If you enjoy a savory breakfast option, particularly in a bagel, then this rosemary sea salt version is for you.

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Growing up, I took art classes on Saturdays and next door was a bagel bakery. I don’t know how often my dad took me there but all I remember was being obsessed with their bagels topped with coarse sea salt.

Pretty sure I ordered that just buttered or slathered with cream cheese every time. I was a picky eater and creature of habit.

Now, I may not have turned into the most skilled artist, but thankfully my insanely picky-eater childhood self did grow out of that phase, even if it took until college.

Fast forward to the present and there’s a bagel place in town called The Lox Bagel Shop and even though I have only been there once, I immediately fell in love with their sea salt and herb bagel, which I had sandwiched around a pastrami and egg sandwich.

Clearly I like salted bagels.

Naturally I had to make some for myself. Of course since I also have to keep my sourdough starter alive and well it seemed natural to also make it a sourdough bagel. And thus the idea for these bagels were born.

From what I could tell from their bagels, the herb used was rosemary, hence the name I gave my bagels, but you could really use whichever herbs you have on hand, fresh or dried. Just be sure to use less if dried because it is condensed.

No matter which herb you choose, these babies are worthy of being turned into a candle. They smell amazing while they bake!

And again when you toast them.

And tasty with either plain cream cheese or as a breakfast sandwich! Tested and approved by both child and adult me ;-).

Four years ago: Southern Breakfast Lasagna

Five years ago: Coke Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Six years ago: Peanut Butter & Jelly Parfait

Eight years ago: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Pudding Cookies

Nine years ago: Spicy Chicken and Pepper Jack Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

ROSEMARY SEA SALT SOURDOUGH BAGELS

Print

Yield: 1 dozen

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups warm water
• 1 tsp active dry yeast*
• 1 cup "fed" sourdough starter**
• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary***, plus more for garnish
• 1-3/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• Coarse sea salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the water and yeast and let sit until it gets foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sourdough starter, flour, rosemary, and salt and either knead—by hand or use the dough hook on a stand mixer to form a stiff but slightly sticky dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise for 1 hour (or let rise in fridge overnight, allowing it to come to room temperature for an hour before proceeding). Gently deflate the dough, and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.
3. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by bringing the water and sugar to a very gentle boil in a wide-diameter saute pan. Preheat oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
4. Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 2 inches in diameter (whole bagel about 3-1/2"). Place each bagel on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
5. Transfer the bagels four at a time into the simmering water. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, or the end of a wooden spoon, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with coarse sea salt and chopped rosemary. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
6. Bake the bagels for about 25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like. Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a rack. Best when eaten within 24 hours as the salt will dissolve over time.

Notes

*If you want solely sourdough yeast fermentation leave out the added yeast, just keep in mind the rise times may differ. **Don't want to deal with a sourdough starter? Use 1/2 cup each flour and water instead. ***You can use any fresh herb, but if using dried reduce to 1 Tbsp

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Guys, guys, guys! These are the best bagels ever! They are double dose chocolate bagels (triple is you use chocolate honey like I did) and to sweeten the deal they are served with a peanut butter cream cheese, which gets all melty and awesome when spread on a warm toasted bagel. I wanted to eat the entire batch in one sitting. Heck I’m sitting here (Friday night) typing this post staring at them, thinking about going back for more. The only thing stopping me is knowing that I’m eating pizza in less than 2 hours for dinner. And I gotta save some for Saturday morning to get ready for the OSU vs PSU game! It’ll be a war zone in our house as Bob went to Penn State. I think these bagels will come in handy as a peace offering haha.

One year ago: Pumpkin S’mores Dessert Lasagna

Two years ago: S’mores Pumpkin Pie

Three years ago: Cheddar-BBQ Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP BAGELS WITH PEANUT BUTTER CREAM CHEESE

Makes 6

Ingredients:

BAGELS

1 pkg. (2-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

1/4 cup+ 1/2 tsp chocolate honey (or regular honey)

2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder (or regular cocoa)

