Mardi Gras King Cake Bagels

Last February, my neighbor Marie who's originally from the NOLA area dropped off a genuine King Cake and my kids went absolutely feral for it. The next weekend I was staring at my bagel dough proofing on the counter and wondered what would happen if I smashed these two traditions together. The first batch was messy and lopsided but the taste made my whole kitchen smell like a French Quarter bakery in the best way possible.

My seven year old now demands these every weekend morning and has started hiding the plastic baby in random bagels just to keep us on our toes. Last Sunday my sister in law took one bite and immediately asked for the recipe before she'd even finished chewing. These have somehow become the thing my friends text me about weeks in advance whenever they know Im planning a brunch.

Ingredients

• Bread flour: The higher protein content here is non negotiable for that signature bagel chew we're after
• Active dry yeast: Make sure your water is bath warm not hot or you'll kill these little workers before they even start
• Warm water: I use my wrist test method like my grandmother taught me it should feel like nothing at all
• Ground cinnamon and nutmeg: These spices are what bridges the gap between regular bagel and King Cake magic
• Cream cheese: Full fat please this is one time we don't want to mess with reduced fat versions
• Colored sanding sugars: The coarse texture is essential because regular granulated sugar just melts away into nothing

Instructions

Wake up the yeast:

Stir your warm water yeast and that tablespoon of sugar together and walk away for exactly five minutes until you see bubbles forming on top like tiny foam islands.

Build the dough:

Mix in your flour salt cinnamon and nutmeg until you have a shaggy messy ball then turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for eight to ten minutes until the dough fights back slightly when you press it.

Let it rest:

Place your smooth dough ball in a bowl that you've greased with a little oil cover it with a damp towel and let it do its thing for an hour until it's puffed up like a sleeping cat in a sunbeam.

Make the filling:

While dough rises beat your cream cheese powdered sugar and vanilla until it's completely smooth then pop it in the fridge so it firms up slightly which makes it way easier to work with later.

Shape the bagels:

Divide your dough into eight equal pieces roll each into a twelve inch rope flatten it slightly spread a thin line of filling down the center and pinch it shut like you're sealing an envelope before forming into rings.

Second rise:

Set your bagel rings on a parchment lined sheet cover them again and let them puff up for twenty minutes until they look slightly puffy and relaxed.

The water bath:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil then drop the bagels in one or two at a time for exactly one minute per side.

Bake to golden:

Brush your boiled bagels with the egg wash slide them into the hot oven and bake for twenty to twenty five minutes until they're the color of honey and your whole house smells incredible.

Festive finish:

Whisk powdered sugar with just enough milk to make a thick drizzleable icing then pour it over the cooled bagels and immediately shower them with purple green and gold sugars before the icing sets.

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Last Fat Tuesday I made three dozen of these for my daughters class party and the teacher emailed me asking if I'd consider making them for the faculty meeting the next week. Something about combining familiar comfort food with festive energy just makes people happy before they even take a bite.

Getting The Colors Right

I've learned the hard way that gel food coloring mixed into regular granulated sugar creates these weird clumpy lumps that never quite dissolve. Course sanding sugar is worth the special trip to the baking aisle because it holds its color and crunch even after the icing sets. If you can't find purple sanding sugar mix a tiny drop of gel color into white sanding sugar and spread it on a baking sheet to dry overnight.

Make Ahead Strategy

You can absolutely make the dough the night before and let it do its slow rise in the refrigerator which actually develops better flavor. In the morning just let it come to room temperature for about thirty minutes before shaping. The filled and shaped bagels can also be frozen on a baking sheet then transferred to a freezer bag you can boil them straight from frozen just add thirty seconds to each side in the water bath.

Serving Ideas For Your Celebration

These shine brightest when served alongside fresh fruit and maybe some mimosas for the adults since the sweetness needs something bright and acidic to balance it out. I've also started making miniature versions using half the dough amount per bagel because they're perfect for brunch buffets where people want to try multiple things.

• Hide a plastic baby in just one bagel after baking if you want the full King Cake tradition
• Set up a decorating station with extra colored sugars so guests can customize
• Serve them slightly warmed because the cream cheese filling gets all gooey and irresistible

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Hope these bring some New Orleans joy to your kitchen no matter how far you are from the French Quarter.