I love the change of seasons, especially fall. These pumpkin shaped bagels are such a cute way to celebrate fall. Fall is our shortest season, so I love finding as many cute fun fall things to make while the season lasts!

Pumpkin Shaped Bagels on a wire wrack. With a bowl of cream cheese and a knife

I make these pumpkin shaped bagels relatively small so they are the perfect size to send with the kids in their lunch. Because, let’s be honest, they eat their food and enjoy it so much more when it is fun!

Bagel dough into pumpkin shaped bagels

To make the bagels, I use my basic recipe for bagels. Before kneading the bagel dough I separate a small probably 1/3 cup of dough. I add a few drops of green food colouring to the small section of dough. To the rest of the dough, I add the orange food colouring, (or in my case yellow and red, because I don’t have orange). While I am kneading the dough, the food colouring mixes in, It doesn’t really matter if it is not perfectly evenly spread through out the dough. You will be folding it again, and as it bakes it seems to even out.

How are bagels different?

The bagel dough I make is denser than normal bread dough. To make bagels, you cook them twice. They first time you boil them for a few minutes and then you will be placing them in the oven to bake. For my bagels, I always boil them in water flavoured with honey. This is the Montreal style bagel method, and the one that I prefer. They give the outside of the bagels an added sweetness that I love! Bagels often have things like poppy or sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Since I am making these into pumpkins, I will be making these plain. That way they look as much like pumpkins as possible. Obviously, bagels have a hole in the middle. For these bagels, I make a small hole but I end up stuffing it with the little green stem. You could skip this step, maybe put a little cinnamon stick through the centre at the end of baking or a pretzel stick.

Forming the pumpkin shaped bagels

To make the bagels into pumpkins, start by separating your green dough ball into 12 small log shapes. After your final shaping of each of the 12 orange dough balls, make a small hole in the centre with your finger. Place each green dough inside of the orange. Next you will need kitchen twine, cooking twine, butcher cord, bakers twine… It goes by a bunch of different names. You will wrap this cord from top to bottom, crisscrossing over the centre of the pumpkin a few times and tie at the bottom. You do not have to wrap this tighly. There should be no indents made into the dough ball. As the dough rises for the final time it will expand and the indents that will make it look like a pumpkin will then form.

woman placing holes in the centre of the orange dough balls

Ingredients for Pumpkin Shaped Bagels

1 cup water

1 Tablespoon dry milk powder

4 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons honey

1 egg separated (the white goes in the dough, the yolk is brushed on the bagels before baking)

½ teaspoon salt

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

3½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornmeal (optional)

Flipping over a pumpkin shaped bagel in the boiling water

Method

In a medium sauce pan melt the butter over med-low heat. Remove from heat and add water, milk powder, and honey. Stir to dissolve and combine.
Add the liquid mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer, with the dough hook attachment. (Or in a bowl by hand) When the liquid is warm, not hot, sprinkle the yeast over top. It should be foamy in about 5 minutes.
Add the salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix with the dough hook until it just comes together. You may need to add all, or part of the last ½ cup of flour depending on the stickiness of your dough.
Remove about 1/3 cup of dough. To this you will add a few drops of green food colouring. Kneed by hand until a smooth dough is formed and the dough is evenly green.
To the bowl of the stand mixer, add a few drops of orange food colouring. Continue to mix with the dough hook until a smooth dough forms. (about 5 minutes) (It should not be sticky, and should clean the sides of the bowl.) If the food colouring does not evenly distribute you may need to knead it by hand. (I did this by hand)
Cover both dough balls and let rest and rise for 1 hour (depending on the temperature of your home, this may be longer or shorter). The dough about doubles in size.

Forming the dough

After the dough has risen, onto a lightly floured surface, place the green dough. Split into 12 pieces, and shape and fold.
Split the orange dough ball into 12. Fold and lightly shape into balls. Cover all of the dough and let rest 30 mins.
Take the green dough and shape into thin logs. With the orange dough, make into balls and place a hole in the middle with your finger. Place the green dough into the orange dough.
Cut 12 pieces of cord. (Mine were about 70-75 cm). Wrap the cord from top to bottom crossing over the middle of the ball a few times. Tie at the bottom. Make sure you do not wrap it tightly. As the dough expands during the final rise, the grooves in the sides of the pumpkin will form.
Cover and let rise 1 hour. (Depending on the temperature of your house, this may be longer or shorter.) The dough about doubles in size.

Baking and Finishing

While you are waiting, put a large pot of water on to boil. (It should be deep enough to turn your pumpkin bagel over in the water.) Add to the water about ½ cup of honey.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place a pizza stone (or a baking sheet) in the oven.
Drop the pumpkin bagels into the boiling honey-water and boil for 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, push on one side of the dough to flip it over. Boil the other side for 1 minute. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat for all of the bagels.
(Optional) Place ¼ cup of cornmeal on a plate. Dip the bottom of each pumpkin bagel in the cornmeal.
In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and 1 Tablespoon of water. Brush the top of each pumpkin bagel.
Remove your pizza stone (or cookie sheet) from the oven. Place your pumpkin bagels and return to the oven to bake for about 15 mins, or until baked through and golden.
Allow the pumpkin bagels to cool before snipping and removing the cord.
Slice through the centre and enjoy with your favourite bagel spread or filling!