2 Tbsp light brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup baking soda

4 cups water

PEANUT BUTTER CREAM CHEESE

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2-4 Tbsp honey, to taste

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon honey in the warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, brown sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the 1/4 cup honey, oil,  and yeast mixture.
3. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7-8 minutes or use a stand mixer with the hook attachment. While the dough is coming together, watch it to see if it is looking dry. If so add a tablespoon or so of water until slightly tacky but doesn’t stick to your fingers. Knead in the chocolate chips.
4. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Lightly coat the dough with oil as well. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 – 2 hours.
5. While the dough rises, prepare the cream cheese. In a small bowl blend together the cream cheese, peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of honey, and salt. Add more honey if preferred. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. When the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, set aside.
7. Place the baking soda and water into a pot and bring to a boil while preparing the dough.
8. Put the risen dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball (do not re-knead) and poke a hole into the center, stretching it out slightly to form a ring. Cover dough with a clean, damp cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.
9. Once risen, drop into the boiling water, 2 at a time. Let boil for about 1 minute per side, then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to prepared baking sheet.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Allow to cool and serve with peanut butter cream cheese. Best the first day but also freeze well.

Source: Bagels adapted from my Everything Bagel Bites and other bagel recipes on my blog.

Pumpkin goes well with just about everything, and to prove it I made these mini pumpkin bagels topping with everything bagel seasoning!

Tomorrow is the big day! Or at least, the big day for the big furniture move because there is still so much left to pack that there’s no way it’s all getting done in one day. Thankfully, we have until the end of January to vacate the current place so I won’t have to feel so annoyed about paying double rent since it’s effectively a storage unit. That procrastination paid off! Meanwhile, the painting it not yet completed but when it is I plan on posting before and after photos so that you can fully appreciate why I needed to spend $200 in paint to change every single room. For once I am actually removing color and painting some rooms white instead of my usual urge to do the opposite!

While I am very excited to be moving to a better location in town, much closer to work, I will be sad to leave the current place for a few reasons: the gallery stairwell complete with bookshelves stuffed with my cookbook obsession, the accent wall entryway, the garage, and my walk-in closet. Be still my heart the walk in closet! I was standing in it last night, staring at my wardrobe collection, pondering how on earth I am going to fit it all into two tiny regular closets. If I cannot purge enough of it, I may need to invest in some apparatus for the basement. That dilemma aside however, and the things I will miss are not all that important. I hope to figure out a way to incorporate a similar accent wall in the new place despite not having a designated entryway, will be able to create a mini gallery wall in the upstairs hallway, and the basement and outdoor storage make up for the lack of a garage.

For these mini bagels, pumpkin in the dough means they are seasonal and the everything topping symbolizes the “everything must go” mentality that I get when packing for a move – especially when it comes to my kitchen pantry. I wish I had the motivation to cook exclusively from the food stocks I already have on a regular basis and not just when I don’t want to pack it. But back to these bagels. I actually made these per the request of a coworker for lab meeting last week. She was about-to-burst-preggo and had been craving homemade bagels since I made the pretzel bagels for another lab meeting months ago (along with the spinach artichoke cheese ball which she also requested). Getting in between a pregnant woman and her cravings was not something I was keen to do! I had some freshly made pumpkin puree that was begging to be used and figured, “why the heck not?” and topped them with everything seasoning. And guess what? She had her baby girl yesterday!

One year ago: Pumpkin Pecan Waffles

Two years ago: Dark Chocolate Chunk Eggnog Cookies

Three years ago: Creamy Ricotta Spinach & Shells

Five years ago: Iced & Spiced Applesauce Cookies

MINI PUMPKIN EVERYTHING BAGELS

Makes 16 small bagels

Ingredients:

BAGELS

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 cup warm water

2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

2 Tbsp brown sugar, divided

1/2 cup canned or homemade pumpkin puree

TOPPING

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 Tbsp dried minced onion

2 tsp black sesame seeds (or toasted regular)

2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. For the bagels, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Whisk together slightly and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes or until slightly foamy.
3. Add the pumpkin puree and mix using a dough hook, then begin to slowly add the flour mixture. Mix for 5 minutes or until smooth, alternating between slow and medium speeds as you add flour. You want to mix it until the dough is no longer sticky. After 5 minutes, if the dough is sticky, you can incorporate another 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
4. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased large bowl. Cover and allow the dough to double in size, about 1 hour.
5. Remove the dough and punch it down. Divide into equal pieces. A digital scale is very helpful, but if you don’t have one just eye out 8 even pieces of dough. Press your finger through the middle of the ball, and form into a bagel shape. They will rise some more, so if you want a hole, make it bigger than the size of a quarter. Repeat with the the rest of the dough. Place on a lightly greased surface and let rest until risen but not doubled, 20 to 30 minutes (or place in fridge overnight).
6. Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring 12 cups of water to a boil with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
8. In batches, boil the bagels for around 20 to 30 seconds per side. Remove from water, place on prepared baking pan, and immediately sprinkle with topping. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool before serving.

