QJBlogs In The Kitchen: Cinnamon Pumpkin Bagels & Cinnamon Honey Spread

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I considered doing a how-to on cooking a turkey dinner, but I think most of us are looking to spend our weekend at home eating home cooked meals. So I thought I would look for something seasonal with a unique twist; after all, it’s not everyday you can bake with pumpkin. When I read this recipe’s ingredients (i.e. yeast) I almost wrote it off as too time-consuming and fussy. I decided to tackle the recipe with the help of my housemate and our hard work paid off. This is a recipe for a passionate baker; it requires a couple of hours and you need to be attentive, but it’s certainly an impressive alternative to your average Tim Horton’s bagel. How many of you can say you’ve successfully made homemade bagels? Bake these before the weekend and bring them home to the family —perfect for Thanksgiving brunch.

Ingredients (makes 10 bagels)

• 1 1/2 packets dry active yeast (you can find these in the baking section-it comes in packs of 3)

• 1 cup warm water

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 2 tbsp. honey

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. allspice

• 1 tbsp. cinnamon

• 2 cups of pumpkin puree

• 3 to 4 cups of white flour (more if needed)

• olive oil, for greasing bowl & hands

• 1 egg, for egg wash

For Honey Cinnamon Spread:

• 1 small container of cream cheese

• 1/4 cup honey

• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions
Step 1: Activate the yeast by combining it with the warm water in a large bowl. After three to five minutes stir in the brown sugar and honey, then let sit for another few minutes.

Step 2: Add vanilla, salt, allspice, cinnamon and the pumpkin to the activated yeast and combine well.

Step 3: Add 3 cups flour and knead for about eight minutes, all the while adding in more flour as needed. I ended up using about 4 1/2 cups altogether. The dough should be elastic and only moderately sticky.

Step 4: Set in an olive oil-greased bowl, cover and set in a warm place for one hour to rise.

Step 5: Remove dough from bowl and place onto a lightly floured surface; we used a large wooden cutting board. Separate into 10 equal sized balls (I recommend you grease your hands with olive oil to do this, it makes shaping the dough much easier).

Step 6: One by one poke a hole (using your thumb or end of a mixing spoon) into the middle of each ball. Gently squeeze, pull and shape each so it has a nice round appearance, with an approximately two- inch hole in the middle. Flour and oil hands as needed to prevent sticking.

Step 7: Set on a cookie sheet and cover with a dishtowel in a warm place for another 20-25 minutes to rise again.

While we waited we made our spread. Combine cream cheese, cinnamon and honey by hand, or whip with an electric mixer. Blend until fluffy, transfer to bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Step 8: When the second rising process is almost complete, boil a pot of water and preheat the oven to 350 C. After the uncooked bagels are finished rising, boil each one for about 45 seconds on each side. You’ll want to do this with a friend and one of you can keep track of the timing. We ended up using 2 spatulas to help maneuver the bagels in the water. Remove from water and spread out onto a clean surface (we used chopping boards); pat dry with paper towel.

Step 9: Put boiled bagels on 2 greased cookie trays, and brush with an egg wash (1 beaten egg). Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool.

Step 10: Once cooled, spread a liberal amount of cream cheese spread and enjoy! We froze half of the batch to preserve the freshness.

Adapted from: ridingoffintothesunset.blogspot.ca

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