Sourdough Pumpkin Bagel Recipe
This sourdough pumpkin bagel recipe brings real pumpkin flavor and warm spice to a classic sourdough bagel — dense, chewy, and made with an active starter instead of commercial yeast. It’s a two-day process built around your starter’s natural fermentation schedule, so most of the time is hands-off while the dough develops flavor.
Table of contents
Why This is a Great Sourdough Pumpkin Bagel Recipe
✓ Well Tested
This sourdough recipe was developed by me in my kitchen. Using my active sourdough starter as the base, the recipe was tested repeatedly to fine tune the mixing, fermentation, shaping, boiling and baking processes.
✓Classic New York Style Bagel with Sourdough and Pumpkin Flavor
This recipe is a variation of my popular New York Style Sourdough Bagel recipe. The pumpkin brings an interesting flavor to the classic sourdough bagel. The spice supports the pumpkin but doesn’t take us into “pumpkin spice” territory. The seeded topping has a wonderful savory crunch.
✓ Easy to Work Ahead
Like all my sourdough recipes, this one is designed to work over two days. See the Baking Schedule section below for specifics.
Ingredient Notes
- Bread Flour – Good bagels should have a very chewy crumb from a strong gluten network in the dough. High protein bread flour develops plenty of gluten.
- Sourdough Starter — This recipe was developed using a 100% hydration starter. If your starter has a different hydration, adjust the water or flour accordingly.
- Pumpkin Puree – Use only pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. I find canned pumpkin more consistent for baking. If you have fresh pumpkin puree and it is very wet, blot the puree on paper towels to wick away extra moisture.
- Barley Malt Syrup – Adds a traditional slightly sweet note to the dough that actually enhances the pumpkin flavor and the spice note. You can substitute honey or a combination or honey and molasses for the barley malt syrup.
- Spices – In place of the spices listed in the recipe you can use the same total amount of any pumpkin spice blend.
- Baking Soda & Sugar – For boiling the bagels. The boiling process creates the specific shiny and chewy bagel crust.
Process Photos
Here’s what the recipe process looks like at each stage. Refer to the recipe card below for measurements and exact instructions.
Mixing The Dough
- Combine the active starter with water and flour. Set aside for 30-60 minutes. The flour starts to absorb water to begin gluten formation. The flour feeds the starter and amps up the yeast growth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and some flour to form a thick batter.
- Switch to the dough hook if using a stand mixer. Add the remaining flour. The dough will start out quite shaggy.
- After 5 minutes of kneading the dough should clear the sides of the bowl and cling to the hook.
Bulk Fermentation
- Set the dough aside at room temperature for bulk fermentation.
- Every hour fold the dough.
- Fermentation is done when the dough is light, aerated and elastic.
Baking Sense Tip
Enriched doughs rise more slowly than lean doughs. Sugar (the barley malt syrup in this recipe) and spices slow yeast activity, so both the bulk fermentation may take a bit longer.
Shaping & Cold Proof
- Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a tight ball.
- Poke a hole through the center of a dough ball.
- Use your fingers to stretch the center hole and form the bagel.
- Line the bagels onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Wrap the entire tray in plastic and refrigerate overnight (see the baking schedule for details).
- In the morning, take the tray out of the refrigerator. The bagels should be slightly puffed, but not doubled in size. Think of it as a “half-proof”.
Proofing, Boiling, Baking
- Set up for boiling the bagels. Keep a draining rack near the stove.
- Gently lower the bagels into the boiling water. Adjust the heat to keep the water at a steady simmer. Flip the bagels every 30 seconds for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the boiled bagels to a cooling rack to drain. Dip the top of each bagel in the chopped pumpkin seeds.
- Arrange the bagels onto a parchment lined sheet pan.
- Bake until well-risen and lightly brown.
Baking Schedule
- Feed your starter the night before.
- Mix the dough in the early afternoon and you should be ready for shaping the bagels by evening.
- In the evening, form the bagels. In cooler months when my starter and dough are less active, I give the shaped bagels 60 minutes at room temperature then put them in the refrigerator for the night. In warmer months when my starter and dough are more more active, I put the shaped bagels right into the refrigerator for the night without leaving them out.
