Pumpkin Bagels with Maple Smear #BreadBakers

Guess what day it is?! National Homemade Bread Day! So naturally, we gotta make some bread!

I’ve been wanting to make bagels for foreverrr now, and in honor of this wonderful Fall season…I of course haaad to throw in some pumpkin.

There’s this bagel shop in my town called Barton’s, and it’s one of the places where everyyyone used to go for lunch back when I was in high school. Like, it was impossible to go and not run into someone you knew there.

I still go every once in a while, and I alwaysss get the same thing: A tomato basil bagel with the sundried tomato cream cheese. It’s like…pizza, in a bagel form. But not like a pizza bagel…cuz that’s a different thing entirely obviously. Hmm…maybe tomato soup is a better comparison. Anyways, it’s delicious!

I always look over at the other bagel flavors, and every time I go in I try to tell myself I’m going to get something different…but I just can’t break my usual. It’s too good. They have pumpkin bagels at Barton’s too! But I never end up trying any of the other ones because I’m too set in my ways (yes, at the ripe ‘ol age of 23 haha). I have to be honest…I’ve got one of the most terrible curses ever. Anytime I go somewhere new, or want to try something different on a menu, I almost always order the wrong thing. Like, to a fault. Nev (the male friend) testifies to this awfulness. I sometimes choose something that turns out so disappointing, it makes me not want to return to that place. It’s so ridiculous. I’m silly, I know. It doesn’t help that I’m super picky. Once I find something I like, I can’t get myself to deviate! What if I don’t like it?! I’ve definitely created a major complex for myself about this whole thing.

So yea. Uhhh…Back to the bagels. I am a huge fan of these bagels. They’re pumpkin, sooo of course I’m pleased. I also whipped up a nice little Fall inspired cream cheese smear with some maple and pumpkin pie spice! These guys toasted and smothered with that spread, ohh man. It just sends you straight into a blissful zen seasonal state of happiness. Yes. All those words just happened.

Bagels: (Adapted from Heathers French Press)

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Maple Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese:

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Bagels: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Add the pumpkin and water, and using your dough hook attachment, mix on medium high until the dough forms a ball. You want to work it until it is not too sticky (about 5 minutes). Cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. It should double in size. Knock it down, and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each into a ball, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flour your finger, and poke a hole in the center of each ball. You will need to kind of stretch the dough out to maintain the hole through the second rise. Cover again, and let rise for 30 minutes. Prepare a large pot of water, and bring it to a boil. Boil 2 bagels at a time, for 2 minutes. Half way through, flip the bagels over. Transfer to your lined sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 425, and once the bagels are boiled bake them for 20 minutes until golden brown. Slice, toast and spread with cream cheese to serve.

Cream Cheese: In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and maple syrup until light and fluffy. Add in the spice and vanilla, and mix until incorporated.

Even though I’m obsessed with all things pumpkin, I alas cannot jump on the Pumpkin Spice Latte bandwagon. It’s just way too sickeningly sweet. But these bagels…these are like what a Pumpkin Spice Latte should taste like. Bliss.

Today is National Homemade Bread day! Us Bread Bakers got together to share and rejoice in this wonderful day by of course, baking bread! Our loose theme let each and every one of our creative sides’ shine, and it gave way to a huge variety of fun breads!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here’s what everyone else made for this event:

Pain Tordu by Carola at En la Cocina de Caro
Peanut Butter Buns by Renee at Magnolia Days
Pumpkin Chocolate Tea Bread by Linda at Brunch with Joy
Almond Bread by Rocio at Kidsandchic
Hatch Chile Bread by Holly at A Baker’s House
Italian Dinner Rolls by Lauren at From Gate to Plate
White Cranberry Nut Bread by Cindy at Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Hadrian’s Bread by Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Hearth Sourdough by Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Homemade English Muffins by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
Stollen by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
Olive, Feta & Tomato Bread by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story
Chocolate Chip Scones by Nicole at The 2nd 35 Years