Gingerbread Bagels

I fully admit, I'm a Panera Gingerbread Bagel addict... you've heard my stories before. Making my parents who live in another state buy out stores and freeze them for me, attempts at making them at home... all failures... but let me tell you my lovely readers, I'm close... soo close to perfecting the recipe. In all reality even if I didn't get any closer I'd be happy with what came out of the oven last week.

Delicious, home made, screw you panera for not having my beloved gingerbread bagels this year, gingerbread bagels! :)

Did I just really write screw you panera... I know, I know, don't be negative, but I was seriously heartbroken when I heard they would not have them this year. I proceeded to call every panera in my area (and then called a few in states I have relatives living in...yes I was that desperate) to ask if they would be having gingerbread bagels this year at their location... I just assumed the first three bakery employees I talked too had no idea what they were talking about! They had NEVER HEARD of the panera gingerbread bagel and informed me they didn't exist!! LIES!!! I knew they existed once, and was growing more and more depressed with every location I called to only be told again and again, that they would not be selling them this year. :( The reason given was to keep the variety of the menu always changing. I'm calling BS on that and am still boycotting them. Sorry panera, you lost me as a customer when you made me wait all year for my true love, and then told me he's not showing up. Horrors.

But I don't need you panera, because I figured out how to make them at home. And make them at home I will! Obviously I'm not going to keep my recipe to myself, I'm going to blast it as far and wide as I can so that all the other gingerbread bagel loving crazies out there can have a little slice of deliciousness back in their lives on their time table... not YOUR time table panera. :D Sure limiting something delicious to one time of the year makes it special... but limiting it to once a year and then discontinuing it is just plain MEAN if you ask me.

So roll up your sleeves peeps and get kneading, I hope you love these as much as I do! They take a little bit of time, and a few special ingredients, but in the end they aren't rocket science or anything.

::steph chows:: gingerbread bagels
recipe by steph chows

1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 teaspoon yeast
2 tablespoon molasses
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup barley flour (I found this is the natures market section of my grocery store)
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (might need a little more or less, depending on stickiness of your dough)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger
1 Tbs barley malt syrup

Start by place water, yeast, and molasses in a large bowl (if your bowl is cold it will bring the temp of the water down quick, so I usually run some warm water in the bowl first to warm it up a bit, then dump it out and add in all your ingredients). Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve yeast and molasses, let sit for 5-10 minutes or until mixtures begins to foam. (If this does not happen your yeast was either dead or your water was too cold or hot. AKA you have to start over, if you keep going they wont rise)

Once yeast is ready, add oil, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and whole wheat flour. Begin to knead with your hands, start adding the white flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl (dough should still be kind of soft, just not sticky. You may need more or less than the 2 cups I indicated.) Remove from bowl and continue to knead on a floured counter for 10 minutes. (add in the 1/4 cup candied ginger towards the end)

Roll dough out onto a mat or cutting board and cut into 8 equal sized pieces. Cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes.

Form dough balls into bagel shapes (I use the poke your thumb through the middle method). Cover and let them rest for another 30 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven (and in my case a baking stone) to 425˚ and bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 Tbs barley malt syrup. (this may be the hardest ingredient to find, and totally necessary! I found mine in the international aisle of the grocery store)

Toss your bagels into the pot of boiling water and boil for 1 minute, flip them over and boil 1 additional minute. Once all the bagels are boiled I put them on a cornmeal covered pizza peel and transfer them to my baking stone. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bagels are golden and cooked all the way through (time may vary depending on your oven).

Let them cool enough so you don't burn your hands off, cut and serve with your favorite cream cheese. Mine is paneras hazelnut cream cheese... guess who needs to figure out how to make that at home now :)


Am I over reacting with my love of gingerbread bagels? And sadness/sarcasm over Panera discontinuing them? Have you done anything nutty like this when a company discontinues your true love? It's ok, you can call me crazy ;)

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