Fall Pumpkin Shaped Bagels

Updated 26 August, 2024

These pumpkin shaped bagels are such a cute way to celebrate fall. Fall is our shortest season, so I love finding as many delicious autumn inspired recipes to make while the season lasts!

These bagles are soft but chewy with a lovely outside crust that has a slightly sweet taste. This recipe is perfect for slicing, toasting, and spreading with a generous helping of cream cheese.

Slice these into the cutest fall sandwiches that will bring a smile to everyone’s face when they open their lunch!

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!

How to turn Bagel dough into pumpkin bagels

Before kneading the bagel dough, separate 1/4 cup of dough. Add a few drops of green food colouring.

To the rest of the dough, add orange food colouring. While kneading the dough, the food colouring mixes in, It doesn’t really matter if it is perfectly evenly spread through out the dough. You will be folding it again, and as it bakes it will even out.

How are bagels different than bread?

The bagel dough is denser than bread dough.

To make bagels, you cook them twice. They are boiled and then baked in the oven, which gives them a lovely chewy and slightly flavoured crust.

For these bagels, we will boil them in water flavoured with honey. This is the Montreal style bagel method. They give the outside of the bagels an added sweetness!

Obviously, bagels have a hole in the middle. For these bagels, we make a small hole and stuff it with the little green stem.

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.

Wrap this cord from top to bottom, crisscrossing over the centre of the dough a few times and tie at the bottom. You do not have to wrap this tightly. There should be no indents made into the dough yet. As the dough rises for the final time it will expand and the indents that make it look like a pumpkin will then form.

How to make pumpkin shaped bagels

Ingredients

1 cup warm milk 250 ml

4 Tablespoons soft butter 60 g

2 Tablespoons honey 30 ml, (plus ½ cup during boiling)

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

½ teaspoon salt 2.5 ml

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet) 7 g

3½ cups all-purpose flour 525 g

 ¼ cup cornmeal (optional) 60 ml

Method

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl is kneading by hand, stir in the warm milk and honey.
2. Sprinkle over top the yeast and allow it to soften and become foamy (about 5 minutes.)
3. When the yeast is ready, add in the softened butter, egg white, salt, and flour.
4. Mix with the dough hook (or knead by hand), until it just comes together.
5. Remove about 1/4 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.
6. 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.
7. Cover both dough balls and allow to rise for 1 hour, in a warm spot, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Forming the dough

1. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Split the green dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into little logs
2. Split the orange dough ball into 12. Fold the dough over on itself all the way around the circumference, to form a circle.
3. Cover all of the dough and let rest 30 mins.
4. With the orange dough, shape and place a large hole in the middle with your finger. Place the green dough through each hole.
5. 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, the grooves in the sides of the pumpkin will form.
6. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.

Baking and Finishing

1. 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.
2. Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Place a pizza stone (or a baking sheet) in the oven to preheat.
3. Drop the pumpkin bagels into the boiling honey-water. Boil for 1 minute.
4. With a slotted spoon, push on one side of the dough to flip it over. Boil the other side for 1 minute.
5. Remove to a wire rack to dry. Repeat for all of the bagels.
6. (Optional) Place ¼ cup of cornmeal on a plate. Dip the bottom of each pumpkin bagel in the cornmeal.
7. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and 1 Tablespoon of water. Brush the top of each pumpkin bagel.
8. 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 golden.
9. Allow the pumpkin bagels to cool before snipping and removing the cord.
10. Slice through the centre and enjoy with your favourite bagel spread or filling!

craving some more deliciously fun bread recipes?

Finnish-Canadian Pulla Bread, Easy Braided Bread Loaf, Cheese Bread Loaf (Super Soft!)

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