Pumpkin Bagels

Word on the street is that Jeremy Gallon eats pumpkin bagels before a game; he had a Big 10 record 369 receiving yards in Saturday’s 63-47 victory over Indiana.  Now in my mind the real MVP was the kid in the front row of the student section dressed as one of these.  I am yet to find a gif of it online, but they would have been crazy to not give them some TV time.

I am in the midst of a full on pumpkin cooking craze.  I wanted to make these last fall but never got around to it and made sure this year to make the time for them.  This was the fourth or fifth time overall I’ve made  bagels (in the course of about 3 years) and I feel like I’ve finally gotten the technique down.

The other times I have made bagels I’ve opted for Peter Reinhart’s recipe, which involves an overnight rise.  I considered adapting this recipe to do that, but in the end decided against it.  Partially because of impatience, but also because one of the key reasons to do an overnight cold rise is to develop flavor.  With these bagels, considering the added pumpkin and related spices, most of your flavor is already there.

One day, I will live somewhere with a kitchen that has huge amounts of natural light and doesn’t make everything I eat look orange or washed out yellow.  Unfortunately, that day is not today.

When I realized I could buy huge bags of sesame seeds at the nearby Asian market for pretty cheap, I have been much more liberal with my use of them.  I had a few pumpkin seeds left from the one I had roasted earlier so topped a few with them.

These will keep about a week at room temperature, and you can slice and freeze any left over at that point.  I made some regular sandwiches with these but I think they really do best as a breakfast bagel toasted with some sort of spread on top.  Enjoy!

The Indiana defense went gluten free, leaving plenty of bread for Jeremy Gallon.

Pumpkin Bagels

Ingredients

• 1 C water
• 2 C bread flour
• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 t instant yeast
• 1 t salt
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• 1/4 t allspice
• 1/2 C pumpkin puree (or roasted pumpkin)
• 1 T baking soda
• 1 egg
• Cornmeal for dusting
• Toppings, if desired

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine yeast, water, brown sugar, flours, pumpkin, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.  Turn mixer on medium speed and gradually add water.  Knead 4-5 minutes, until the dough is smooth but clears the sides of the bowl.  Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover, letting rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

On a lightly floured surface divide risen dough into 8 equal pieces and cover lightly with plastic wrap.  Let rise for another 20 minutes.

Punch a hole into each dough ball with your thumb and gradually widen it.  Rotate the dough as you do this, making sure it remains even.  Set the bagels on a baking sheet dusted well with corn meal.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and beat egg with 1 T water to create egg wash.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (about halfway full).  Once boiling add in baking soda and drop in 2 or 3 bagels, however many can fit comfortably.  Boil 2 minutes per side.  Once done remove and place back on baking sheet.  Brush with egg wash and add any toppings.  Repeat until you have boiled all bagels.

Bake bagels for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.

Recipe courtesy of The Tart Tart.