Source: Adapted from my Pumpkin Bagels.

Not just any kind of bagel, and not just sourdough either, but sourdough pretzel bagels! The flavor of sourdough, the exterior of a pretzel, and the shape of a bagel all in one.

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In addition to April bring National grilled cheese month, it is also soft pretzel month. Soft pretzels have always been a classic favorite but these days they seem to be everywhere from burger buns, to pizzas, and even dessert versions and I’m not going to stop it from spreading.

In fact I am promoting this trend by bringing pretzels to your breakfast table. Yes I know I am throwing food genres all out of whack this week with breakfast grilled cheese, dessert grilled cheese, and now pretzels for breakfast, but I have a feeling none of you are complaining.

I actually had an obsession with salt bagels as a child and would often get one on the way to or from my weekend art sessions from a bagel bakery next door – always the salt bagel toasted with lots of butter. Such memories are what I lingered upon when digging into these pretzel bagels. While they were not nearly as salty as the salt bagels of my youth, there was still no denying its presence.

These pretzels were also made with a sourdough starter which I’ve been maintaining ever since I made the sourdough blueberry muffins. Sourdough is such a great flavor for pretzels and bagels alike so it was a no brainer to use it in the combination of the two.

Pretzel Perfection!

• Alton Brown’s Soft Pretzels from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Chocolate Chip Soft Pretzels from That Recipe
• Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Dip from Blogghetti
• Jalapeno Pretzel Crusted Chicken Strips from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Pretzel Buns (Laugenbrötchen) from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

One year ago: Avocado Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Two years ago: Spring Salsa

Four years ago: Funfetti Month Recipe Round-Up

SOURDOUGH PRETZEL BAGELS

Print

Yield: 1 dozen Prep Time: 3 Hours Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups warm water
• 1 tsp active dry yeast*
• 1 cup "fed" sourdough starter**
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1-3/4 tsp salt
• Water
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• Coarsesea salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the water and yeast and let sit until it gets foamy, about 5 minutes*. Add the sourdough starter, flour, and salt and either knead—by hand or use the dough hook on a stand mixer to form a stiff but slightly sticky dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise for 1 hour (or let rise in fridge overnight). Gently deflate the dough, and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.
3. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by bringing the water and sugar to a very gentle boil in a wide-diameter saute pan. Preheat oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
4. Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 2 inches in diameter (whole bagel about 3-1/2"). Place each bagel on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
5. Transfer the bagels four at a time into the simmering water. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, or the end of a wooden spoon, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
6. Bake the bagels for about 25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like. Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a rack. Best when eaten within 24 hours as the salt will dissolve over time.

Notes

*Don't have yeast? Skip the blooming step and use equal parts baking soda and lemon. **If you don't want to deal with sourdough, add another 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water instead

Source: Adapted from King Arthur Flour.

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Enlist some self control on the front end by making a single serving batch of these pumpkin bagel bites coated in cinnamon-sugar, dipped in sweet cream cheese.

Although I love leftovers for lunch the next day, after living on my own for a long time I started craving recipes that serve just one because sometimes that giant vat of soup loses its appeal after the 5th day. This search resulted in the creation of Single Serving Sundays which documents my adventure through cooking for one. Whether you live alone or not, single serving recipes come in handy. To prove it, this week for Single Serving Sunday I invited some friends along in a link up of recipes for one.

I know I just spent the week before last bombarding you with pumpkin recipes but ’tis the season, right? And you really don’t want to miss out on this single serving recipe. If you thought you couldn’t make a small batch of bagel bites in about 30 minutes, well now you can. The best part is that they don’t require a lot of rise time. They perfectly rise on your stove top while the oven gets busy pre-heating. The only downside is that you may want more than one serving, but then again maybe it’s a good thing to force self control. How else would you be able to resist eating a giant bowl of pumpkin bagel bites coated in cinnamon-sugar and dipped in sweet cream cheese?

