Bagel Bites
Nuts and bolts:
Bagel bites, buns, or bombs are one of my favorite baked goods. I love this gimmicky pastry filled with a gooey, cheesy cream cheese filling. I was reluctant to make these because they sounded complicated. But, guess what, they are not, and they are a blast to bake. I love having them around the house. This recipe is adapted from King Arthur’s Baking Company’s Stuffed Bagel Buns which is a version of Milk Bar’s Bagel Bombs.
My thoughts on Bagel Bites:
This recipe can yield 12-15 bagel bites. But I found the recipe works better when I just make a dozen.
The recipe has a couple of ingredients that can be hard to find, but I get them from King Arthur Flour Company. I found that these ingredients enhance the bagel bites and would be missed if omitted.
One is non-diastatic malt powder. Which is used in making regular bagels that you get from the bakery, and this adds an authentic flavor.
The other is Better Than Cheddar Cheese Powder because it adds even more cheese flavor to the bagel bite. So do not skip including it in the bagel bites; you will miss that extra boost of flavor.
You can use any herb you like in the filling. For example, I like parsley or chive but experiment with any herb you desire.
I do not add bagel toppings because I like them plain, but you can add any topping if you choose.
Method:
Day 1:
I start this recipe by making the filling the night before. For the filling, you will need: 170g room temperature cream cheese, 14g Better Cheddar Cheese Powder, 85g shredded cheddar cheese, 13g chopped herbs (Chives, parsley, or other herbs.)
Important tip: This can be a one-day recipe, and the filling can be made on the day you are baking the bagel bites. But I have found that the recipe works better if the filling is left overnight in the freezer to harden. It leaks less from the bagel bites when they are baking.
After all the ingredients are prepared and weighted, get out a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, cheddar powder, cheddar, and herbs. After they are thoroughly combined, use a cookie scoop to create the balls of the cream cheese mixture. You want to overfill the scoop so that you have a heaping tablespoon of filling. Then roll the scooped mixture into your hands. Rolling them in your hand to form the balls. Also, you want to use all the filling to make the 12 balls. These will be your center for the dozen of bagel bites that are to be made.
Important tip: I would recommend making 12 cream cheese balls. I have made as many as 15 balls, which meant I got 15 bagel bites. But they did not have a lot of filling and were not as tasty. So, I prefer the larger ones.
Here are 12 balled filings ready to be put in the freezer.
Once all the balls are made, place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Then place the cookie sheet uncovered in the freezer overnight or until you make the bagel bites.
Day2:
For the bagel bite dough, you will need 482g of Bread flour, 21g of non-diastatic malt powder, 28g of cheddar powder, 8g of salt, 1 ½ teaspoon of instant yeast, 301-340g of lukewarm water.
I start by weighing and measuring all the ingredients. For the water, I weight out the full 340g. Then, add all the dry ingredients in a bowl fitted with a dough hook on a stand mixer. Make sure that the salt and cheese powder is away from the yeast. I like to make a well in flour and add the yeast into the well. Mix the dry ingredients until they are well combined. Slowly add the water to the flour mixture until it forms a slightly sticky and stiff dough. Then let it knead for one to two minutes until it turns into a smooth dough. After that, place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and let it proof for about 90 minutes.
Here is the bagel bite dough coming together. Left are all the dry ingredients in the bowl. In the middle is the dough being mixed. Right is the dough getting ready for the first proof.
While the dough is rising, I like to prepare the water bath for the bagel bites. For the water bath, you will need 1813g of water, 18g of non-diastatic malt powder, 14g of granulated sugar.
Important tip: It is essential to weigh out the water. I know weighing liquids is tedious, but it is vital to do so in order to get the right solution for the bagels' bath. To make this easier for me, I like to weigh water in the pot I am using for the water bath.
To the pot with already weighed out water, add the sugar non-diastatic malt powder. Mix them until almost combined and set them aside.
Once the dough has been proofed for 90 minutes, it should be puffy, but it might not double in bulk. Then gently place the dough on a floured surface. Next, make a snake out of the dough, and cut them into twelve equal pieces. After that, make a ball out of each piece of dough, then roll that ball on a floured surface. Next, place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Continue until all the dough is rolled and placed on the cookie sheet. Then cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 425°F.
Once the dough balls have rested, it’s time to shape and fill them. First, take the filling balls out of the freezer. Shaping them can be tricky and does take some practice. First, flatten a ball of dough but keep it in a circular shape. Place the frozen filling in the center of the rounded dough. Next, stretch the dough out so that the filling can fit in the center of the dough. Then bring the ends of the dough together, and crimp it tightly shut. Then place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment seam side down.
Shaping the bagel bites: Left picture is showing the filling in the middle of the dough. The middle picture shows the ends of dough coming over the center to be crimped. The right pictures show a dozen of the bagel bites ready for the water bath.
