Soft Cottage Cheese Bagels (Printable)

Delicious, chewy bagels made with cottage cheese and self-rising flour, ready in under 40 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup cottage cheese, low-fat or fat-free
02 - 1½ cups self-rising flour

→ Toppings

03 - 1 large egg, beaten for egg wash
04 - 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds

→ Self-Rising Flour Substitute

05 - 1½ cups all-purpose flour
06 - 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
07 - ½ teaspoon fine salt

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, stir cottage cheese until mostly smooth.
03 - Add self-rising flour to cottage cheese and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
04 - Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 1 to 2 minutes until just combined and slightly tacky. Avoid overworking the dough.
05 - Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each into an 8-inch log, then pinch the ends together to form a bagel shape.
06 - Place bagels on prepared baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with desired toppings.
07 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
08 - Transfer bagels to a wire rack and cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They're ready in under 40 minutes with zero yeast drama or overnight planning.
  • Each bagel packs 11 grams of protein, making them genuinely filling for breakfast or a midday snack.
  • The dough comes together with just two pantry staples, so you can make them on the fly.
  • They're soft on the inside with a satisfying chew, not dense or bready like some flourless attempts.
02 -
  • Do not skip the gentle kneading step—it's tempting to overwork the dough, but even 30 extra seconds of aggressive kneading can make them dense and chewy in the wrong way.
  • The dough should feel tacky, not wet; if it's too wet, dust with a tiny bit more flour, but go slowly because self-rising flour already has moisture built into the formula.
03 -
  • Let the cottage cheese come to room temperature before mixing if you remember—it combines more smoothly and produces slightly airier bagels.
  • If your toppings keep sliding off during baking, press them gently into the dough before it goes in the oven rather than relying only on the egg wash to hold them.
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