5 minutes. Add in pumpkin, spices, salt, and 2 cups of bread flour and begin to stir together to form a soft, sticky dough.
2. Transfer the sticky dough to a lightly floured surface and add in another cup of flour and begin to knead dough by hand until all of the flour is absorbed. Add in another ½ cup of flour and knead again until all of the dough is absorbed. Knead dough for about 8 minutes. The dough should not be sticky, but smooth and elastic.
3. Place dough in a bowl coated with oil, and cover the top allowing it to rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
4. After an hour, punch down the dough and shape into 12 balls. Roll each dough ball into a rope, about 8 inches long. Wrap the dough around to form a complete circle and overlap the dough. Seal the two ends together completely by rolling a bit; this is an important step or the ends will come apart when you boil them. Alternatively you can push your thumb through the center to form a 2 inch hole and stretch the dough to form an even ring. Place the bagels on a baking sheet (greased or lined with parchment paper), cover again with plastic wrap and let rise for 15-20 minutes more.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
6. Fill a Dutch oven two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil. Drop bagels, two at a time, into boiling water. Cook for about 45 seconds on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well on paper towels. Place on baking sheets, brush with egg wash, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on wire racks.
7. While the pumpkin bagels are cooling, make the cinnamon-honey butter.
8. Beat butter with electrical mixer until light and fluffy. Add in honey and cinnamon and mix until well blended. Spread on toasted bagels and enjoy!

Make a Bagel Tutorial