Important Tip: The filing and shaping of the bagel bite is the most complicated part of the recipe. The dough is not very sticky, so it does not want to close tightly. So, try to crimp them as tightly as possible. It is ok if they are not closed completely. This just means that the cheese will leak a little, but that is yummy too.
Once all the bagel bites are filled and shaped. Then bring the water bath to boil over medium-high heat while stirring to dissolve all the non-diastatic malt powder and sugar. After that, lower the heat of the stove to bring the water bath to a simmer. Once at a simmer, place four or fewer bagel bites in the pot, then cook for 30 seconds and repeat this step on the other side. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, remove the bagel bite and place them on a parchment-lined cook sheet seam side down. Then repeat until all the bagel bites have been in the water bath.
Important Tip: You can put your favorite topping on your bagel bite at this point. The topping will stick onto the bagel bite. Some suggested toppings are everything bagel mix, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds.
Here are some bagel bites cooking in the water bath.
Once all bagel bites have finished their water bath, they are ready for the oven. Just place the cookie sheet with the bagel bites in the preheated oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until they become golden brown. Do not worry if some of the filling leaks; it will be great. Once baked, let them cool on the tray for 30 minutes. Once they cool, they can store up to a week in the fridge and longer in the freezer.
Final thoughts on Bagel Bites:
I am addicted to this pastry. I like them better than the ones at Starbucks. They can be eaten cold, but I like to heat the bagel bites, so the center is warm and gooey. I am sure you will love these in your mess!
Just out of the oven bagel bites. There are a few that lost some of their fillings, but they were all still yummy.
Bagel Bites:
Ingredients
- 170g of cream cheese
- 14g of Better Cheddar Cheese Powder
- 85g of shredded cheddar cheese, preferably sharp
- 13g of chopped chives, parsley, or other fresh herbs
- 482g of King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- 21g of non-diastatic malt powder
- 28g of Better Cheddar Cheese Powder
- 8g of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of instant yeast
- 301g to 340g of water, lukewarm
- 1814g of water
- 18g of non-diastatic malt powder
- 14g of granulated sugar
Instructions
- After all the ingredients for the filling are prepared and weighted, get out a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix cream cheese, cheddar powder, cheddar, and herbs.
- After they are thoroughly mixed, use a cookie scoop to create the balls of the cream cheese mixture. You want to overfill the scoop so that you have a heaping tablespoon of filling.
- Then roll the scoops in your hands to make balls and use all the filling to make the 12 balls, so there will be a dozen bagel bites.
- Once all the balls are made, place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and place the cookie sheet uncovered in the freezer overnight or until you make the bagel bites.
- Start by weighing and measuring out all your ingredients for the dough.
- Then, add all the dry ingredients in a bowl fitted with a dough hook on a stand mixer. Make sure that the salt and cheese powder is away from the yeast. Next, make a well in the flour and add the yeast into the well. Mix the dry ingredients until they are well combined.
- Slowly add the water to the flour mixture until it forms a slightly sticky and stiff dough.
- After that, let it knead for one to two minutes until it turns into a smooth dough.
- Then place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it proof for about 90 minutes.
- While the dough is proofing, weigh ingredients for the water bath.
- Then place the water, sugar, and non-diastatic malt powder in the pot and stir until they start to dissolve. Then set aside until after the bagel bites have rested.
- Once the dough has been proofed for 90 minutes, it should be puffy, but it might not double in bulk.
- Then gently place the dough on a floured surface, make a snake out of the dough, and cut them into twelve equal pieces.
- After that, make a ball out of each piece of dough, then roll that ball on a floured surface.
- Next, place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Continue until all the dough is rolled.
- Then cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 425°F.
- When the dough balls have rested, it’s time to shape and fill them.
- But, first, take the filling balls out of the freezer.
- Shaping can be tricky and does take some practice, but it gets easier the more you make them. First, flatten a ball of dough but keep it in a shape of a circle.
- Stretch the dough out so that the filling can fit in the center of the dough. Place the frozen filling in the center of the rounded dough, Then bring the ends of the dough together, and crimp it tightly shut. Then place a cookie sheet lined with parchment seam side down.
- Once all the bagel bites are filled and shaped, bring the water bath to boil over medium-high heat while stirring to dissolve all the non-diastatic malt powder and sugar.
- Then lower the heat of the stove to bring the water bath to a simmer.
- Once at a simmer, place four or fewer bagel bites in the pot, then cook for 30 seconds. Next, flip the bagel bite over to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, remove the bagel bite and place it seam-side down on a parchment-lined cook sheet. Then repeat until all the bagel bites have been in the water bath.
- Once all bagel bites have finished their water bath, they are ready for the oven. Just place the cookie sheet with the bagel bites in the preheated oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Do not worry if some of the filling leaks; it will be great. Once baked, let them cool on the tray for 30 minutes. Once they cool, they can store up to a week in the fridge and longer in the freezer.
