Brown Sugar Pumpkin Spice Bagels

I am NOT one of those people who just WAITS for the pumpkin spice treats to start showing up in coffee shops and bakeries in September.....I'm more the apple spice person! I can't wait for the fall crop of apples to come in.....oooooo, the eating and baking I do with them!!! That said, I have nothing against pumpkin spice "everything" - you just will rarely find me ordering/making/eating it.  My youngest daughter, on the other hand, IS a pumpkin spice person. She excitedly called from Columbus the other evening to report that she and her hubby had just treated themselves to a bag of pumpkin spice coffee to enjoy on these crisp fall mornings. I thought of her and all those "pumpkin spice mania folks" when I made these bagels the other morning for a breakfast meeting. Chewy, warm, spicy and delicious, these bagels really were a treat. I sent my daughter a picture so she could enjoy them "virtually", but something tells me that's not quite the same as biting into one! So, NO virtual bagels for you - don't just look at this bagel's pic......Get to your kitchen and make some! (You do have to do a little planning ahead for these - but the key words there are "a little"!) 

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Spice Bagels!

Here’s my “plan of attack” for these wonderful bagels: Two hours before I’m heading to bed I do the sponge, the dough and the shaping. (This all happens while I’m hanging out , watching TV or whatever…most of the 2 hrs. is rising time - easy peasy!) . I place them in the frig and let rise overnight. In the am, all I have to do is boil the bagels, do a little egg wash and pop them in the oven. YUM!!

Sponge:

1 ¾ Cup bread flour

1 ¼ Cup water

½ tsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

Dough:

½ tsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

2 Tbsp. water

7 Tbsp. pumpkin canned pumpkin (puree)

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 ½-2 ½ Cups bread flour

Optional: ½ Cup raisins, if desired  

For Boiling Water:

1 Tbsp. baking soda

Topping:

1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water (for egg wash)

About 1/3 Cup brown sugar to sprinkle atop bagels

Sponge: Mix all sponge ingredients together in the EZ DOH bucket until well-mixed. Cover and let rise for 1+ hours.

Dough: Dissolve yeast in 2 Tbsp. water. Add all “dough ingredients”, including dissolved yeast,  to the EZ DOH bucket containing the sponge. EZ DOH-it ! (The recipe calls for 1 ½-2 ½ cups of flour – start with 1 ½ . Gradually add additional flour as necessary to achieve a moist, but not sticky, dough. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Place on a lightly floured surface, cover with a towel and let rest for 20 minutes.  Shape each ball into a bagel (Roll dough with cupped hand; gently push a hole into the center with thumb and forefinger; tug gently, rotating,  to enlarge hole). Place bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Cover lightly with a sheet of plastic wrap and place in frig for 4-12 hours.

Baking: Remove plastic wrap from pan. Bring a large pot (Dutch oven) of water to a boil. Slowly add 1 Tbsp. baking soda. Boil bagels, 3-4 at a time, for 1 minute on each side. Remove from pot with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Return to parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the bagels with the egg wash. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 425 for 10-20 minutes, until golden.



Adapted from a recipe at: Seasons and Suppers
Visit http://www.wildyeastblog.com/yeastspotting/ for more delicious breads

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Spice Bagels