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sourdough bagels with maple cream cheese

Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels Recipe

By McKenna Pulda
Yield: 8 pumpkin bagels
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Bulk Fermentation: 8 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 20 minutes
Homemade Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels are the perfect fall treat with a chewy crust, soft inside, and an easy-to-follow recipe. Made with active sourdough starter, pumpkin puree and a cinnamon sugar topping, it's a super delicious autumn breakfast.
4.47 from 15 votes
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Equipment

Ingredients

  • 150 grams active sourdough starter 3/4 cup
  • 100 grams warm water 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 Tablespoons
  • 200 grams pumpkin puree 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons
  • 40 grams light brown sugar 3 Tablespoons
  • 500 grams bread flour 3 1/2 cups
  • 9 grams salt 1 1/2 teaspoons
  • 180 grams chocolate chips, optional 1 cup
  • 24 grams honey, for boil bath 2 Tablespoons

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • 50 grams white sugar 1/4 cup
  • 110 grams light brown sugar 1/2 cup
  • 8 grams ground cinnamon 1 Tablespoon
  • 56 grams unsalted butter, melted & divided 4 Tablespoons

Maple Pecan Cream Cheese

  • 226 grams cream cheese, softened 8 ounces
  • 50 grams maple syrup 4 Tablespoons
  • 40 grams pecans, chopped 1/3 cup

Instructions

Make the Dough

  1. In a straight-edge bowl, add your active starter, warm water, pumpkin puree and brown sugar. Mix by hand or with a Danish dough whisk. It will look like a milky, orange liquid.
    I love using a straight-edge bowl because it allows me to clearly see when the dough is done rising.
    150 grams active sourdough starter, 100 grams warm water, 200 grams pumpkin puree, 40 grams light brown sugar
  2. Next, add the bread flour and salt to the dough. Mix until fully incorporated. It's a pretty shaggy dough at this point, but don’t worry, it will come together with kneading.
    500 grams bread flour, 9 grams salt
  3. Next is a small labor of love, but it's all worth it. Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes. I’ve tried using a stand mixer, but my bagels never taste as soft and chewy as when I do it by hand. So it is still my preferred method. 
    If you’d prefer using a stand mixer, you can mix on low with a dough hook for 4-5 minutes to mix and knead the dough.
  4. First, I keep the dough in the bowl – less mess. Praise! Next, pull a small section of bagel dough above the rest, fold it over on top, and push into the dough with the heel of your hand. Repeat this motion while turning the bowl of dough clockwise for 5-6 minutes.
  5. As you knead, you'll notice that the dough will become pretty stiff and a little bumpy looking – this will be a stiff dough, so totally normal. After your mini arm workout, cover the dough and let it rest for 60 minutes to allow the gluten to rest.

Knead

  1. After one hour of resting, repeat the same “stretch, fold and push” routine with the heel of your hand for 30 seconds.
  2. If you’d like, you could add chocolate chips to the dough and knead them in at this point for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bagels. Maple chips would be divine as well!
    180 grams chocolate chips, optional
  3. You’ll notice that the dough is a little less stiff and now the dough ball is smoother. Cover the bowl again and place the dough in a warm place to rise.

Bulk Rise

  1. Leave the dough to at least double in size.
    In my 70 degree kitchen, this typically takes anywhere from 8-12 hours. If your kitchen is warmer, it will take less time and the opposite is true if it is colder. 

Shape

  1. Once the dough has at least doubled in size, gently remove the sourdough bagel dough from the bowl and place it in your work surface – no flour dusting needed. 
  2. Stretch and shape the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/2 of an inch high. Now, with a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 equal triangle pieces. (I cut it like I would a pizza.)
  3. You can weigh the pieces of dough on a kitchen scale to verify that they are all equal (about 120g), otherwise, just eyeball it and call it a day!
  4. To shape, grab one piece of dough and pull the corners of the triangles towards the center. Then roll the dough until formed into a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
  5. One at a time, use your thumb to punch a hole in the middle of the dough ball. Stretch the dough ball with both thumbs, about 2 inches. The dough will shrink back a bit, but that’s okay. 

Second Rise

  1. Place your shaped bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover them fully with plastic wrap or this plastic lid that fits my baking sheets perfectly so they don’t dry out.
  2. Let them rest until puffed up in a warm place, about 20-60 minutes.

Boil Bath

  1. While your bagels are rising, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Fill a large pot of water. Add honey and whisk until well mixed. Bring the water to a boil.
    24 grams honey, for boil bath
  3. Once the bagels have risen, it’s time to set up your station. I like to place a kitchen towel on the counter and a cooling rack on top to help for minimal cleanup later.
  4. Carefully drop 2-3 bagels into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds on each side. 
  5. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the bagels and place them on the cooling rack. Repeat until all bagels have been boiled.

Topping

  1. After all the bagels have been boiled, it’s time to talk about toppings! Eating these homemade Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels plain is heavenly, but adding a cinnamon sugar topping brings a touch of extra autumn-like sweetness.
  2. In a small bowl, melt the butter. Brush 14 grams (1 Tablespoon) worth of the melted butter on top of the boiled bagels. To the remaining butter, mix in both sugars and ground cinnamon until combined. 
    50 grams white sugar, 110 grams light brown sugar, 56 grams unsalted butter, melted & divided, 8 grams ground cinnamon
  3. Top each boiled pumpkin bagel with an even amount of the sugar mixture. 

Bake

  1. Bake the Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. 
  2. Remove the bagels from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack
  3. Once they are cool enough to handle, I highly recommend slicing into one while it is still warm and spreading my maple pecan cream cheese on top. It's fall in a bite!

Maple Pecan Cream Cheese

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, maple syrup with a hand mixer. Once smooth, stir in the chopped pecans by hand. 
    226 grams cream cheese, softened, 50 grams maple syrup, 40 grams pecans, chopped

Notes

Simple Baking Schedule

8 pm: Make and knead the dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
9 pm: Knead dough for 30 seconds, cover, and let rest overnight until it doubles in size, about 8-12 hours.
7 am: Remove dough from bowl and cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll and shape them into small dough balls, poke holes in the center of each dough ball, and stretch them to shape. Cover and let them rest for 20-60 mins until puffed up.
8 am: Boil bagels for 30 seconds on each side. Top with cinnamon/sugar mixture, if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees F.
This schedule is made for a 68-70 degree F environment. Higher temperatures will quicken the process. Lower will lengthen the process.
This recipe card was update on 03/10/26.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bagel | Calories: 671kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 535mg | Potassium: 283mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 4452IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg
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