Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels
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If you are bagel lover, then these sourdough pumpkin bagels might just be your new favorite! Seriously, they have all the goodness of sourdough with a hefty pumpkin hit ... and you can top them in so many ways! They might just be the perfect fall treat!
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
Big Pumpkin Flavor - Pumpkin puree gives these bagels a lovely light, airy interior, while the crust is delectably chewy - like a good bagel should be!
Sweet or Savory - You can make these sourdough pumpkin bagels sweet or savory - I've added instructions for cinnamon sugar topping, as well as a pumpkin spice butter glaze and some savory options too! There's something here for everyone! You could even add pumpkin spice to the dough itself - so good!
Simple Ingredients - These sourdough pumpkin bagels use just a few simple pantry ingredients.
You can find my recipe for easy overnight sourdough bagels here, as well as sourdough egg bagels, jalapeño cheddar sourdough bagels and cinnamon raisin sourdough bagels.
Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter - You will need a healthy, well established sourdough starter to make these sourdough pumpkin bagels (but I've also included instructions for using discard if your starter isn't quite mature).
- Pumpkin Purée - you can use store bought or home made pumpkin puree. It's really up to you! When I first created this recipe, I couldn't buy pumpkin puree, so I made my own using butternut squash. Now, I can buy pumpkin puree and I've tested the recipe with this as well. Either works with no changes needed. Leftover pumpkin puree works really well in these fall inspired sourdough recipes, as well as these sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin sourdough discard crackers and easy pumpkin sourdough bread.
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Bread Flour
- Salt
- Honey - you don't actually add this to the dough, you'll need to add it to the water you boil the bagels in. You can substitute maple syrup if you prefer.
How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels
Sourdough pumpkin bagels are fairly easy to bring together. There are a few things that you do need to remember though. This is a low hydration dough so it will be quite tough to knead (especially by hand - but it's totally fine to do by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment). I've used a kitchen scale to accurately weigh my ingredients.
The lower hydration will also mean that it takes a bit longer to bulk ferment, so make sure you allow enough time for this to happen.
Add sourdough starter, pumpkin puree and brown sugar together in a bowl. Gently mix together until well combined.
Now, add the bread flour and salt and bring it together to form a shaggy dough. It will be quite dry but that's ok. Use your hands to push the dough together and knead it in the bowl. If it's too dry and not coming together, add some of the warm water (add it gradually). You may or may not need the 50g of water at all.
Cover and allow the dough to rest for around 15 minutes while it absorbs the pumpkin puree.
Now it's time to knead the dough. You can do this by hand or you can do it use the bowl of a stand mixer or Thermomix. This is a stiff dough (much like sandwich bread dough) so it won't be super elastic, however it should be smooth and not sticky. I prefer to knead this dough in my stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Keep the mixer to a low speed (speed 1-2 is best).
Once the dough is sufficiently kneaded, you'll need to allow it to rise or ferment. As it's a lower hydration dough, this will take time. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or an elastic bowl cover to ensure the moisture is retained. Give it plenty of time to bulk ferment at room temperature and don't rush.You want the dough to double and be puffy and soft. This can take up to 8-12 hours, so you'll need to allow for this.
Once the dough has risen, you'll need to shape the bagels. It's quite simple, you just need a little patience. Divide the dough into 12 pieces weighing 80g each. Shape each piece of dough into a small smooth ball.
Take each dough ball and poke a hole in the center of each dough ball using your thumb or index finger. Gently stretch the hole out and then place each bagel on a sheet of parchment paper to rise. Pro Tip - make the hole a little bigger than you think it should be as it will shrink a bit when the bagels rise.
Cover the shaped bagels with a dish cloth and allow them become lovely and puffy. Again, this may take some time because it's a lower hydration dough.
Once the sourdough pumpkin bagels are lovely and puffy, bring a pot of water with 40g of honey added to the boil and preheat your oven to 200C/392F.
