Make “Everything” Bagels at Home

I grew up in Montreal and one of my favorite things to eat while living there were the bagels. Montreal style bagels are made with eggs and are boiled in a honey water solution before being baked in a wood fire oven. This yields a sweet and dense bagel with a nice crusty exterior and soft interior. There’s really nothing else like it! When I moved to the US, I noticed that American bagels were more bread-like and so much bigger than Montreal style bagels, sometimes clocking in at over 300 calories a piece! And that’s before adding any toppings.

I will never be able to make Montreal style bagels at home, primarily because my condo is not equipped with a wood burning oven. But the recipe below provides a simple alternative that allows me to make and enjoy bagels anytime at home.

“Everything Bagel” seasoning makes these bagels pop with flavor. The yogurt makes them soft on the inside and baking them in the oven yields a nice crust. These bagels are not as big or doughy as American style bagels but they are a nice lower calorie treat that really satisfies my craving for bagels.

Serving Size: 1 bagel Number of servings: 6 Calories per serving: 76 Ingredients Calories 1 cup All Purpose flour 364 1 container of plain nonfat Greek yogurt (5.3 oz) 80 2 Tbsps water 0 1 tsp salt 0 1 tsp baking powder 5 2 tsps Everything Bagel seasoning 8 Nonstick cooking spray 0

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, yogurt, salt, baking powder and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir with a spoon or spatula until the flour and yogurt are well combined.
Lightly dust a countertop surface or a large cutting board with flour. Transfer the yogurt and flour mixture from the bowl to the floured surface. Knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball and is no longer sticky.
Divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
Roll out each segment of dough into ropes approximately ½ in thick and 10 inches long.
Join the ropes ends to form circles and roll the seams to smooth out the joined ends.
Spray the bagels with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the tops of the bagels with the Everything Bagel seasoning. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the bagels on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven. Bake the bagels until the bagels are golden brown (approximately 20 minutes). Remove the bagels from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Barbara's Tips

	You may need to add a little more or less water to your bagel dough to get it to a smooth consistency. Don’t add the extra water until you’ve thoroughly mixed the dough first. Even though it may look crumbly at first, the dough should come together nicely. If you do need to add extra water, add the water a little at a time otherwise you may end up with wet sticky dough. If the dough is too sticky, just add a little more flour until you get the desired texture.
	It’s important to use Greek yogurt for this recipe because it is thicker and not as watery as regular yogurt.
	Spraying the bagels with nonstick cooking spray helps the seasoning stick to the bagel tops and helps the bagels brown in the oven. You can, instead, brush the bagel tops with water or a beaten egg white to achieve the same result.

Essential Flavors

Everything Bagel Seasoning  is mixture of poppy seeds, white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, and salt. It has a great texture and a very pronounced onion flavor. You can make your own seasoning blend but it’s much easier to buy it ready made and is widely available in most supermarkets.