Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels

Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels

Here’s a pumpkin recipe that’s too good to be relegated to seasonal status (which is why I’m posting it in March). These sourdough pumpkin bagels have swirls of REAL pumpkin and the perfect amount of pumpkin spice in every bite. They’re soft on the inside, chewy, and bake up with a gorgeous pumpkin color. Plus, they’re naturally fermented with sourdough so these bagels are gut healthy and nutritious.

I used to be obsessed with Trader Joe’s seasonal pumpkin line-up and their pumpkin spice bagels were my go-to. I’d have one toasted, with a generous layer of cream cheese, and a little extra sprinkle of pumpkin spice seasoning on top. This week I really wanted a pumpkin bagel so I decided to recreate that Trader Joe’s bagel, but I’m going to make it better 😉

If you need a full step-by-step tutorial on how to make homemade sourdough bagels check out this blog post.

✨Health Benefits of Sourdough Bagels✨

Sourdough bagels are unlike all other types of bagels because they go through a long and slow natural fermentation with wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This ancient, 6,000-year-old tradition has remarkable health benefits. Sourdough fermentation makes wheat and other grains easy to digest and more nutritious because it degrades gluten, removes anti-nutrients, and breaks down FODMAPs and starches. Sourdough bagels are chock full of fiber, prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it an all-around microbiome superfood.

What Makes These Pumpkin Sourdough Bagels Healthy?

These bagels are made with simple, clean ingredients, like organic flour, real pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice seasoning. The recipe also calls for a natural fermentation with sourdough culture. 

LET’S GET SPECIFIC:

Sourdough Fermentation. These bagels are naturally fermented with sourdough starter instead of a rapid fermentation with commercial yeast. Unlike commercial fermentation, a long and slow sourdough fermentation uses a mixed culture of wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). While yeasts are essential to make your bagels rise, it’s the LAB that transform wheat and other grains into an entirely different, gut healthy food.

Sourdough fermentation makes grains easy to digest and more nutritious because it degrades gluten, removes anti-nutrients, and breaks down FODMAPs and starches – this process also significantly enhances the bioavailability of B vitamins and minerals. This is how our ancestors have been making bread for thousands of years, and these sourdough bagels are chock full of fiber, prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it an all around microbiome superfood.

Organic, High-Quality Flour:  I use a blend of organic (stone milled) whole wheat and white bread flour because it provides the perfect balance of structure, flavor, and nutrition.

Organic Pumpkin Puree: Pumpkin is also a nutritional powerhouse, packed with Beta carotene, vitamins, minerals, and Lutein and Zeaxathin – 2 carotenoids that are powerful antioxidants known for protecting eyesight. 

Clean, Simple Ingredients. Nothing artificial, no commercial yeast, and no preservatives.

Nutrition Breakdown of One Large Sourdough Pumpkin Bagel

Macro-Nutrients

• 210 Calories
• 1.8g Fat (2%)
• 40.7g Carbs (14%)
• 5.9g Fiber (21%)
• 1.7g Sugar (3%)
• 7.4g Protein (15%)

Micro-Nutrients

• 2.2mg Iron (12%)
• 2.9mg Vitamin B3 (18%)
• 0.1mg Vitamin B2 (10%)

Sourdough Bagel Baking Schedule

This is what a typical bagel-making schedule looks like for me.

P.S. Temperature is one of the single most important factors that affect fermentation. The warmer your place, the faster your dough will ferment. So please use my schedule as simply a jumping-off point for your own.

Prepare sourdough starter

Either feed your sourdough starter the night before to prepare or if your sourdough starter is in the fridge be sure to feed it every 12 hours, 3 days before you plan to bake.

Day One

• 10 AM – Mix bagel dough, cover and let sit at room temp until it doubles in size (6-8 hours)
• 6 PM – Place dough covered in the fridge for an overnight fermentation (10+ hours). This step is to develop flavor and nutrition… it’s optional, but highly recommended.

day two

• 8 AM – Divide bagel dough, shape and cover with tea towel. Let it rise for 2 hours.
• 10 AM – Prepare boiling water and preheat oven.
• 10:15 AM – Boil bagels, add toppings and bake.

Ingredients for Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels

Here’s what you’ll need to make blueberry bagels at home.

6 CLEAN INGREDIENTS

• Bread Flour: A high-protein flour is needed for bagel making. You can use a white or whole wheat bread flour (King Arthur has a great bread flour that is usually widely available.) I recommend using a blend of white bread flour and whole wheat flour to get the perfect balance of structure, texture, flavor, and nutrition.
• Water: Preferably warm water is best! Warmer water helps kickstart fermentation.
• Sourdough Starter: Be sure you are using active sourdough starter (not discard).
• Organic Pumpkin Puree: I used Farmer’s Market Foods pumpkin puree because it’s nice and thick and has a deep orange color.
• Pumpkin Spice: I used trader joe’s pumpkin spice seasoning but anyone will do for this recipe.
• Sea Salt: Enhances flavor (and nutrition) by slowing fermentation.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

• Olive Oil: Used to grease the bowl or plate where are bagel dough will rise.
• Eggs: You’ll brush your bagels with an egg wash to give it a beautiful golden color.
• Cream cheese: I used my favorite probiotic cream cheese from Nancy’s
• Pecans
• Maple Syrup

Equipment Needed for Sourdough Bagels

• Dough Mixer or Mixing Bowl (by hand): You can prepare the bagel dough with a mixer or by hand, either one works. 
• Dough Scraper: Used for dividing our dough.
• Baking Pan
• Baking Scale: Ideal for accurately measuring ingredients and weighing dough balls after dividing to ensure they are similar in size.

Tips for Making Sourdough Bagels

What type of flour should I use?

A high-protein flour is needed for bagel making if you want to achieve the classic bagel look and texture. You can use either a white or whole wheat bread flour (King Arthur has a great bread flour that is usually widely available). I recommend using white bread flour as your base, and adding in 10% whole wheat flour. If you’d prefer to make a whole grain bagel you can definitely do that, just refer to the hydration notes below so you can adjust the hydration level appropriately.

Do I have to boil these bagels?

Yes, I definitely recommend boiling the bagels because it will create that chewy texture we want in bagels.

Does it matter what brand of pumpkin puree I use?

I like Farmer’s Market Foods pumpkin puree because it has a rich orange color and is thicker than other pumpkin purees. Different pumpkin purees do have different moisture content and color variation so it could affect the amount of water required for the recipe. Depending on the stiffness of your dough, you can always add an additional 10-20g of water so the dough is dense and soft but not stiff.

Should I change the amount of water I use depending which flour I use?

• If using a White Bread Flour, keep water at 100g until your dough feels dense and soft but not stiff.
• If using a Whole Wheat Bread Flour, increase water to 120g (30%) or until your dough feels dense and soft but not stiff.
• If using a 50/50 White Bread Flour and Whole Wheat Bread Flour, increase water to 110-120g (27-30%) or until your dough feels dense and soft but not stiff.

How do I make just one Sourdough Pumpkin Bagel?

Here is the single-serving recipe:

• 100g Bread Flour
• 56g Pumpkin Puree
• 25g Water
• 25g Sourdough Starter
• 2g Sea Salt

Looking for other sourdough bagel recipes? Here are a few ideas:

Everything Sourdough Bagel

Step-by-Step Sourdough Bagel Recipe

French Toast Sourdough Bagel Recipe

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