Cottage Cheese Bagels Soft (Printable)

Soft, chewy bagels crafted with cottage cheese and self-rising flour, perfect for a quick protein boost.

# What you need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup cottage cheese, low-fat or fat-free
02 - 1½ cups self-rising flour

→ Toppings

03 - 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
04 - 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds

→ Substitution

05 - 1½ cups all-purpose flour plus 2¼ teaspoons baking powder plus ½ teaspoon fine salt if self-rising flour unavailable

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, mix cottage cheese until mostly smooth. Add self-rising flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
03 - Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead gently for 1 to 2 minutes until just combined and slightly tacky, avoiding overworking.
04 - Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each into a log approximately 8 inches long, then pinch the ends together to form a bagel shape.
05 - Place bagels on prepared baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle desired toppings.
06 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
07 - Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can have fresh bagels from scratch in under forty minutes, no complicated steps or mysterious ingredients required.
  • Each bagel packs eleven grams of protein, so you're actually getting something substantial for breakfast instead of just carbs and regret.
  • The ingredient list is so short you could practically make these with your eyes closed, which I've nearly done before my first coffee.
02 -
  • Do not skip the cooling time on the wire rack, no matter how impatient you feel, because the interior structure needs those ten minutes to set properly or you'll bite into warm, slightly doughy bagels.
  • If your cottage cheese is very watery, let it drain in a strainer for a few minutes before mixing; overly wet dough becomes sticky and difficult to shape, and I learned this when my bagels turned into blob-shaped discs on the first try.
03 -
  • Use the smoothest cottage cheese you can find, and don't be afraid to blend it in a food processor for thirty seconds if it looks lumpy; smooth dough is easier to work with and produces more even bagels.
  • If you're doubtful that one to two minutes of kneading is enough, remember that this dough wants to stay tender, and overworking it is the most common mistake that leads to tough, dense bagels instead of light chewy ones.
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