bomb-tastic bagels

I've got a few blog posts in the works. There has been a fair amount of cooking in the works that I'm trying to document ... but I'm behind schedule. Pretend to be shocked. I'm in the process of writing up some crockpot chicken recipes ... BACON JAM ... and maybe some roasted brussel sprouts.

But, since it's Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to knock two things off my list that I love to do:
(1) make a family breakfast
(2) make a recipe that I've had on my list for months

I come from a carb loving family. We love muffins, bagels, toast ... but especially bagels. On Sunday mornings, my Dad comes home with a pile of bagels and multiple times of cream cheese and perhaps a pound of bacon. He is known around the block for what he calls his "Minot McMuffin" sandwiches ... which is a fried egg, bacon and cheese on a bagel.

So let me introduce you to bagel bombs. More specifically .... everything bagel bombs stuffed with bacon cream cheese.

Bagel bombs are I guess technically not real bagels. There is no boiling and well, there is no hole. But, there is no hole because it's STUFFED with cream cheese. I mean come on. How is that ever going to be a bad thing?

I could keep going about these babies but instead I'm going to keep it to three bullet points:
  • perfectly customizable. you like cinnamon sugar bagels? or perhaps you like something a little oat-y? you can make the topping whatever you want. same goes for the cream cheese. toss some jalapano in there. maybe some chives. seriously. there is something for everyone here.
  • freezer friendly. I made these babes the night before ... including the toppings... and tossed them in the freezer. You wouldn't even know that I did that.
  • brunch. The bombs are sized totally appropriately for a brunch where someone could grab one or two. Plus, if you add in the the fact that they are customizable and freezer friendly it's a slam dunk for a brunch.
This recipe only makes 8 bombs ... and I mean 8. So double it and don't look back.

(Step 1) Put the cream cheese in a bowl and begin to work it a bit to make it soft. Add in any toppings that you'd like to and blend the mixture. I added 6 strips of crispy cooked bacon that I crumbled. Scoop the cream cheese on tinfoil or parchment in 8 even lumps and freeze until hard (about 1 to 2 hours).

(Step 2) Now let's make the dough. Since I was at my parent's house, I didn't have my stand mixer with a dough hook ... so I pretty much used my two hands and a wooden spoon. Stir together the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl. Continue stirring as you add the water, mixing for 1 minute, until the mixture has come together into a shaggy mess.

(Since 3) If you have a stand mixer and dough hook .... use the hook and have the machine mix the dough on the lowest speed for 3 minutes, or until the ball of dough is smoother and more cohesive. (If it just looks like a big wet mess, add some more flour until it begins to look more like a ball.) Then knead for 4 more minutes on the lowest speed. The dough should look like a wet ball and should bounce back softly when prodded. If you don't have a mixer ... I just used a wooden spoon to work the dough around the bowl for a few minutes. Easy peasy. Just pretend like it's 1620 and channel your inner pilgrim.

(Step 4) Brush a large bowl with oil and dump the dough into it. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough proof at room temperature for 45 minutes. Don't expect the dough to grow all big and strong on you. It just won't. It's okay.

(Step 5) While the dough is "proofing" and the cream cheese is hardening ... make the everything bagel mix by mixing together the salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onions, onion powder, and garlic powder.
(Step 6) Flatten the dough on a smooth, dry countertop. You might need to dust it with a bit of flour. Use a dough cutter (pizza wheel?) to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Use your fingers to gently stretch each piece of dough out into a mini pizza between 2 and 3 inches wide.
(Step 7) Pull your cream cheese from the freezer and put a ball in the center of each dough circle. Use the rest of the dough to cover the ball and pinch the edges to seal. You don't need to be really aggressive but you also don't want cream cheese leaking all over you pan.
(Step 8) Arrange the bombs 4 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

(Step 9) Whisk the egg and brush a generous coat of egg wash on the buns. The topping will only stick to the egg wash area ... so be aggressive with the egg wash. Sprinkle the bagel topping mix all over the bombs and maybe even use your fingers to patt it into place a bit. But don't stress ... it's no biggie.

(Step 10) Bake the bagel bombs for 20 to 30 minutes at 350F. A well-done bomb will be a golden brown and you might even have a slight cream cheese explosion. No worries.

And then ... enjoy the bomb. Perhaps if you do it like I do, you'll demolish the first bomb, savor the second bomb ... and drown them both with several cups of coffee. You should also do it in front of a fire and watch HGTV at the same time.

Maybe.

Enjoy.

Shopping List
8 oz cream cheese
6 strips of cooked bacon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt PLUS 1/2 tablespoon (for dough) PLUS 3/4 teaspoon (for everything bagel mix)
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 packet (or 1/2 teaspoon) active dry yeast
7/8 cups room temperature water
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1.5 tablespoon dried onions
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg

2 comments

  1. Replies
    1. They were seriously amazing Hayley. Highly recommend anyone give these babies a shot.

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