Soft Cottage Cheese Bagels (Printable Version)

Quick, protein-packed bagels with cottage cheese and self-rising flour. Soft and chewy texture.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup cottage cheese, low-fat or fat-free
02 - 1½ cups self-rising flour

→ Toppings

03 - 1 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 and ½ teaspoon fine salt, if self-rising flour unavailable

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese until mostly smooth. Add self-rising flour and stir until shaggy dough forms.
03 - Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Knead gently for 1 to 2 minutes until just combined and slightly tacky, avoiding overworking.
04 - Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each into an 8-inch log, then pinch ends together to form bagel shape.
05 - Place bagels on prepared baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle desired toppings.
06 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
07 - Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Tips for Success:

01 -
  • They're ready in under 40 minutes from start to finish, which means fresh bagels on a busy morning instead of a bakery run.
  • The protein punch from cottage cheese keeps you full for hours, no crash or afternoon slump.
  • You only need two main ingredients, which somehow makes them taste even better than complicated versions.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling time—I learned this by slicing a bagel too early and watching it crumble, which was a frustrating waste of something so good.
  • The dough will feel stickier than traditional bagel dough, and that's exactly right; it bakes into a tender texture instead of a dense chew.
03 -
  • If your cottage cheese is very wet, drain it briefly through a fine-mesh sieve before mixing—this prevents overly sticky dough that's harder to shape.
  • Everything bagel seasoning is a cheat code for impressive-looking bagels with minimal effort; it hides any imperfections in your shaping and tastes absolutely intentional.
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