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Easy Overnight Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels

Servings 12 bagels
Calories 336
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 16 hours
Total Time 17 hours

INGREDIENTS

Feed Your Starter

  • 15 g sourdough starter
  • 75 g water
  • 75 g bread flour

Main Dough

Topping Option 1: Cinnamon Sugar

  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 8 g (1 tbsp) ground cinnamon

Topping Option 2: Pumpkin Spice Crunch

For the Boiling Water

  • 1-2 tbsp molasses or honey or brown sugar

Before You Begin

There are two optional toppings — pick one, or halve each to try both. Note that plain bagels store best.
Note: This recipe was developed and is written in metric (grams). Volume measurements (cups & spoons) are automatically converted and untested — use at your own risk. For best results, use a kitchen scale.

Equipment

Instructions 

Day 1: Feed Your Starter & Mix Your Dough

  1. Feed your starter: This recipe uses 150 g of starter. In the morning, feed your starter using a 1:5:5 ratio: 15 g sourdough starter, 75 g water, and 75 g bread flour. This will give you 15 g more than you need, so you can feed the leftovers to maintain your starter.
  2. Mix the dough: About 10–12 hours later (or before you go to bed that night), mix your dough using one of the two methods below.
    By hand: In a large mixing bowl, combine 110 g water, 425 g pumpkin puree (1 can), and 150 g active starter. Then, mix in 100 g brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp maple extract (optional). Finally, add 2 tsp pumpkin spice blend, 825 g bread flour, 25 g non-diastatic malt powder, and 15 g sea salt. When the dough starts coming together, turn it out onto a clean counter and knead for 10–15 minutes until smooth and pliable. (It's a workout, but totally doable!)
    Stand mixer: Add all of the main dough ingredients to your stand mixer bowl fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed for 5–7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and has a stiff Play-Doh texture. If your mixer struggles, stop and let it rest for 10–20 minutes, then resume mixing.
    pumpkin bagels initial mixing in a stand mixer
  3. Texture check: Compare your dough to mine right after mixing — if it's too dry, add water 1 tbsp at a time; if it's too sticky, add flour 1 tbsp at a time. Small adjustments are especially common here since pumpkin purée consistency varies by brand.
  4. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30–60 minutes. You can then knead it again for 1–2 minutes, if desired, to smooth it out further.
  5. Bulk fermentation: Cover and let the dough bulk ferment on the counter overnight (about 10–12 hours at 68–75°F/20–24°C). It should puff up nicely and roughly double in size.
    pumpkin bagel dough beginning and end of bulk fermentation

Day 2: Shape, Boil, & Bake

  1. Shape: The next morning, prepare a half sheet pan with 12 individual parchment squares. Turn out your dough and divide into 12 equal portions (about 135g each). Shape each portion into a smooth, taut ball, and pinch the seams closed. I like to roll it on my counter to even out the round shape.
  2. Then, poke a hole in the center of each ball and stretch it out using your fingers to form the bagel shape. Make the hole slightly larger than desired — it will fill in a bit during proofing.
    poking hole on pumpkin sourdough bagels
  3. Optional pause point: You can refrigerate the shaped bagels here for a few hours or up to 2–3 days (the longer you go, the more sour the bagels will taste). When ready to continue, remove from the fridge and proceed with the second proof at room temperature or in a proofing box until puffy.
  4. Second proof: Cover the bagels with plastic wrap or a sheet tray cover (so they don't dry out) and let them proof for 3–6 hours, or until they puff up, feel light in the hand, and leave an indent when poked.
    pumpkin bagel dough beginning and end of second proof
  5. Preheat oven and prep the boil: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) convection, or 450°F (230°C) conventional. Bring a large pot of water (about 4 quarts) to a boil. Once boiling, add 1-2 tbsp molasses, honey, or brown sugar.
  6. Boil bagels: Drop 4 bagels at a time (still on their parchment squares) into the boiling water. (Important: If your bagel sinks to the bottom of the pot, it is not ready to boil. Put it back on the sheet tray and let it continue proofing.)
    The parchment will naturally release — peel it off and set aside to reuse. Boil for 1 minute on each side, using a slotted spoon to flip. Remove boiled bagels and place them back on your parchment-lined sheet tray.
    boiling and flipping pumpkin bagels
  7. Optional Toppings:
    Option 1 (cinnamon sugar): In a small bowl, combine 50 g granulated sugar and 8 g (1 tbsp) ground cinnamon. Sprinkle about 1 tsp on top of each bagel.
    Option 2 (pumpkin spice crunch): In a small bowl, combine 42 g (3 tbsp) melted butter, 80 g granulated sugar, 60 g brown sugar, 50 g bread flour, 1 tsp pumpkin spice blend, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Press the mixture onto the top of each bagel.
    Plain: Skip the toppings if you prefer! Plain bagels store the best.
  8. Bake: Bake for 16–20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the bagels are a deep orange-brown and the internal temperature reaches 205–210°F (96–99°C). Ovens vary, so the first time you make these, start checking at 15 minutes.
    pumpkin bagels before and after baking
  9. Cool: Let the bagels cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before enjoying (or 1–2 hours for best results).
    cooling bagels on a wire rack

Notes

  • Warm homes (above 75°F/24°C): If your kitchen is warmer than 75°F (24°C), don't do the overnight fermentation — flip the timeline instead. Mix your dough in the morning, monitor the bulk fermentation throughout the day (watching for it to double), then shape and proof in the afternoon/evening. This prevents overproofing.
  • Bread flour: Bread flour works best for bagels — its higher protein content gives them a nice chewiness. I've tested this recipe with King Arthur unbleached bread flour (12.7% protein) and Central Milling High Mountain bread flour (13.5% protein). If you use a lower-protein flour, such as Kirkland all-purpose flour (11.5% protein), add 1 tbsp of vital wheat gluten to help it perform like a higher-protein flour, or decrease the water in the dough slightly.
  • Non-diastatic malt powder: This is optional but highly recommended — it keeps bagels soft for days and enhances flavor and browning. If you only have diastatic malt powder (or non-diastatic is out of stock), toast it at 325°F (160°C) for 5 minutes first to deactivate the enzymes. Let it cool completely before using in your dough. Those enzymes would speed up the fermentation, which is not ideal for an overnight fermentation recipe.
  • Flexible timeline/long-ferment option: You can refrigerate shaped bagels for a few hours or up to 2–3 days, then complete the second proof before boiling and baking.
  • Nutritional facts are estimates, based on using the cinnamon sugar topping.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Overnight Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels
Serving Size
 
1 bagel
Amount per Serving
Calories
336
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
2
g
3
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.4
g
3
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
0.2
g
Cholesterol
 
1
mg
0
%
Sodium
 
499
mg
22
%
Potassium
 
201
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
 
70
g
23
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
13
g
14
%
Protein
 
10
g
20
%
Vitamin A
 
5521
IU
110
%
Vitamin C
 
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
 
44
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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