- Take the bagels out in the morning.
- Once the oven is preheated and the bagels are at room temperature, start boiling the bagels.
More Sourdough Recipes To Try
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Sourdough Pumpkin Bagel Recipe
These sourdough pumpkin bagels have the same dense, chewy bite as a classic bagel, built on your starter's natural fermentation instead of commercial yeast. Real pumpkin and warm spice come through in every bite, without tipping sweet. Feed your starter the night before, and the rest of the schedule falls into place over the following day.
bagels
Start Cooking
Ingredients
- 8 oz active sourdough starter
- 4 oz warm water
- 20 oz bread flour
- 8 oz canned pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ oz barley malt syrup ( see note)
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 oz granulated sugar (for boiling)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda (for boiling)
- 4 oz Pumpkin Seeds (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- In a bowl for a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl combine 8 oz active sourdough starter, 4 oz warm water and 5 oz Bread Flour. Mix to form a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
- Add 8 oz canned pumpkin puree, 1 ½ oz barley malt syrup 1 tablespoon table salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg and mix to combine. If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook. Add the remaining 15 oz Bread Flour and mix to combine.
- Knead 5 minutes on medium/low speed. The dough should cling to the hook and clear the sides of the bowl. If working by hand, stir in as much of the flour as you can, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the remaining flour. Knead 5 minutes. Form the dough into a smooth ball.
- Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature. After 60 minutes uncover the bowl, lift one side of the dough and fold it into the middle of the dough. Repeat with the other three sides of the dough then flip the dough over. You're basically turning the dough inside-out to redistribute the yeast. Cover the bowl and repeat the procedure every 60 minutes for a total fermentation time of about 4-5 hours. The dough should be lively, elastic and airy. If the dough is still sluggish give it another hour or two at room temperature.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface without kneading out the air. Divide the dough into 10 even pieces. Use a cupped hand to roll each piece into a smooth, tight ball.
- To form a bagel, poke your finger all the way through the center of a ball to make a hole. Use two fingers to gently open up the hole. Continue gently stretching to form the bagel or twirl the dough around your fingers to widen the center hole to 1 – 1½" wide.
- Place the bagel on the prepared sheet pan and continue to form the remaining bagels. The dough may spring back a bit so you can go back and re-stretch the holes once you're done forming all the bagels. Cover the pan with plastic wrap. If the dough and the ambient temperature is on the cooler side, leave the shaped bagels at room temperature for 30-60 minutes then place the pan in the refrigerator overnight. If the dough and ambient temp is warmer and the dough is quite active, place the bagels into the refrigerator without leaving them out.
- In the morning take the bagels out of the refrigerator. The should be noticeably fuller than the night before. If they haven't risen in the refrigerator leave them at room temperature until the finish rising.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 °F. In a large pot combine 1 gallon of water with 2 oz granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons baking soda and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep the water at a rolling simmer. Set a cooling rack over a sheet pan or kitchen towel and place it next to the stove. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the chopped 4 oz Pumpkin Seeds in a small bowl.
- Once the oven is preheated, you're ready to boil. Gently lift a bagel off the sheet pan and lower it into the water, bottom side down. Depending on the size of your pot, you can boil 3-4 bagels at a time. Boil the bagels for 30 seconds then flip them. Boil the other side for 30 seconds. Repeat the process again for a total of 2 minutes boiling time. Remove the boiled bagels from the water and set them on the cooling rack to drain.
- As soon as a bagel is cool enough to handle, place it top side down into the pumpkin seeds. Place 5 bagels on each sheet pan. You could fit them all on one pan but they may rise enough to stick together as they bake. I like all the sides to be crusty so I leave plenty of room between them.
- Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
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Notes
You can use 1 tablespoon molasses plus 1 tablespoon of honey instead of barley syrup.
Storage
Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels are best the day they are baked. Fresh bagels never need toasting, but after day-one a light toast brings them back nicely. Do not refrigerate the bagels. Pre-slice leftover bagels 3/4 through, pack them in a storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!