Stock up on some more single serving recipes:

• Cinnamon-Sugar Pumpkin Bagel Bites for One by Erin of The Spiffy Cookie
• Single Lady Banana Split by Katrina of Warm Vanilla Sugar
• Solo Fall Sweet Potato Hash by Sharana of Living The Sweet Life
• Single Serving Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie by Emily of Life on Food

One year ago: Sea Salt Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

Three years ago: Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Caramelized Onions, Bacon, and Apple

CINNAMON-SUGAR PUMPKIN BAGEL BITES FOR ONE

Serves 1

Ingredients:

PRETZELS

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp active dry yeast

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

1 Tbsp pumpkin puree

2-3 Tbsp warm water

1/2 cup hot water

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 Tbsp cinnamon-sugar

DIPPING SAUCE

1 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, sift together the first four ingredients. Stir in pumpkin and 1 tablespoon of warm water first. If the dough is dry, then add a little more water and mix again.
2. Pour out onto a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle with flour. Knead gently until the dough comes together into a slightly sticky ball. Roll out into a 3/4-inch wide rope and cut into 3/4-inch pieces.
3. In a shallow dish, combine the hot water and baking soda. Dip the pieces into the mixture and flip to coat completely. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
4. Leave in a nice warm place to rise while you preheat the oven to 450 degrees, for about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl blend together the dipping sauce. Set aside.
6. Once oven is preheated and dough has risen, bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Source: Adapted from my Cinnamon-Raisin Bagel for One.

Bagel quiche for one AKA the portable quiche. Bake a quiche for one in the shell of your favorite flavor bagel. Add beaten eggs and your favorite fillings. 

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Are you ready for a hand-held quiche? An on-the-go quiche? You didn’t think that was possible did you? Well grab a bagel and tear its guts out because its time to eat breakfast.

How to make a bagel quiche for one

The first step is making sure you start with an uncut bagel – otherwise you will have a very shallow bagel quiche with little room for fillings. Instead, slice just the very bottom of the bagel off then dig out the insides (like a bagel bread bowl), being careful not to tear the sides. Fill with desired veggies, meat, and/or cheese, then slowly pour in the beaten eggs. You might think there’s no way you’ll fit more than one egg in there, but the bagel will soak up some of it, allowing you to slowly add more.

Once it’s fully loaded you’re ready to bake it. Although this bagel quiche for one recipe does take 20-30 minutes to bake, it is a fun thing to try on the weekend and would be a perfect grab and go breakfast option if made in advance and reheated. Heck make a batch of different fillings on the weekend and you’re ready for weekday breakfasts!

But if you are just making one and you don’t want to go to the store for one bagel, try my bagel for one recipe.

BAGEL QUICHE FOR ONE

Print

Yield: 1 serving Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 unsplit bagel (any flavor)
• 3-4 Tbsp desired filings*
• 2-3 eggs, beaten
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a piece of foil with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Slice just the very bottom of the bagel off. (Set aside to eat, turn into breadcrumbs or discard.)
3. Carefully hollow out the bread inside of the bagel, making sure not to puncture through. Set the bagel, cut-side-up, on the foil and wrap up the sides with the foil, keeping the top open. Distribute filling evenly inside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk 2 eggs and pour them into the bagel. If the egg and filling does not fill the bagel completely, add another whisked egg on top or more filling. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until the egg is completely set and reaches 165F inside. Serve immediately**.

Notes

*Such as chopped kale, onion, and cheddar cheese, or bacon, green onion, and cheddar cheese, etc. **If making ahead, allow to cool before wrapping in foil. When ready to re-heat, cook wrapped at 350F for 10-15 minutes.

Source: The Recipe Girl.

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Post updated 5/14/2023, photos above and below are the originals.

After so much success using Melt as a substitute in baking and cooking in the past I decided to post about it as a condiment on a nice, warm, toasty cinnamon-raisin bagel. And since it is Single Serving Sunday, it’s a recipe for just ONE bagel!  Because if you are like me, you sometimes don’t need an entire batch of bagels, or don’t have room for them all in your freezer to save for later. So I whipped up this one bagel and immediately scarfed it down with some Melt spread on top.

