Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagels

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everything bageful

It’s no secret that I love bagels. When in NYC, we sought out the best bagels in the city! But now that I know how to make bagels at home, I’ve discovered there is more than one way to bagel. In fact, the bagels in this recipe have no holes and are stuffed with cream cheese! How many more times can I say bagel? Bagel, bagel, bagels! (I’m obsessed.)

Made at home with my very own NYC bagel recipe – these bagel bites are the perfect way to get breakfast on the go. Plus, they can be stuffed with more than just cream cheese!

I made my cream cheese stuffed bagels with a variety of toppings, including a classic egg wash, cinnamon sugar, and an “everything” mix.

When making traditional bagels, you would roll the dough into logs or snakes then connect the ends to form a bagel shape.

But with these bagels, instead of a whole, you press cream cheese into the center. Fold the dough around the cream cheese and seal the edges. It’s easiest to keep the cream cheese as cold as possible – but not quite frozen – so that the cream cheese doesn’t melt too much in the cooking process.

The most important step to making authentic bagels is to boil them in a honey/water mixture until they have puffed up. Once they’ve boiled for a few minutes, it’s also best to let them air dry for a few minutes.

Give the bagels a nice egg wash before adding the desired toppings – or just leave them plain. I was super impressed by the shininess of my egg bagels!

While the bagels bake, your house will straight up smell like a bakery – and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that.

Check out the full recipe for regular NYC bagels here!

cream cheese stuffed bagels

Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagels

The Starving Chef
Made at home with my very own NYC bagel recipe – these bagel bites are the perfect way to get breakfast on the go.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rising Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American, Breakfast
Servings 12 bagels

Ingredients
  

FOR BAGEL DOUGH:

EVERYTHING BAGEL TOPPING:

  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons dried onion flakes
  • 3 tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon rolled oats optional

CINNAMON BAGEL TOPPING:

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, sea salt, oil and yeast. Attach a dough hook to the mixer head. Stir on a medium-low speed while slowly pouring in the water.
  • Once the water is completely mixed in and a sticky dough has formed, turn the mixer up to medium and let it go for about 8-10 minutes. The dough will look like it is not coming together at first. If AFTER the initial 8-10 minutes the dough is too dry, add more water as needed. If AFTER the initial 8-10 minutes the dough is too wet, add in more flour as needed.
  • When a firm but slightly sticky dough has formed, turn off the mixer and roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Continue to knead the dough by hand for another 10-25 minutes, until the dough is smooth. To tell if the dough is ready, pull off a quarter sized piece. If it can be easily pulled until transparent to light, it is ready. If it rips, continue to knead until the transparent test works.
  • Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic and a towel. Let the dough rise for two hours.
  • After two hours, punch the dough down and divide into 12-13 evenly sized pieces. Arrange on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise about 25 more minutes.
  • Cut the cream cheese into 12 squares. Place a piece of cream cheese in the center of each piece of dough, then seal the dough around the cream cheese.
  • In a large pot, add about 4-5 inches of water then pour in the honey. Bring to a boil. Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, large enough to hold a bagel, stir together the ingredients for the "everything" bagel mix. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar bagel mix. In another bowl, whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash.
  • Add the bagel balls to the boiling water, about 2-4 per batch (however many your pot can hold without the bagels touching). Boil for 1-2 minutes per side, until the bagels are puffed up.
  • Remove the bagels from the water with a slotted spatula (or very gently with tongs or chopsticks) and place on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Let dry for about 5-10 minutes, until no longer visibly glistening with water.
  • Brush the egg wash onto each bagel then place the bagels into the "everything" topping or the cinnamon sugar, as desired. Cook any dipped in cinnamon sugar on their own baking sheet – the butter will melt and spread across the pan.
  • Arrange the bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone and bake for 15-25 minutes, until the bagels are golden brown and puffed up. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack until warm or room temperature. Keep chilled when not eating. Enjoy!
Keyword bagel, cream cheese
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