Traditional homemade bagels, while easy to make, are a bit time consuming. The yeasted dough requires plenty of resting time (usually overnight). It is then poached in boiling water before being baked in the oven. The recipe for these 2 ingredient bagels skips the yeast and the poaching liquid. The bagel dough is simply made from two ingredients- self rising flour and nonfat Greek yogurt), shaped into rolls, topped with egg wash and any desired seasonings, and then baked. In less than 45 minutes, you can have hot fresh bagels ready for cream cheese, lox, nut butter, or whatever fillings your heart desires!
A note about the Greek yogurt:
It’s very important that you use a thick, nonfat Greek yogurt for this recipe. Fage and Stonyfield are two brands that work well. If the yogurt is too runny or has liquid in it, it will probably make the dough too sticky. A thicker Greek yogurt should work perfectly. If your dough is sticky add more flour or use less yogurt. Take a look at the video to see if the Greek yogurt you’re using looks as thick as it does in the video.
How do these 2 ingredient bagels compare to traditional bagels?
Of course these 2 ingredient bagels cannot truly mimic the iconic chew and bite of a traditional poached and baked bagel. However, they come pretty darn close! If you want a bagel with more “chew” make your own self-rising flour using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. The additional protein in bread flour will help get that desired texture. See *Recipe Notes in the recipe below for details.
What’s the easiest way to shape bagels?
Most recipes will tell you to roll the bagel dough into a rope and then pinch the edges together. I prefer a different method. Shape each portion of dough into a ball. Use your thumbs to make a hole in the center of each ball. Gently pull and stretch until the dough is a uniform sized ring.
Before baking, the bagel dough is brushed with egg wash. The egg wash allows any desired toppings to stick to the dough. More importantly, the egg wash helps to give the baked bagels their brown coloring. There are countless variation on bagel toppings. Use the ever popular “everything bagel seasoning mix” of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic powder, onion flakes, and sea salt. I’ve seen this “mix” sold at Trader Joe’s. Or stick to a plain egg-washed version! These 2 ingredient bagels make for great breakfast sandwiches!
How to store 2-Ingredient Bagels:
Eat these bagels warm out of the oven, or let cool and store in a zip baggie or well-sealed container for up to 24 hours. If you keep them refrigerated, they should stay good up to 3 days. If you want to freeze them, wrap them individually and let them thaw before cutting open and toasting.
Weight Watchers Bagels:
2 ingredient bagels are also known as “Weight Watchers Bagels.” Regular bagels are far too caloric to enjoy when you’re following the Weight Watchers program, but since Greek yogurt is “free” on the Freestyle program, these bagels are a great breakfast option. Each bagel is counted as 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints. This magical 2-ingredient dough recipe can be used to make several other baked goods. Using a different ratio of flour to yogurt, you can make pizza dough or pretzel bites! If you are interested in more easy no-yeast bread recipes, you might like this Irish Soda Bread or Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits. These Black Pepper Gougeres or these Garlic Herb and Cheese Bread Sticks are also great options!
Things you can buy to help you make the best 2-Ingredient Bagels:
SELF RISING FLOUR: I’m partial to this brand– love it! EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING: If you cannot get to Trader Joe’s, this is a good brand too… and it can be delivered tomorrow. RIMMED BAKING SHEETS: I use these baking sheets for absolutely everything » bagels, roasted vegetables, salmon, baked chicken and cookies! PARCHMENT PAPER: These are awesome! They’re pre-cut pieces of parchment that fit your rimmed baking sheet perfectly.
