The Simplest Bagels You'll Ever Make Only Have 2 Ingredients

How excited would you be if someone said you no longer have to carve out an entire morning or afternoon to bake up a batch of warm and chewy bagels? Sure enough, you can make delicious bagels in under an hour with just Greek yogurt and self-rising flour. This special flour already includes baking powder and salt, so you don't have to worry about adding leavening agents to your recipe. Adding moisture-rich Greek yogurt hydrates the flour, and its acidic properties activate the baking powder. It also acts as a tenderizer, delays staling, and provides a tangy flavor. 

For this recipe, unsweetened Greek yogurt is the best option. The sweetened and flavored varieties may not have a high enough acid content to fully react with the leavener. It's also important to choose a yogurt with at least some fat (full fat or 2%) to ensure the dough is pliable and the crumb is tender. There are multiple accessible brands among the best high-protein yogurts to buy at the grocery store. The result is a soft and chewy high-protein bagel that only needs two ingredients. Plus, the added fat and additional protein also keep you full longer.

It all starts with combining equal amounts of self-rising flour and your favorite brand of Greek yogurt. If the dough feels sticky, you can always add extra flour a spoonful at a time. Once pliable, you finish them off just like you would any other bagel.

You can use this recipe to make flavored bagels with a variety of mix-ins. For example, incorporate ground cinnamon and raisins into your dough or add dried blueberries. Then give them a more traditional bagel-like texture by dropping them into a simmering pot of water mixed with small amounts of baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. The boiling water helps thicken the starch along the surface of each bagel, which creates a more prominent crust.

Next, give your bagels additional flavor by adding a favorite topping. Use melted butter or egg wash and top your bagels with flaky salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or the ever-popular everything bagel seasoning. You can recreate Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning at home. Alternatively, for bagels with a sweeter finishing touch, make a streusel-like topping with a bit of softened butter, flour, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.

Once you perfect this easy recipe, serve these simple delights with the traditional schmear or one of several bagel spreads beyond cream cheese, such as peanut butter, avocado, or hummus. Then use any leftovers to transform your bagels into a savory breakfast casserole with fully cooked breakfast meat, eggs, and cheese.