Comments on: Yuletide Christmas bagels

Question: Yuletide Christmas bagels

Mutant — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:05:54 -0800

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.

By: sulaine

sulaine — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:11:53 -0800

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.

By: amro

amro — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:15:41 -0800

Red and green food coloring. I had a green bagel once on St. Patrick's Day, and it was quite festive.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:19:13 -0800

Fruit and spices as if for a Christmas pudding?

By: pokeedog

pokeedog — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:20:07 -0800

Cinnamon and raisin bagels, the spice and fruit are a little Christmasy.

By: thejanna

thejanna — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:52:21 -0800

Cranberry (red) bagels with pistachio (green) cream cheese?

By: le morte de bea arthur

le morte de bea arthur — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:11:25 -0800

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.

By: jferg

jferg — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:11:52 -0800

Dried cranberries + Orange Zest + Cloves

By: Quietgal

Quietgal — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:45:59 -0800

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.)

By: radioamy

radioamy — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:54:21 -0800

Yum yum cranberry bagels

By: theora55

theora55 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:18:51 -0800

pumpkin, dried cranberry and apricot bagels.

By: nzydarkxj

nzydarkxj — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:37:51 -0800

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

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:56:10 -0800

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.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:59:49 -0800

On the off chance you don't already know, cinnamon mixed into a dough will kill the yeast.