Easy Homemade Wheat Bagels
I am absolutely in love with these easy, homemade (Mediterranean Diet friendly) wheat bagels. What’s not to love? They are fast, delicious, filling, healthy and part of the Mediterranean Diet. With four main ingredients, they are super easy to make. Did I mention they are also part of my healthy weight plan? It is ironic that being on the Mediterranean Diet is what reunited me with bagels.
I was a young college student when bagels first started making it big in the United States. Where there were shops that simply sold bagels (as opposed to an entire bakery of goods). Wow, a lovely New York style water bagel with smear and a hot cup of coffee! Bliss. It was also in my young twenties that I discovered another phenomenon, eat a bagel, gain a pound. I love eating bagels so much that I even tried eating a quarter of my bagel and smear at a time. I would cut one bagel in half and have one quarter for breakfast and one for lunch and repeat the same day. Yes, and I would STILL gain a pound!
On the Mediterranean Diet, I am mindful to include healthy grains throughout the day. Some foods I really believed were bad-for-me foods. Bagels were a no-no. Obviously, I never thought bagels would be part of my healthy lifestyle plan. It takes some readjusting of the mindset when doing the Mediterranean Diet. Yes, you can have carbs. Wheat and grains are an essential part of the Mediterranean Diet, but not all carbs are equal. Apparently neither are all bagels.
Commercial Shop Bagels Versus Homemade
- Size – one of the bagel stores bagels is usually 3 or 4 servings.
- Sodium – commercial bagels have loads of sodium! I would assume the cheesy asiago has more sodium, right? YES at 600 mg per bagel, I am right. But my beloved and favorite pumpernickel is still sodium heavy at 560 mg.
- Smear – yes, what we put on the bagel adds to it. Cream cheese is a creamy villain. Ninety percent (yes, 90%) of calories in cream cheese come from fat. A healthy smear means you are probably surpassing your daily fat limit!
- Additives – If you still plan to buy bagels from a shop, I encourage you to read the ingredients list. They are not all the same, even at the same bakery. Bagels at chain bagel shops have preservatives and additives, but the bagels with softer ingredients and flours often have anti-caking ingredient, such as cellulose. Cellulose is refined wood pulp. It is described as “providing dietary bulk” and it “may lead to a laxative effect”. So yes, when I am feeling bloated after my bagel, it may be all the wood pulp floating around my belly! YIKES!
Wholesome Goodness
Easy Homemade Wheat Bagels are perfect for the Mediterranean Diet. These bagels have four ingredients and are super easy to make. It is not unusual for me to make them in the morning before work. I also will make them in the morning after a late night with the family. One of my grands loves to help in the kitchen (and is an incredibly early riser). Before anyone else is up, we can mix them and pop them in the oven. Everyone wakes up to freshly made bagels!
Four main ingredients to throw together in a bowl: whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and almond yogurt. Wash it with egg wash and sprinkle it with your topping of choice. There is no rise time, no wait time, no boiling of water and YES, they are still delicious. I do want to give credit to Skinnytaste.com for the inspiration of the recipe. I found his on Pinterest and over the years have modified it into my own Mediterranean Diet Bagel recipe.
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the wheat flour, baking powder and salt. Add the yogurt and combine.
Spread half of the all-purpose flour on a dry, clean work area. Using floured hands, pick up the bagel dough and shape it into a ball. Knead the dough using the remaining flour. Continue to add the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
Using a pastry scraper, or large knife, cut the dough into four (4) pieces. Cut each piece in half. You will have eight (8) pieces. With one of the pieces of dough, make a small ball and press it down slightly into the floured workspace. Using a small jar, or small round cookie cutter, make a hole in the dough. Reserve the dough from the hole. Repeat with the remaining seven pieces. Stretch the bagels until they are approximately the same size.
Using the dough remaining from the holes make two ropes. Use each rope to form a bagel shape. Place each bagel on the prepared baking sheet making sure they are not touching.
Using a pastry brush, wash the tops of each bagels with the egg white. Sprinkle the tops of the bagel with any desired seasonings.
Bake on the top rack of the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately, or place the bagels in an airtight container for 2-3 days. The bagels may be frozen for up to six weeks.
To make a vegan version of this bagel, replace the egg white a vegan wash. Combine one (1) tablespoon of ground flaxseed, or chia seed, with two and half (2.5) tablespoons of water. Or use three (3) tablespoons of aquafaba.
These bagels are kid friendly! Watch Maggie making Olive Sunshine Bagels.
