These sweet potato bagels are a wonderful homemade fall treat! Try serving them with apple or pumpkin butter along with a bit of cream cheese. So good.
I love bagels. When I was little my mother would make me “special bagels” which meant she would top them with a very generous amount of cream cheese and then place them under the broiler. The cream cheese would soften and develop a caramelized layer on top, which she would cover with strawberry jam.
Total decadence. I still crave special bagels for breakfast sometimes, especially when I’m feeling under the weather. They’re comfort food.
What I don’t really love about standard bagels are their size. Am I alone here? They’re just too big for me. The great thing about making bagels from scratch is that you can control how big they are.
I knew I wanted to start by making homemade sweet potato bagels, and that I wanted to create smaller portions. Not mini-bagels (because seriously, those are tiny), but smaller bagels. Something that I could enjoy without feeling weighed down.
These are not difficult to make, I promise. The only important note I would make about this recipe is that when you roll out the dough and shape it into a bagel, you really want to pinch the ends together firmly.
Squeeze it around a bunch until there’s very little sign of a seal. If you don’t firmly seal the ends together, the bagel might come undone while you’re boiling it.
But aside from that, have fun! You will love these bagels. I can’t think of a better breakfast for Thanksgiving morning. I might even use my mother’s trick and make special bagels.
You can use store bought pumpkin pie spice, or you can make your own (you probably already have the spices in your cabinet. My pumpkin pie spice is from Penzeys. If you want to make your own spice mix, try this combo (which will yield more than this recipe requires):
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
Once you’ve mastered these, be sure to try my homemade cinnamon raisin bagels!
Baking With Yeast
This recipe uses active dry yeast. Yeast is an ingredient many novice bakers fear, and I’d like to change that! So what is yeast, and how does it work? Can you substitute one variety for another? Check out my article What is Yeast to learn more!
Sweet Potato Bagels
Ingredients
- 14 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (approximately 3 cups)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup sweet potato puree (see notes)
Instructions
- Whisk/sift together flour, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the water, yeast and 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar until bubbly. Allow it to proof for 5 minutes.
- Add the sweet potato puree and mix it into the liquid using a dough hook and then add the flour mixture. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes and then turn the speed up to medium and allow it to mix for an additional minute.
- Form the dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover and allow the dough to double in size, approximately 1 hour. Remove the dough and punch it down.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet. Using a kitchen scale, measure out 2 ounce balls (these will make small bagels compared to what you would buy in a store. For a more traditionally sized bagel, aim for 3.5 ounces). Roll each ball into a 5-inch log. Join the ends and firmly pinch them together. Once all of the bagels are rolled out, let them rest for an additional 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- In batches, boil the bagels for around 30 seconds per side.
- Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and place them on the prepared sheet tray. Bake for 12 minutes, flip, and bake for an additional 12 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Lily @ Life, Love, and Cupcakes says
Love it! I don’t know why I haven’t made bagels yet, but they’re definitely going on my list! I love the idea of making them a bit smaller too…although my boyfriend might not agree, he LOVES bagels!
Red Star Yeast says
A perfect fall breakfast recipe. Love the smaller size and that caramelized cream cheese sounds delicious!
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says
This sounds sooooo good, definitely wanna give this a whirl. Did the technique take a while to perfect?
Jennifer Farley says
It took me a couple times to realize how well I had to pinch the ends in order for the bagels to keep their circle shape.
Kathryn says
I’ve only just learnt to appreciate the joy of a good bagel – can’t wait to give this version a try!
annelies says
These look fantastic. I think I would eat mine with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the cream cheese. Yum.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
These are beyond brilliant! I love the flavor, and that gorgeous warm color. So easy, too!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I need to try making bagels soon. Love your twist with sweet potato! perfect for thanksgiving :)
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says
I also love bagels with a thick spread of cream cheese. Broiling them is a good idea. I’ve never had sweet potato bagels but I know I would like these!
Marta @ What Should I eat for breakfast today says
Fresh bagel with a creamy spread will make a better day.
Jill says
Oh, yum! These look great. And your story about how your mom would put a bagel with cream cheese under the broiler and then top it with jam? Genius! Something I must try soon!
Julie @ Lovely Little Kitchen says
These are perfect. I’ve never made homemade bagels, but I’ll have to give these a try. How sweet of your mom to make you “special bagels”.
Laura Dembowski says
I loved bagels as a kid too but don’t eat them any more for the sales reason as you. These look great and sound easy to make. I’ll have to try the caramelized cream cheese trick!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Oh my, those special bagels sound incredible :) I’d like one now!
I’ll have to try out this recipe asap
Two Red Bowls says
That special bagel sounds amazing! My childhood way of eating bagels was a little less inventive — I’d just microwave it for 30 seconds and eat it soft instead of toasting it like normal people. (But I think it’s still secretly my favorite way of eating a bagel. I’m an oddball.) I’ve never made bagels from scratch, though, and I’d love to try. This sweet potato version sounds delightful.
Jeffrey says
I’ve made bagels a couple of times but don’t like the texture, they come out too dense. I like my bagels soft and airy, toasted to perfection with just the right amount of cream cheese. Love the combination here, sweet potatoes are awesome!