Whenever I see a bagel recipe on my TikTok FYP, I am intrigued. For context, I’m an avid baker who has made traditional bagels (dough resting and boiled) a couple of times, and I love following a good TikTok recipe. So, when I saw a few-ingredient bagel recipe that takes a mere 40 minutes to make, I was more than intrigued. What was making me suspicious was the Greek yogurt. Yes, the recipe at hand is a Greek yogurt bagel, a bagel made from Greek yogurt. But, my curiosity got the best of me, and naturally, it wasn’t long before I added Greek yogurt to my grocery list. A shorter process to making bagels? Count me in.
The Recipe
After narrowing down all of the many Greek yogurt bagel videos, I decided on a recipe from TikTok creator @cooklikeimbook. He was formerly a chef, so it had to be good, right? All you need is Greek yogurt, all-purpose flour, baking powder, an egg, and whatever toppings for your bagel. Not only did he give a macronutrient breakdown, but he also gave pretty precise measurements in grams. Each bagel packs about 18 grams of protein. I started with one cup of flour and ¾ cup of Greek yogurt, the closest cup measurements to grams. If your dough is still sticky (like mine was), dust your hands with flour and gradually add more flour until it forms a smooth ball that holds together. If it’s crumbly, you’ve added too much flour. For this recipe, I used close to a one-to-one ratio of flour to Greek yogurt (so one cup of flour and one cup of Greek yogurt).
I was a little nervous because the recipe didn’t call for bread flour, BUT mixing all-purpose flour, baking powder, and a smidge of salt is a simple combination for DIY self-rising flour. The more you know!
One thing I noticed about this and most bagel recipes is that they all mention the infamous egg wash, but people never tell you how to make it. Essentially whisk an egg with one tablespoon of water, and you’re set.
I made two bagels and topped them with everything bagel seasoning, and they were great! They tasted more like biscuits than bagels to me, which makes sense as the yeast and kneading develop that classic bagel chew. I used my second bagel as the base of my breakfast sandwich, filling it with scrambled eggs and bacon, and it didn’t disappoint.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to get lost in all of the recipes on Tiktok, so pick one and stick to it! Take some time to read through the comments. The TikTok community will expose any and all flaws in a recipe (lol). In short, yes, the bagels were pretty good, especially toasted. There’s a hint of sourness from the Greek yogurt, but it could easily be mistaken for sourdough. The recipe was easy to follow, and the ingredients were easy to come by. Happy baking!