Homemade Healthier Cheese Bagels

Happy Monday, Friends! If you've ever thought of making your own bagels until you saw the part in the recipe about boiling them before baking, I've got the perfect recipe for you...no boiling required! There's nothing quite like baked goods fresh out of the oven and these healthier cheese bagels are absolutely scrumptious

True confession: During the pandemic when everyone was making sourdough bread, I decided I wanted to make bagels--I even bought the pans. However, I have to admit my enthusiasm waned when all the recipes I saw mentioned boiling the bagels before baking them?! I realized I wasn't that committed! 😉

More recently, I've noticed a lot of social media photos of bagels made with Greek yogurt. Not surprisingly, the comments ranged from These taste amazing! to These look great but they taste nothing like bagels! Still, as someone who is a fan of Greek yogurt recipes, my curiosity was piqued so I did a little hands-on research before sharing my recipe. That being said, please read this tip first: It is important to use whole fat yogurt and to knead the dough for at least 15 minutes. With my first batch, I didn't have whole fat yogurt and I rushed the kneading process; the difference in taste and texture was night and day--please learn from my mistake and follow this tip the first time. I am convinced the latter italicized comments above are from those who didn't heed similar advice in the recipes they used! Okay, ready to bake some bagels?  

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons water

Egg wash and toppings (I used Asiago cheese and minced rosemary, but you may prefer  different toppings) 

Bagel pans (These silicone pans make it easy to bake uniform bagels that will pop right out after baking.)

Start by blending the dry ingredients. Next, add Greek yogurt and water to create the dough--it will be crumbly. Then, coat your hands with olive oil and knead the dough for 15-20 minutes before dividing it into small balls* that you will roll between your palms to form ropes of dough. (My bagel pans are on the small side, so I usually form 10 balls*. If the dough becomes sticky, you can add more flour sparingly.) 

Last, press the dough ropes into the pans, join the ends, and brush the bagel tops with egg wash before adding toppings and baking at 300 degrees until golden brown, usually 25-30 minutes. 

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You'll notice that the melted cheese produces a somewhat lumpy top side but here's a peek of the other side of the bagel. 

Nutrition info per cheese bagel:

Calories 165* Sodium 95g*Carbs 12 g* Protein 7 g*Fat 4 g*Fiber 3 g 

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