Ok, ok, you guys know of my bagel-making obsession by now. So yesterday when I was making my weekly batch, I wanted to try a holiday-themed spin on a flavor. So I went with these delicious holiday bagels!
The flavor: Cranberry White Cheddar Pumpkin Seed, and a few had a sesame seed coating too. The verdict? So good!!
I love raisins in bagels, so the dried cranberries were a similar holiday spin on that texture and flavor. These bagels would be so fun to give as a gift or just whip up and devour all December long. Let’s get baking!…
Holiday Bagel Ingredients
I use my go-to plain bagel recipe for this one, and simple add in some goodies.
white cheddar – I used Violife cheddar block. It is a creamy, sharp white cheddar and so good. I grated the cheese, but you could also chop into small chunks.
cranberries – I used organic sweetened dried cranberries. I love these apple-sweetened cranberries by Eden.
pumpkin seeds – I used raw pumpkin seeds and finely chopped them to help bring out the flavor. You could also lightly toast them in a skillet for a few minutes to help bring out even more flavor.
sesame – I wanted some sort of coating on a few of these and sesame seeds seemed to work really well with these flavors. Plus the white color reminds me of snow!
How to Serve Holiday Bagels?
I love a simple swipe of vegan cream cheese with these festive bagels. Try Kite Hill or your own DIY cheese ball!
Other Holiday Bagel Add-in Flavors?
Some other holiday bagel add-ins you could try…
- chestnuts
- hazelnuts
- cinnamon
- pumpkin
- pecan
- ginger
- molasses
- sage
- dried apricot
- pomegranate
- persimmon
- walnut
How to Add in Bagel Ingredients:
When it comes to shelf-stable add-ins like nuts and seeds, I will fold those in at the same time that I add in the yeast and flour.. before the rise.
But if I am adding in fridge ingredients like cheese, I fold that in after the first rise – so it isn’t sitting on the counter too long.
Holiday Bagels
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 3 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups bread flour
Add-ins:
- ⅓ cup vegan white cheddar cheese, shreds or small cubes
- ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds, chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup sesame seeds, coating – optional
Instructions
- Add the yeast, warm water and coconut sugar to a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Let this mixture sit for five minutes.
- Add the salt and flour – adding the flour one cup at a time, stirring to mix. When you have a nice sturdy ball of dough, knead it in the bowl for a few minutes. Ideally, you can turn out the dough onto a floured surface and give it a good kneading by hand for five minutes. (If you have a stand mixer a dough hook works too.)
- Using your same mixing bowl, plop the dough in the center of the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and place in a warm spot in your kitchen for 90-120 minutes to rise.
- When dough is done rising, turn out onto a floured surface and give a light kneading to the now fluffier dough ball. Slice the dough into equal pieces – you should get anywhere from 6-10 depending on the size of your bagels. I like large bagels, so I did about 6.
- Shape each piece into a round shape as much as possible, then poke a hole through the center using your finger. Shape more if desired. Set aside. Repeat with all the pieces of dough.
- Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Bring a large pot of about six cups of water to a bowl. Add the barley malt syrup. Add 2-3 bagels at a time and bowl for 1-2 minutes each. Transfer boiled bagels to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all the bagels. While bagels are boiling, you can be dipping the already boiled bagels into any toppings you want to use.
- Bake bagels at 450 for about 20-25 minutes or until tops are slightly browned.Cool for ten minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the freezer – or can be kept on the counter for up to a day for best flavor and texture. Tip: Slice bagels in half before freezing!
Equipment
- baking sheet
- pot, large
- large mixing bowl
nutrition estimate | per serving
