Easy Cottage Cheese Bagels
sandravalvassori.com
I make these low-carb, high protein Cottage Cheese Bagels every week! Made with just 5 ingredients, they don't require yeast, boiling, or kneading and are ready in 35 minutes start to finish. Fluffy on the inside and crispy golden brown on the exterior, these bagels are truly magical. So easy and so delicious.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup (220g) 4% cottage cheese (2% also works)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a 1/4 cup extra for rolling and shaping dough
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or fine sea salt (see notes)
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- Optional toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning, shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, blender, or using an immersion blender, blend the cottage cheese until smooth. (I find it hard to scoop out the whipped cottage cheese from a blender so I prefer to use a food processor or an immersion blender.)
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and make a well in the centre.
- Add the whipped cottage cheese and using a small rubber spatula, mix until well combined (it will be very crumbly). Switch to your hands to bring the dough together forming a shaggy ball. It will be very sticky so a plastic dough scraper will help with this step.
- Transfer shaggy dough ball to a lightly floured surface and if necessary, continue to shape it so it is less shaggy and not as sticky. Note that you do not need to knead the dough, just shape it into a some-what smoother ball.
- Using the dough scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Add a little more flour and roll each piece into a 6 to 7-inch rope that is about 1-inch thick, then connect the ends, pressing on them gently so they stick together and form a bagel shape. Transfer the bagels to the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush each bagel with the beaten egg and sprinkle with your favorite toppings.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown (in my oven the bagels need the full 22 minutes, and sometimes even an extra minute).
- Let the bagels cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving (this is imperative!).
Notes
-
- Salt: I exclusively cook and bake with Diamond Crystal Kosher salt but you can also use a fine sea salt. If using table salt, reduce the amount by 1/4 teaspoon.
- Don’t Overwork the Dough. Mix just until combined for the best texture.
- Adjust Baking Time. If you like crispier bagels, leave them in the oven for a few extra minutes.
- Let the bagels rest before slicing. It is important to let the bagels rest before slicing. If you slice them too soon, they will have a gummy crumb.