Salt & Honey Mini Bagels
Genius. I have discovered genius.
I scoured the internets because I'm having a hard time believing this has not occurred to somebody before. But nope. Are you ready? Get excited. This is revolutionary.
Mini bagels.
Maybe you're just not realizing the implications here, so let me clarify. If you're a normal human, you love bagels. Adore them. When I was pregnant, I used it as an excuse to justify eating a bagel everyday. Because if you have to house a bowling ball in your abdomen, I'm pretty sure you ought to be able to console yourself with 500 plus calories of bliss. Soft but chewy, slathered in cream cheese. But there's a problem.
Carb bomb.
I love you bagels, but you go straight to my hips. And my thighs. And every place I'd like to minimize instead of maximize. Why can't bagels just go straight to your boobs? It's so unfair.
But there it is. Life is messy sometimes. But also delicious.
That's why I love these mini-bagels. Small bites of salty and sweet, perfect with just a dollop of cream cheese or butter. The best part: They come without an ounce of guilt.
I find it hard to believe that you can conjure up something as amazing as bagels from yeast, flour, water, and a little honey. But it's true, people. And it's not even that hard.
The most difficult part after you mix the dough is shaping the bagel, but the small size on these actually makes it super easy. Roll a ping-pong ball of dough in the palm of your hand. Poke your index finger through the middle of it, and then shape it around your finger a bit until it resembles a bagel. That's it.
I know, right?! Why does everyone buy bagels when they're so easy to make? I don't know, friends. It makes no sense to me either. None at all.
After these rise a bit, they need to go for a short swim. Just thirty seconds of floating on each side and then rescue your bagels before they drown. Pat dry and let these mini morsels rise again before they get the heat of the oven.
And there you have it folks. An excuse to eat the best of both worlds for breakfast. Just a bit of bagel that's both sweet and salty and won't sit in your stomach like a carb bomb for the rest of the day.
If you look up genius in the dictionary, pretty sure mini-bagels are right there beside Beyonce. Which is more kick-ass? I guess you'll have to decide.
Salt & Honey Mini Bagels
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp. dry instant yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. salt
Directions:
Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt in stand mixer with dough hook. Add hot water. Mix until smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Put 6 quarts of water in large pot with 1 1/2 Tbps. sugar. Boil. Preheat oven to 400 F.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Roll ping pong size balls, then push finger through the middle and shape into bagel. Set on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Cover with cloth to prevent drying while you finish shaping the rest of the bagels.
Drop 5-6 at a time in simmering water bath. Let soak 30 seconds, then flip and soak another 30 seconds. Retrieve with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to pat dry. Let rise again for 10 minutes. Baste with honey and sprinkle with salt.
Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Flip and bake another 8-10 minutes. Cool. Serve with cream cheese, honey butter, and all the things.