Bagels

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With each New Year comes the weight loss programs, promises, and deals. I needed to shed those stubborn few pounds that wouldn’t budge, so I took advantage of the New Years’ specials and joined Weight Watchers. Other programs weren’t effective or sustainable for me. I committed to 3 months with the WW plan that was advertised. I downloaded the app, joined the Facebook group for the Blue Plan, and my journey began.

The Facebook group is great because members post their favorite finds, low-point snacks, and low-point recipes. This is where I discovered the WW Bagel, which is only 2 points on the Blue Plan according to my app.

I think the bagel gained its notoriety because it only requires two ingredients. Basically, it is only two ingredients, but if you want to do it right, it requires some additional (and optional) items. I guess I just expect things to be as advertised. If a recipe says two ingredients, then it should be two ingredients. Don’t tout it as two ingredients, and then list 5 in the recipe block. Whew, ok, rant over. Thank you for listening. Let’s move on.

The first step is to combine one cup of self-rising flour and one cup of fat-free Greek yogurt. Mix in a bowl as best you can before dumping onto the counter to knead. Have some extra flour handy for your hands. Coating your hands with some flour will make it easier to knead the dough and roll it into balls.

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This recipe should yield at least 6 bagels. If you aren’t concerned about WW points, feel free to fatten up the bagels and make four hearty bagels. I make 6 small ones, and that works great for me.

To turn the lump of dough into a bagel, there are two options, maybe more, but these are the only two I know. You can work the dough into a rope and loop the ends together to make a bagel shape. Or you roll into a ball, then make a hole in the center and work the hole until you have the bagel shape you desire. Make sure the hole is roughly an inch wide; otherwise, the hole will close up when it bakes, and you will have a hamburger bun instead of a bagel. I prefer the second option.

As you shape each bagel, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This is where the optional ingredients come into place. You can pop them in the oven at this point, or you can add some extra touches to make them irresistible.

Before placing them in the oven to bake, I brush the top with an egg and top with either onion powder or an Everything Bagel seasoning. You could top with any seasoning of your choice; garlic, cinnamon, etc.

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Once you’ve seasoned to your liking, pop them in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Baking time will depend on how well you want them done. I prefer to bake until the top is slightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. After they cool enough to handle, I usually slice them before storing them. Store in the fridge for up to one week. They reheat nicely in the microwave; just heat 20 seconds. You can eat them plain, add an egg, or some turkey pepperoni. Treat them like you would a store-bought bagel.

You can also use this recipe to make pizza crust or, my favorite, Stromboli. I will be sure to post that recipe in the future.

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Check out this stromboli recipe that uses the same ingredients.