homemade gingerbread bagels
no matter how busy it gets, the holidays are absolutely my favorite time of the year. now that stella’s birthday has passed, we are in full blown christmas mode. in between basketball practices and games we finally got our tree up and the house decorated, and the kids and i made the first, but certainly not the last, batch of peanut butter balls. it is definitely beginning to look, and with a batch of gingerbread bagels baking, smell a lot like christmas around here.
after our trip to nyc last summer, i was obsessed with pumpernickel bagels. i could not wait to try and recreate the ones i ate in the city. i ordered pumpernickel flour and these bagel molds 
bagels may seem intimidating, but trust me they are not. yes, they do require yeast and two rise times, but don’t let that stop you. most of the time required to make bagels is rest time. yes, the bagel molds are extremely helpful, but i have been making bagels without the molds for years. that being said, the molds are inexpensive and if your family loves bagels as much as mine does, you will use them all the time. these gingerbread bagels are a great place to start.
homemade gingerbread bagels
Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cup bread flour
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup very warm water
- 1/4 cup molasses
- water and 1 tsp baking soda for boiling
Directions:
- in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) combine all of the dry ingredients
- whisk together the water and molasses, and then add to the dry ingredients
- knead by hand or with the dough hook attachment until you have a smooth ball of dough ( add a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky)
- place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover to rest until doubled (about an hour)
- punch dough down, divide, and roll into 6 balls
- if using a bagel mold, press dough into mold, if not using the mold press a floured finger into the center of each ball to create a whole in the center
- cover bagels and let rise while you bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the baking soda
- boil bagels 1 at a time (leave in mold if using) for about 60 seconds
- place bagels on a cooling rack to drain water
- preheat the oven to 425 degrees
- place bagels on a baking sheet (keep in mold if using)
- bake for 20 minutes until golden brown
- cool before slicing
boiling the bagels before they go into the oven is a crucial step not to be skipped. it creates a chewy interior and a nice thick crust. the longer the boil, the thicker the crust. i keep mine in the boiling water for about 1 minute and my bagels are very dense with a nice thick crust.
toasted with butter, or slathered in cream cheese, these gingerbread bagels are a definite must make this holiday season.
enjoy!
Gingerbread bagels is something I have never tried before. Now these must be made and tried at my home. Sound wonderful.
thank you so much! we love them
I’ve never even heard of a gingerbread bagel before but it sounds amazing! Ooh, and with cream cheese!
I have never even considered making my own bagels. Brilliant. My son loves any kind of bread, bagels being a favorite. He would love this. Thank you for sharing.
I’m with your son 🙂 bagels are delicious
ohhhh this sounds amazing. I need to start making my own bagel creations like this. I should start with this recipe. yum
homemade bagels are so much better than anything you can get from the store, a bit of work but totally worth the effort
What an interesting combination… gingerbread and bagels. I love both, so I would definitely be interested in trying this recipe.
they are most definitely worth the effort