When the water is boiling, carefully place 3-4 bagels into the boiling water at a time. You want to boil them for around 30 seconds each. They should float to the surface and that's when you know to take them out.If you prefer really chewy bagels, boil them for up to 2 minutes each.
Carefully remove the bagels from the boiling water using a slotted spoon.If you want to add seeds or seasonings, dip the wet bagel into the seeds/seasonings before placing on a baking tray (I love using this homemade Everything Bagel seasoning).
Bake the bagels for around 20 - 25 minutes at 200C/392F. Remove them from the oven when they are golden brown.
Baker's Timeline for Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels
I know that having a timeline can be really helpful when making a new sourdough recipe, especially for the first time. This is the baker's timeline I use to have these bagels ready for breakfast.
| TIME | PROCESS |
|---|---|
| 12 PM | Day 1 Feed sourdough starter (50g of starter, 50g of flour, 50g of water) |
| 7 PM | Mix the bagel dough using active starter. |
| 8 PM | Set aside to ferment overnight (remember to check the ambient temp to ensure it's not too warm). |
| 6 AM | Day 2 Shape sourdough bagels and set aside to get puffy. |
| 7.30 AM | Preheat oven and put on pot of boiling water. |
| 7.45 AM | Boil bagels. |
| 8 AM | Bake sourdough pumpkin bagels. |
| 8.30 AM | Enjoy warm sourdough pumpkin bagels smothered in spiced pumpkin cream cheese. |
If you are using discard with a little yeast, this timetable will still work - just make sure it's literally just a pinch or they will over ferment overnight. If using 7g of commercial yeast, you'd need to reduce the first rise down to around an hour or two.
You might find this sourdough baking timeline useful in creating your own sourdough schedule.
Flavor Variations + Topping Ideas
There are so many ways you can personalise these pumpkin bagels suit your own tastes! Here's a few ideas that I've tried in my own kitchen:
- Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bagels - Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice to the dough when you mix it. This can mean that your dough will take a bit longer to ferment though so use with caution. Another idea is to add the pumpkin spice to sugar and use it to dip the bagels into (like you would cinnamon sugar below).
- Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels - Once they're out of the oven, dip the bagels in melted butter and then in cinnamon sugar.
- Seeded Pumpkin Bagels - Once boiled, dip them in pumpkin seeds (I roast the seeds from the pumpkins when I make my pumpkin puree). Once they're out of the oven, brush them with melted butter (I add pumpkin pie spices and vanilla essence to my melted butter).
- Everything But The Bagel - Dip boiled bagels in "Everything But The Bagel" seasoning before baking. My husband says these make the best burger bun alternatives! Check out this homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning recipe.
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bagels - Add 100g of plump dried raisins when you mix the dough together (so add them to the liquid before adding the flour). Sprinkle the boiled bagels with cinnamon sugar before baking.
- My favorite way to eat these pumpkin sourdough bagels is with some yummy homemade pumpkin cream cheese spread - it's so easy but adds another pumpkiny layer to these bagels!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can add 1 to 2 teaspoon of pumpkin spice to these bagels. Just be aware that pumpkin spice contains cinnamon which may hinder your fermentation so use with caution and allow further bulk fermentation time. Alternatively, you could add a pinch of yeast to overcome these issues.
You can use 20g of brown sugar or 20g of bicarbonate of soda instead of honey. These are suitable alternatives when boiling bagels of any kind. You should not step the boiling step as this sets the crust and ensures they have that signature chewy crust (this sets them apart from a regular bread roll for example).
I find the best way to do this is to make them a little bigger than you think they should be. Gently stretch the dough with your hands to enlarge the holes. When the bagels do their second rise or proof, the hole will close up a little, but if you've made it big enough, this won't matter too much. Plus don't stress too much if the holes in your bagels are quite small - there's less chance of your fillings falling out!