 One year ago: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

CINNAMON-RAISIN BAGEL FOR ONE

Serves 1

Ingredients:

BAGEL

1/3 cup white whole wheat all-purpose flour

1 heaping Tbsp raisins

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 tsp active dry yeast

3 to 4 Tbsp warm water

DIPPING

1/2 cup hot water

1 tsp baking soda

TOPPING

1 egg white

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in 3 tablespoons of water first. If the dough is dry, then add a little more and mix again.
2. Pour the entire contents of the bowl out, onto a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle with flour. Knead gently until the dough comes together into a slightly sticky ball.
3. Poke a hole in the center and stretch out to desired size.
4. In a shallow dish, combine the water and baking soda. Dip the bagel into the mixture and flip to coat completely. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush with egg white.
5. Leave in a nice warm place to rise while you preheat the oven to 450 degrees, for about 15 minutes.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Eat immediately.

Source: Adapted from Top with Cinnamon.

Disclosure: I was provided with a sample kit of Melt butter spread from SmartClick Advertising. I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After my happy experience with Greek yogurt in pizza dough I thought to myself, why stop there? So I made Greek yogurt bagels complete with an everything bagel topping. Just like the pizza dough I was incredibly pleased with the outcome. They were the perfect texture, not dried out, and of course who can argue with an everything topping? I enjoyed eating them for breakfast smeared with peanut butter, for lunch as the bread of a sandwich and even made a pizza bagel for myself one night for dinner. Oh the versatility of bagels!

What should I add Greek yogurt to next? Pita bread? English muffins!?

In other news, 10 weeks from today I will be defending my dissertation and hopefully get to stamp “PhD” after my name! I am totally freaked out and nervous but excited at the same time. Now all I gotta do is wrap up lab work, finish at 100ish page novel on my research and find a job! Oh and be a bridesmaid in two weddings. I’m warning you, this blog might endure some pretty interesting recipes in the meantime. I’m thinking a long the lines of something related to the petri dish cookies and fat kid food.

Two years ago: Cosmic Brownies

GREEK YOGURT EVERYTHING BAGELS

Makes 8 bagels

Ingredients:

2 cups bread flour

1-1/2 cup white whole wheat flour, divided

1 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1-1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 0% Chobani)

12 cups water

1 Tbsp baking soda

3 Tbsp Everything Bagel topping

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flours (except for 1/2 cup) and salt.  Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast and sugar.  Whisk together slightly and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes or until slightly foamy.
3. Add the Greek yogurt and mix using a dough hook, then begin to slowly add the flour mixture.  Mix for 5 minutes or until smooth, alternating between slow and medium speeds as you add flour. Mix until the dough is no longer sticky. After 5 minutes, if the dough is sticky incorporate 1-2 tablespoons of flour at a time.
4. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased large bowl. Cover and allow the dough to double in size, around 1 hour.
5. Remove the dough and punch it down. Divide into equal pieces.  A digital scale is very helpful, but if you don’t have one just eye out 8 even pieces of dough.  Press your finger through the middle of the ball, and form into a bagel shape.  They will rise some more, so if you want a hole, make it bigger than the size of a quarter.  Repeat with the the rest of the dough. Place on a lightly greased surface and let rest until risen but not doubled, 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the racks placed on the middle shelves. Bring 12 cups of water to a boil then add the baking soda. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkle with cornmeal and set aside.
7. In batches, boil the bagels for around 1 minutes per side.  Remove from water and place on prepared baking pan.  As soon as the bagels come out of the water, top them with the Everything Bagel topping.
8. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown.

Source: Adapted from Lemon Sugar.

That was until I saw the recipe for these Everything Bagel Bites. I love making homemade bagels but shaping them is sometimes a pain. This recipe avoids that by cutting them into nuggets. However, it also results in a dangerously poppable treat as I downed 6 before I even knew what happened. I was just standing in my kitchen testing them out before photographing and could not stop! Pairing them with a bacon-scallion cream cheese dip just enhances this effect.

