Homemade Healthy Bagels

Try to tell me that bagels aren’t one of the top 3 most satisfying carbs and I will call bullshit on you immediately.  Maybe it’s the native New Yorker in me, or maybe it’s because bagels are life, but whenever there’s a bagel in my general vicinity I can hardly resist at least a piece of one with a smear (or slather) of cream cheese or butter.  My all time favorite go-to bagel order is either the OG BEC, or lox with scallion cream cheese.  If I’m feeling extra wild, a classic PB&J also hits the spot.

Unfortunately, for me at least, bagels haven’t been an every-day luxury since high school, and with all the yummy foods at my fingertips in NYC sometimes they don’t make it onto my cheat meal (day) agenda either.  I never thought to try to make them myself, but a friend of mine introduced me to the easiest recipe, and was pleasantly surprised when I tried them!  The recipe is, at its most simple, potentially only two ingredients – equal parts self-rising flour and Greek yogurt.  You can also customize it with whatever kind of flour you like, and top the bagels before baking them with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything but the bagel seasoning, and the list could go on.  I topped mine with nutritional yeast and sesame seeds.  I bet they’d also be really good with a garlic and oil baste!

I kept the leftovers in the refrigerator and stored them for about a week.  They are best when toasted, and actually maintain that doughy consistency once heated up that I so love in a bagel, while still remaining crisp on the outside.  All week I brought them to work and heated them up with some Gouda as an afternoon snack, and then this weekend I slathered my last one in avo smash and ate it with my runny eggs.  Customizable and versatile, this recipe is definitely going to be one that stays in my rotation for a while.

Let’s get started!

Ingredients

(Basically, you want equal parts flour/Greek yogurt, and you can make this recipe with just these two ingredients if you use self-rising flour.  You can mess around with the types of flour that you use, but make sure to adjust the ratios accordingly.  This recipe made 4 mini bagels, and would make probably 2 regular ones, but on the smaller side.)

1. 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used 2%, but you can use whatever % fat content fits your lifestyle)
2. 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3. 2 tbsp white flour
4. 2 tbsp coconut flour
5. 3/4 tsp baking powder
6. Pinch of salt
7. Nutritional yeast (to sprinkle on top)
8. Sesame seeds (to sprinkle on top)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add the Greek yogurt and mix until combined.  Don’t overmix, and you might want to switch to mixing with your hands once the greek yogurt becomes less messy
4. Divide your dough into however many bagels you want to make (I made 4 minis with this recipe).
5. Roll out the dough with your hands into a long skinny cylinder.  You are going to want to do this carefully, as the dough can be a little bit awkward to work with.  If you roll it out too roughly, it might collapse/break apart.  You can roll it with your hands to start and then once it starts to look like it’s getting brittle, you can stop rolling it and just start manipulating it with your hands to stretch it a bit more until you’re able to twist the cylinder into a bagel shape.
6. Place the rolled out bagel onto the baking sheet and top with whatever toppings you like.  Press the toppings into the rolled bagels to make sure that they stick during the baking process.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, and then increase the heat of your oven to 450 and bake for another 3-5.  Baking time will vary depending on the size of our bagels and your oven, but generally the bagels should be golden/crispy on the outside while still being doughy and soft in the middle.
8. The bagels should be ready to slice soon after coming out of the oven, but be careful because they’ll be hot! (Obvi..I know I don’t have to tell you that.)
9. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

These bagels are the perfect treat, and you can eat them with your eggs, slather them with butter or cream cheese, or use them as the bread for any of your favorite sandwiches.  I would love to see how you guys customize these, so please try out this super easy recipe and tag me in your posts!  @liftinluxe #liftinluxe

Stay fit and full of bagels, all!