Swap 100g of active sourdough starter for 100g of sourdough discard and 7g of instant dried yeast. Using yeast will mean that your bagels are ready much more quickly and you won't have to do a long bulk fermentation period. When using commercial yeast and sourdough discard, you could have these sourdough pumpkin bagels ready in around 3 hours
Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels
Equipment
- Stand Mixer recommended but not essential
- Baking Trays
- Stock Pot or Dutch Oven for boiling bagels
- Slotted Spoon
Ingredients
- 100 g Sourdough Starter fed and bubbly
- 250 g Pumpkin Puree store bought or home made
- 40 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 10 g Salt
- 50 g Water you might not need it though
For Boiling
- 2 Litres Water
- 40 g Honey
Instructions
- Add sourdough starter, pumpkin puree and brown sugar together in a bowl. Gently mix together until well combined.
- Now, add the bread flour and salt and bring it together to form a shaggy dough. It will be quite dry but that's ok. Use your hands to push the dough together and knead it in the bowl. If it's too dry and not coming together, add some of the water (add it gradually). You may or may not need the 50g of water at all.When I make this dough, I usually need around 30g of the water to bring the dough together. Whether you need the extra water will depend on the flour you use, the consistency of your sourdough starter and how liquid your pumpkin puree is (see recipe notes for more info on this).
- Cover and allow the dough to rest for around 15 minutes while it absorbs the pumpkin puree.
- Now it's time to knead the dough. You can do this by hand or you can do it use a stand mixer or Thermomix. This is a stiff dough (much like sandwich bread dough) so it won't be super elastic, however it should be smooth and not sticky. Remember to give the stand mixer a break every few minutes if you are using it (dough hook required).If kneading by hand, you'll need to work the dough for around 10 minutes. It should be smooth and supple when it's done. It is quite a work out because the dough is very stiff.
- Once the dough is sufficiently kneaded, you'll need to allow it to rise or ferment. As it's a lower hydration dough, this will take time. Give it plenty of time and don't rush.You want the dough to double and be puffy and soft.
- Once the dough has risen, you'll need to shape the bagels. It's quite simple, you just need a little patience.Divide the dough into 12 pieces weighing 80g each. Shape each piece of dough into a small ball.
- Take each ball and poke a hole in the middle using your thumb or index finger. Gently stretch the hole out and then place each bagel on a sheet of baking paper to rise. Pro Tip - make the hole a little bigger than you think it should be as it will shrink a bit when the bagels rise.
- Cover the bagels with a dish cloth and allow them become lovely and puffy. Again, this may take some time because it's a lower hydration dough.
- Once the sourdough pumpkin bagels are lovely and puffy, bring a pot of water with 40g of honey added to the boil and preheat your oven to 200C/392F.
- When the water is boiling, carefully place 3-4 bagels into the boiling water at a time. You want to boil them for around 30 seconds each. They should float to the surface and that's when you know to take them out.If you prefer really chewy bagels, boil them for up to 2 minutes each.
- Carefully remove the bagels from the boiling water using a slotted spoon.If you want to add seeds or seasonings, dip the wet bagel into the seeds/seasonings before placing on a baking tray.You can leave them plain if you wish. I like to do a mix of seeded and plain (the plain ones can be dipped into cinnamon sugar - yum!).
- Bake the bagels for around 20 - 25 minutes at 200C/392F. Remove them from the oven when they are golden brown.
- Allow them to cool before you enjoy them!
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you for a great recipe! I used discard + yeast, and also substituted 150 g. of all-purpose flour with Kamut flour. This meant I had to add a bit more water, but the bagels turned out perfectly. Such a nice treat for welcoming fall!
I made these today and they were amazing. I did have to keep an eye on them to watch when they doubled and rose properly but they were so easily made and my kids love them. Thank you for such an easy recipe.
Delicious!! I made these with a crunchy pumpkin spice sugar topping and everyone loves them. Thank you for a great recipe, perfect for fall vibes 🍂
Can you share the crunchy pumpkin spice sugar recipe?
How can I make these less dense? I’ve tried the recipe twice, one with about 10g of water and the other with about 40g or water added and the dough after about 12 hours is just really tough and it doesn’t roll out smooth. The flavor is great, just a texture issue.
Thanks!