As a side note: I have discovered one benefit to the summer heat – letting dough rise outside! Yup, I set the dough for these bagel bites outside to rise, covered and in the shade. I am a genius.

Two years ago: Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

EVERYTHING BAGEL BITES WITH BACON-SCALLION CREAM CHEESE DIP

Serves 6

Ingredients:

BAGEL BITES

2 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup+ 1/2 tsp sugar

2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1-1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp light brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup baking soda

4 cups water

2 Tbsp everything bagel topping (recipe below)

CREAM CHEESE DIP

2 slices bacon

1/4 cup lowfat plain Greek yogurt (I used 2% Chobani)

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 scallion greens, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

EVERYTHING BAGEL TOPPING

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

2 tsp black sesame seeds (or toasted regular)

2 tsp poppy seeds

1 Tbsp dried minced onion

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in the warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the oil and yeast mixture.
3. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes or use a stand mixer with the hook attachment. While the dough is coming together, watch it to see if it is looking dry. If so add a tablespoon or so of water until slightly tacky but doesn’t stick to your fingers.
4. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Lightly coat the dough with oil as well. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 – 2 hours.
5. While the dough rises, prepare the cream cheese dip and bagel topping. In a medium pan, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove, crumble and reserve bacon fat. In a medium bowl, blend together the Greek yogurt and cream cheese. Stir in bacon fat, bacon crumbles, and remaining ingredients. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. In a small zip-top baggie, combine all topping ingredients and shake.
6. When the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, set aside.
7. Place the baking soda and water into a pot and bring to a boil while preparing the dough.
8. Put the risen dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1-inch thick (do not re-knead) and cut into 1 to 1.5-inch pieces (I cut each rope into six pieces to get 36 total).
9. Once all of the dough is all shaped, drop into the boiling water 6 at a time. Let boil for about 10 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the everything bagel topping, and repeat with remaining dough.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve warm with dip or mustard. Best the first day.

Source: Bagel bites adapted from I am a Honey Bee. Dip and Bagel Topping adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar.

I had hoped for a very obvious flavor, but the result was more subtle and I may need to try folding in real peanut butter for a swirl or try peanut butter chips. Or maybe my desire for a super peanut buttery-banana-y bagel is unrealistic, and this is as close as it gets. Don’t get me wrong, these were wonderful bagels! I wouldn’t be sharing them on my blog if they were not, just not a “wow that’s an explosion of peanut butter-banana flavor”. That response might be reserved for moister items such as muffins and blondies. To compensate, these were particularly good with a smear of Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter. Peanut butter on top of peanut butter – that’s just how I roll!

Actually, I recently discovered that cake batter flavor exists, and upon searching their website while writing this post found both banana and peanut butter flavorings. I feel like it would be a cop out to use them instead of real banana and peanut butter, but maybe a couple drops would get this bagel flavor up to the next level. What are your thoughts?

Two years ago: Baked Blueberry Almond Pancakes

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BAGELS

Makes 8 bagels

Ingredients:

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup PB2 powdered peanut butter

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup warm water

2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

2 Tbsp sugar, divided

1 large very ripe banana, mashed

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the two flours. In a large bowl, whisk together 2-1/2 cups of the flour, powdered peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.  Whisk together slightly and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes or until slightly foamy.
3. Add the mashed banana and mix using a dough hook, then begin to slowly add the flour mixture.  Mix for 5 minutes or until smooth, alternating between slow and medium speeds as you add flour. You want to mix it until the dough is no longer sticky. After 5 minutes, if the dough is sticky, incorporate the remaining flour, a little at a time.
4. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased large bowl. Cover and allow the dough to double in size, around 1 hour.
5. Remove the dough and punch it down. Divide into equal pieces.  A digital scale is very helpful, but if you don’t have one just eye out 8 even pieces of dough.  Press your finger through the middle of the ball, and form into a bagel shape.  They will rise some more, so if you want a hole, make it bigger than the size of a quarter.  Repeat with the the rest of the dough. Place on prepared baking sheet and let rest until risen but not doubled, 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring 12 cups of water to a boil with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
7. In batches, boil the bagels for around 20 to 30 seconds per side.  Remove from water and place back on prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool before serving.

Source: Adapted from Pumpkin Bagels, inspired by A Beautiful Mess.