The 3-Ingredient Bagels You Can Bake In Just 30 Minutes

Making proper yeasted bagels in the authentic way takes effort. You've got to knead the dough, allow it to double in size, shape each bagel, and boil them in water before you can finally bake and enjoy them. However, according to a Tiktok recipe created by Andy's East Coast Kitchen, there's a faster way that eliminates several of these time-consuming stages. Plus, you only need three ingredients, they're high in protein, and ready in a speedy 30 minutes.

All you need to do is combine plain 3 cups of flour, 3 cups of Greek yogurt, and 4 and 1/2 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl (along with a pinch of salt if you prefer), then mix them together to create a shaggy dough. Give the dough a very light knead for just a couple of minutes until it comes together and looks relatively smooth texture-wise, then divide it into equal sized balls and shape each one into a bagel shape (pinch it in the center to make a hole and stretch it out). 

Bake these beauties in an over preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes to make plain bagels that are perfect for stuffing with cream cheese and lox or any other gourmet bagel toppings. Alternatively, brush them with an egg wash and scatter over your favorite flavors, such as sesame seeds, black poppy seeds, or even shredded cheese before baking. Better yet, use a super-convenient everything bagel seasoning blend.

You may have seen a few different takes on three-ingredient bagels that feature Greek yogurt if you follow the latest food trends. These recipes work so well because the Greek yogurt ⁠— which takes the place of liquid ingredients like water and milk ⁠— has a slight acidity that breaks down the gluten in the flour, resulting in a final product that's soft, fluffy, and tender. The baking soda used in place of the traditional yeast, reacts with the acid in the yogurt to trigger faster leavening, thereby eliminating rising time. Moreover, you don't need a mixer or any other fancy equipment to whip up a batch, and neither do you need a dash of sugar to activate the yeast. The result? Awesome bagels that are rich in satiating protein and gut-healthy probiotics, which is why you might find them to have a more satisfying quality than traditional bagels.

Once you've mastered a basic three-ingredient recipe, you can experiment by incorporating exciting flavors into your dough, such as sliced jalapeños, sun-dried tomatoes, or even raisins and a dash of cinnamon. While these textural additions make it trickier to seamlessly cut through a homemade bagel with a knife, a bagel slicer is perfect for the job.