Soft Cottage Cheese Bagels

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup cottage cheese, low-fat or fat-free

02 - 1½ cups self-rising flour

→ Toppings

03 - 1 large egg, beaten

04 - 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds

→ Substitution

05 - 1½ cups all-purpose flour plus 2¼ teaspoons baking powder plus ½ teaspoon fine salt, if self-rising flour unavailable

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

02 - In a large mixing bowl, blend cottage cheese until mostly smooth. Add self-rising flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms.

03 - Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead gently for 1 to 2 minutes until just combined and slightly tacky. Avoid overworking the dough.

04 - Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each into a log approximately 8 inches long, then pinch ends together to form a bagel shape.

05 - Place bagels on prepared baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle desired toppings as preferred.

06 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

07 - Cool bagels on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -

You can make four actual bagels before your coffee gets cold, no boiling required.
The protein sneaks in so naturally that you won't feel like you're eating something virtuous.
One bowl, minimal cleanup, and they taste like you spent way more effort than you actually did.

02 -

Do not skip or rush the cooling step—slicing into a warm bagel turns it into warm mush, but 10 minutes of patience gives you that perfect bite.
If your dough feels too wet, the cottage cheese had too much liquid; next time, let it sit in a fine mesh sieve for a few minutes before mixing to drain excess moisture.

03 -