Bagels. Yes, I Eat Bagels.

Here’s the thing, I’m an Italian woman who grew up in a predominantly Jewish and Italian neighborhood, so, suffice to say, I don’t just like my carbs - I love my carbs. Paint my world in pasta, pizza, bialys, bagels and babaka and color me happy. Now, here’s the other thing, if I ate these things in unlimited quantities as I did when I was Teenage Tina, I’d certainly be struggling to keep off the weight I lost.

A few things about carbs:

They will not kill you, although we’ve been fed information that they will, the key to enjoying anything and everything in life is moderation and there’s certainly an art to it. The aforementioned does not apply to those that have a gluten allergy or are gluten intolerant, so this is standard for the majority of us that have been told to ban carbs from our life.
Moderation is something I’m working to master, but often times come up short - but I keep trying so what I’m striving to do is incorporate a little carby love at every meal, that includes a good chip too. Notice I wrote as part of a meal, cause if I start snacking - it’s often mindless and I over do it, I’m my own habit ninja by now.
When reaching for carbs I go for the complex variety which includes anything from grains like quinoa, buckwheat, millet, farro, bean based pasta, sprouted grain and wheat based bread, wasa or ak-mak crackers, organic corn chips speckled with quinoa, chia and/or flax, sweet potatoes, squashes of the butternut, pumpkin, kabocha variety.
Complex means fiber, that the food will keep you fuller longer and digest slowly
I’m not saying only eat whole wheat pasta, there’s a place for pasta - the good old fashioned, fresh, white flour/semolina/homemade fresh/frozen kind - and I aim to have it once a week and maybe some leftovers, like yeah, who am I kidding - loading it with my fave veggie sauce and eating it with salad. And wine. Heart healthy, 1 glass of wine.

A few things about these bagels and their preparation:

All of that said, these BAGELS came about from a conversation I had with a friend - also a carb lover and a bagel diva. She made them using the Skinny Taste recipe and so did I, so all credit here surely goes to these two ladies. It’s a simple recipe of flour, baking powder, salt, non-fat Greek yogurt, egg wash and your toppings of choice. I swapped white flour for whole wheat (if you’re gluten free, Ms. Skinny Taste says you can use g-free flour) and Liz recommended adding more baking powder for extra fluff and so I did; using 4 tsp as opposed to 2 tsp and to activate, I also amped up the salt from ¾ tsp to 1 ½ tsp and I managed to get 5 bagels out of the batch instead of 4.

Now, don’t salt shame me, I do not use any salt on my eggs and use it quite moderately in my cooking. What I found is by using a little extra salt in the baking of the bagel (Skinny Taste recommends an air fryer or an oven to bake, I don’t have room for another gadget - like an air fryer in my kitchen - so these were baked), combined with the yogurt which is used to bind the bagel with the flour, it tastes like there’s already cream cheese built into the bagel. How heavenly. When these are toasted, they’re slightly crunchy and soft with a taste all their own. I do, however, add a little shmear of cream cheese if I’m eating it alone but if I’m toasting it to eat with an egg, I don’t have to bother - the taste is baked in.

So, what are you gonna do this Sunday morning?

I suggest getting your bagel on. Recipes below bodacious bagel photos.

XO

Adapted and tweaked from the original Easy Skinny Taste Bagel Recipe

Ingredients

1 c whole wheat flour, can use unbleached all purpose flour or gluten-free mix
4 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
1 c non-fat Greek yogurt (I used Chobani this time around and Fage the last time, but make sure it’s the non-fat kind)
1 whole egg beaten for egg wash
Toppings: Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Seasoning, Sesame or Poppy Seeds

Oven Method

I used a donut baking tray I had and simply rolled the dough and placed in the mold but if you need to roll out - follow the below instructions in this method from Skinny Taste
Preheat oven to 375F. Place parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper, spray with oil to avoid sticking.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk.
Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 15 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away)
Divide into 4 equal balls (I got 5 from mine and they were fluffy and an ideal size)
Roll each ball into 3/4-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels (or you can make a ball and poke a hole in the center then stretch it slightly)
Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Eat fresh and hot or toast, adding butter or cream cheese.
Can be frozen so you enjoy all week long if you double or triple up on your batch.