Soooo my calendar is telling me it’s t-minus 4 days until Thanksgiving day… How crazy is that? All of October feels like a blur to me, which is so weird. My dad has already been splurging on some pre-holiday gifts for himself, which has been kind of funny to watch. Which means November is almost over, and the countdown to Christmas has already begun. Where has time gone?
(I haven’t posted in forever, so this is my lame attempt to start up a conversation, if you haven’t already noticed.)
Here’s the thing about bagels, and yeasted doughs in general: I haven’t had much success with them. I don’t know what it is, but for some reason my dinner rolls always turn out tough, or my pizza dough turns out tasting like a piece of cardboard. Anyone else? I’m pretty sure some of y’all can relate, too, because let’s be real. It’s hard. Pre-packaged dough FTW!
I’ve only now recently mastered the art of bagel making, and bread making in general. While I’ve been gone, I’ve been trying to come up with my own bagel recipe. Let me tell you, I’ve eaten so many bagels in the past month that I think my body is 20% water and 80% bagel. But all that bagel-eating has paid off! Look at how perfectly chewy and bagel-y these bagels are!
If you’re relatively new to the yeasted-bread-making community, I’d try out something a little simpler (although making bagels isn’t all that bad!) like pizza dough or basic sandwich bread. I’ve linked my fav recipes – the ones I started out from!
Although these bagels have pumpkin spice in them, you can’t really taste it. Honestly, you can’t even tell it’s there! However, I started adding the Trader Joe’s brand a while back and I haven’t found a reason to leave it out. Because, why not? I’m weird. If you don’t have it on hand, you could even substitute it with cinnamon or omit it entirely.
Finally, I’ve included a recipe for the egg/turkey/spinach filling I love pairing these bagels with, but you could easily fill them with anything you’d like (i.e. peanut butter, cream cheese schmear, pumpkin butter, plain butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, granola, fruit, etc.). Yum!
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1½ cup warm water
- 1 tbsp honey or sugar
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1½ cup all purpose flour
- 1½ tsp pumpkin spice
- ½ tsp salt
- egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp of milk)
- your choice of topping (poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning, etc.) - I used chia seeds!
- In a small bowl, add 1½ WARM water, dissolve, sugar and yeast. Let stand for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is foamy and you can smell the activated yeast.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, pumpkin spice, and salt. Make a "well" in the mixture, and pour in the yeast mixture (you could make the entire recipe in a stand mixer, but I find using my hands is easier for me).
- Using a wooden spoon, begin to combine the wet and the dry. When the mixture becomes too hard to stir with a spoon, switch to your hands and continue to mix until a dough forms. It should still be a little sticky, but otherwise firm. Try to refrain from adding any additional water!
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes, dusting over additional flour to prevent sticking as needed. The dough should be smooth and very firm, almost stiff.
- Lightly grease another bowl with a flavorless oil (avocado, coconut, canola, etc.), and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all sides in oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel, and place in a warm place. Let rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. When the dough is puffy and fully risen, give it a punch and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil. Divide the dough into 8 roughly equal sections (it doesn't have to be perfect; I just halved mine over and over again until I was left with 8 pieces), then shape them into balls. Flour your index finger and poke your finger through the center of the ball, creating a hole. Gradually widen the hole, until it is about 1 inch in diameter. Place on a well-oiled baking pan and cover with a damp towel to let them rest, while you wait for the water to boil.
- Reduce the heat to about medium, and lower the bagels into the water (about two at a time, depending on how big your pot is). Let them simmer for about 1 minute, then flip and cook 1 more minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bagels over to the same oiled baking pan.
- At this point, you can top your bagels by brushing over egg wash and sprinkling over your toppings. If you like them plain, I would still recommend brushing the egg wash, because it gives these such a nice color! Once all of the bagels have been boiled and topped, bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack to allow them to cool.
- Slice them in half, and fill them with whatever your heart desires! I love a classic cream cheese schmear, but peanut butter comes in a close second. You could also enjoy these with a savory turkey/egg filling, I've listed down below! Happy baking!
- 4 oz ground turkey (about ½ cup)
- 2 cups spinach, loosely packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp milk
- salt and pepper
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes
1. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and salt and pepper.
2. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add about a tablespoon of oil. Cook the ground turkey until no pink is left. Add the spinach, stirring until wilted. Pour in the egg mixture, and stir until eggs are fully cooked.
3. Fill each bagel with the turkey/egg mixture, and top with a couple cherry tomatoes. Enjoy!
On a side note, is anyone else just SO GRATEFUL we have Thanksgiving break?? Seriously… I’ve been waking up at 9 AM and it’s the best feeling ever.
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