These Pumpkin Bagels feature a rich and fluffy brioche dough made with pumpkin puree and layered with butter for the ultimate buttery bite!
Twisted and sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked until golden, these bagels can instantly turn into a sweet or savory snack depending on what you pair them with!
Pumpkin Bagels
Sharing a fall family favorite today: Pumpkin Bagels! Now, we call them “bagels” at home but they’re actually brioche bagels which means you’ll get soft and fluffy, not chewy.
Another key feature? The pumpkin dough is layered with butter, kinda like croissants, and that’s what will give you that deliciously fluffy, buttery bite!
Why this recipe works:
- Pumpkin brioche dough. These bagels feature an incredibly fluffy brioche dough made with actual pumpkin puree for all the pumpkin flavor!
- Buttery. The best part of these bagels is the melted butter brushed onto the dough to create the rich buttery layers that will melt in your mouth!
- Sweet or savory! Because the flavor is pretty neutral, you can serve these for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and pair them with whatever you want: butter, cheese, jam, salami, and all kinds of sweet or savory spreads… it’s up to you!
Ingredients
All purpose flour. Obviously, to make the dough!
Yeast. I like instant yeast because there’s no proofing needed, it’s just another ingredient you add to the bowl! Alternatively, you can also use active or fresh yeast (you’ll have to adjust the amount if using fresh, you can find all conversions + tips and tricks on how to work with yeast in my Beginner's Guide to Baking with Yeast)
Sugar. Use white granulated sugar. This is mainly to feed the yeast, the bagels are very neutral when it comes to flavor so you can turn them into sweet or savory snacks depending on what you top them with!
Salt for flavor.
Pumpkin puree. You can use canned pumpkin puree or you can make your own at home by boiling, roasting, or steaming some pumpkin and then using a food processor or immersion blender to pure the cooked pumpkin until smooth.
Milk. Use cow milk.
Eggs for structure.
Butter. Use unsalted butter to have more control over the amount of salt. This is to create the buttery layers so you want it to be soft enough to be spreadable but not completely melted!
Oil. For brushing the bagels during the twisting process.
Sesame seeds. Optional, for topping. I used black and white sesame seeds but you can also use everything bagel topping or coarse salt.
Instructions
STEP ONE: Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, and mix. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and oil. Knead until soft and elastic but not sticky. You can do this by hand or you can use a stand-mixer fitted with a hook.
STEP TWO: Let rise. Form the dough into a ball, then transfer the ball to a clean oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size.
STEP THREE: Make the butter layers. Punch down the dough to get rid of any air bubbles. Transfer the dough to an oiled work surface and roll it out into an 16″ x 12″ (40 x 30 cm) rectangle. Spread half of the butter over two thirds of the rectangle then fold into thirds starting from the side with no butter. Rotate the rectangle 90°, roll out again into an 16″ x 12″ (40 x 30 cm) rectangle and repeat the same process with the remaining butter.
STEP FOUR: Form into bagels. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Twist each piece twice, bring the ends together and pinch them to seal, then place the bagel onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the bagels with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again.
STEP FIVE: Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
STEP SIX: Brush the bagels with some extra milk and top with black and white sesame seeds or your favorite toppings.
STEP SEVEN: Bake until golden brown on top.
What goes on a pumpkin bagel?
Pumpkin bagels can be sweet or savory, it really just depends on what you want to pair them with which is what makes them so versatile!
Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Cream cheese
- Salted butter
- Brie cheese
- Salami or prosciutto
- Gorgonzola and mascarpone
- Caramelized onions
- Ham and cheese
- Cinnamon honey butter
- Jam
- Hazelnut spread or Nutella
- Peanut butter
How do you store pumpkin bagels?
These bagels are best eaten as they’re made: warm and fluffy! As many other baked goods, they will naturally dry up overtime so you may want to freeze the ones you know you won’t eat over the course of 1-2 days.
For overnight storing, you can store them in a ziplock bag or an air-tight container at room temperature.
For freezing, freeze in an air-tight container or in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
How do you reheat a bagel?
Cut the bagel in half, then place it face down on a toaster and toast until the bagel has crisped up a bit and is fully heated through, then top with your favorite toppings or enjoy as is.
You can also pop the halved bagel face down on a baking sheet and pop it in a preheated (350 F – 180 C) oven and bake until the center has crisped up and the bagel is fully heated through.
HAPPY BAKING!! I hope you'll love these Pumpkin Bagel Recipe as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More Fall Recipes you’ll love:
Pumpkin Bagels
Ingredients
- 3 and 1/4 cups (400 g) all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp (75 ml) milk (warm)
- 2 and 1/4 tsp (7 g) instant yeast
- 1 tbsp (15 g) sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp (180 g) pumpkin puree (canned or homemade, I like to use homemade)
- 1 tsp (5 g) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 g) olive oil
- 4 tbsp (50 g) unsalted butter (softened until easily spreadable but not melted)
- 2 tbsp (15 g) black and white sesame seeds (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, and mix. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and oil. Knead until soft and elastic but not sticky. You can do this by hand or you can use a stand-mixer fitted with a hook.
- Let rise. Form the dough into a ball, then transfer the dough to a clean oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Make the butter layers. Punch down the dough to get rid of any air bubbles. Transfer the dough to an oiled work surface and roll it out into an 16" x 12" (40 x 30 cm) rectangle. Spread half of the butter over two thirds of the rectangle then fold into thirds starting from the side with no butter. Rotate the rectangle 90°, roll out again into an 16" x 12" (40 x 30 cm) rectangle and repeat the same process with the remaining butter.
- Form into bagels. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Twist each piece twice, bring the ends together and pinch them to seal, then place the bagel onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the bagels with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again for 20-40 minutes or until puffed up.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- Bake. Brush the bagels with some extra milk milk and top with black and white sesame seeds or toppings of choice. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Enjoy warm.
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