I’ve never leaned towards snack foods which are marketed as high in protein. Usually, they’re full of other unnecessary junk that would work against my gains. Whole complete protein sources are, of course, the best in terms of quality and efficacy. Protein sources such as lean meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy. Cottage cheese is one of the dairy products that I consistently consume on a daily basis. It is high in protein, low in fat, and I love how it tastes straight out the jar.
Recently my friend suggested that I looked into protein bagels since I love incorporating yogurt in my bakes. As it turns out blitzing cottage cheese turns it into a liquid mass with the consistency of thick yogurt. So, I decided to give it a go.
These protein bagels turned out very good. There are equal amounts of cottage cheese and flour in this recipe. Even with such a high liquid content the dough is easy to handle. It’s a quick recipe with a fun twist.
There isn’t that much protein in a single bagel, but if you load it up with protein rich fillings, then it will all add up. You will definitely not get jacked by eating these, but they do make a great snack.
I’ve reduced the amount of added salt because the cottage cheese contains salt too. You can use any seeds that you like. And you can skip the egg glaze if you don’t eat eggs. Brush the bagels with some of the cooking liquid instead.
This recipe makes 4 bagels. To make more simply multiply all the ingredients.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the dough –
250g (8.8oz) full fat cottage cheese
3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.13oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.32oz) fresh yeast
4g (0.14oz) salt
15g (0.5oz) honey
50g (1.75oz) whole wheat bread flour
200g (7oz) white bread flour
For boiling –
1kg (2.2lb) water
30g (1oz) honey
For topping –
1 egg for glazing
Seeds to sprinkle on top. I used linseeds, poppy seeds, and caraway seeds.
To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
Method
- Blitz the cottage cheese with a blender or a food processor. Pour the cottage cheese in a bowl and add the yeast, salt, honey, and whole wheat flour. Mix well to dissolve the salt and yeast. Add the white bread flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 24C (75F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation time accordingly.
- Cover and ferment for 40 minutes.
- Fold.
- Ferment for 40 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Shape into balls, cover, and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
- Shape the bagels. Place them on a non-stick paper lined baking tray. Proof for 30 minutes.
- Boil the bagels in the water and honey mix for 20 seconds per side.
- Place the bagels back in the baking tray. Brush with egg and top with seeds.
- Bake at 180C (355F) fan on or 200C (390F) fan off for around 18 minutes.
Leave to cool down and make yourself a high protein snack!
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
