Yuletide Christmas bagels

December 11, 2008 11:05 AM

Home made bagels. Christmas bagels actually.

Mrs Mutant loves the bagels I've made using a variation of this recipe, and the price is certainly right (plain, about three pence each direct cost). Before baking I've dusted my bagels with confectionary sugar or chocolate chips, both of which have been received as well as good old plain (I always make mixed batches).

We're hosting kin for Christmas and as I'm doing the cooking I'd like suggestions on how to dress up the bagels into a food suitable for breakfast on the day itself, or Boxing day or pretty much anytime during the holiday period.

posted by Mutant to food & drink (13 comments total)

In my house it would be persimmon bagels (well persimmon waffles actually is the tradition), but I think persimmon, squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato puree added to the dough would make a holiday-ish bagel.
posted by sulaine at 11:11 AM on December 11, 2008

Red and green food coloring. I had a green bagel once on St. Patrick's Day, and it was quite festive.
posted by amro at 11:15 AM on December 11, 2008

Fruit and spices as if for a Christmas pudding?
posted by uncleozzy at 11:19 AM on December 11, 2008

Cinnamon and raisin bagels, the spice and fruit are a little Christmasy.
posted by pokeedog at 11:20 AM on December 11, 2008

Cranberry (red) bagels with pistachio (green) cream cheese?
posted by thejanna at 11:52 AM on December 11, 2008

I'd go with the cinnamon and raisin too, or maybe apple and cinnamon.

A combination of dried ginger and little chunks of crystallised ginger would make an excellent gingerbread-style bagel.

Cranberry bagels would probably be excellent with leftover turkey.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 12:11 PM on December 11, 2008

Dried cranberries + Orange Zest + Cloves
posted by jferg at 12:11 PM on December 11, 2008

Put the fanciness into the spreads you serve alongside, rather than the bagels themselves (bagel purist here). With spreads, the sky's the limit, but you can only do so much to a bagel before it turns into a toroidal muffin. I envision a beautifully decorated sideboard full of luscious lox, flavored cream cheeses, jams, lemon curd, and other lavish spreads, next to heaping platters of plain honest bagels. (I think I've been getting too many holiday catalogs in the mail.)
posted by Quietgal at 12:45 PM on December 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yum yum cranberry bagels
posted by radioamy at 12:54 PM on December 11, 2008

pumpkin, dried cranberry and apricot bagels.
posted by theora55 at 2:18 PM on December 11, 2008

i had a job baking and selling bagels for way too long and through too many holidays... i'd comment that lots of people find food coloring dyed bagels too weird to enjoy. if you were into doing the color theme, i'd maybe second the cranberry, etc natural colors instead of food coloring unless your relatives are really adventurous or about 10 years old.

i think the festive ideas above are great and capture holiday spirit, otherwise
i think putting the variety towards the cream cheese and leaving the bagels themselves to just a couple options might be a great idea. that way you might be able to plan better for numbers and making sure everyone gets choices, you can always store left over cream cheese and jelly.
(pb, jelly, smoked salmon, cinnamon, sandwich meats and veggies, cheese slices would all be good options for on top, regular cream cheese, some nutty flavored, strawberry or are some common ones)

you could use the bagels instead of bread for whatever specific you need... breakfast sandwiches included. if they are soft enough...eggs benedict, etc might even work
posted by nzydarkxj at 3:37 PM on December 11, 2008

You could go Norwedish holiday style and cook up some cardamom bagels. I know cardamom rolls (like cinamon rolls with cardamom instead) are very tasty.
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:56 AM on December 12, 2008

On the off chance you don't already know, cinnamon mixed into a dough will kill the yeast.
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:59 AM on December 12, 2008