December 13, 2017

homemade gingerbread bagels

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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.

homemade gingerbread bagels

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 . of course things got busy and those bagels never happened, at least not yet. after a stop at panera over the weekend i decided i needed to make time for bagel making. with christmas in the air pumpernickel bagels were not festive enough, but gingerbread bagels are perfectly festive and unbelievably delicious.

homemade gingerbread bagels

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

Print Recipe
Yield: 6 bagels

homemade gingerbread bagels

Prep Time: 30 minutes plus rest times

Cook Time: 20 - 25 minutes

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
 
if you are not using instant yeast, you will need to proof the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water  and 1 tsp of the sugar- then whisk the remaining water with the molasses - add the yeast and the molasses to the flour remaining sugar, and spices

homemade gingerbread bagels

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!

homemade gingerbread bagels

baking, bread, breakfast
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