I came across this recipe for bagel bombs while researching savory alternatives for a Mother’s Day brunch. Crowds of people at restaurants… waiting forever for a table… forgotten reservations… more crowds? Forget it! We’re staying in because nothing beats a home cooked brunch. More time to spend with each other and no elbow to elbow seating with strangers. The recipe comes from Adam over at Amateur Gourmet  but can also be found in the Momofuku Milk Bar book. I’m sure many of you are familiar with Christina Tosi and her wonderful creations such as Compost cookies and Blueberry Cream cookies. So what exactly is a bagel bomb?

A bagel bomb is two a bite bagel that is baked with cream cheese already inside. You might have to make a few more because these are irresistible when served fresh out of the oven! These also work well at a brunch as an alternative for those that don’t like eggs, bacon, pancakes or sweet sweet cinnamon buns. And if your mom is like my mom and is always in a rush, then you’ll really love them! These are perfect for any on-the-go breakfast. Just throw a few into your toaster oven, heat them up and you’re off to the races. Nothing beats warm fresh-baked bread and a soft cream cheese. And forget store-bought bagels after making these, you’ll be in love! Enjoy!

What are some of your favourite brunch and breakfast foods?

Bagel Bombs
(Yield: 8 servings)

Ingredients:

Cream cheese filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Fresh chives, cut thinly, to taste or your favorite filling ingredient

Bagel dough:

• 1 3/4 cups (225g) flour
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 7/8 cup (185 g) room temperature water

Bagel Topping:

• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried onions flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Egg Wash:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon of water

Directions:

Cream cheese filling:

• In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the salt, sugar and chives (or your favorite cream cheese ingredient) and continue mixing until they’re just incorporated.
• Scoop the cream cheese mixture  into eight even sized balls and place onto a parchment lined container or cookie sheet. Put them into the freezer until they are completely frozen. This will take at least an hour or more.

Bagel topping:

• Create the everything bagel mix by combining, the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion flakes and garlic salt. The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in your pantry.

Bagel Dough:

• Add the flour, salt and yeast into a mixing bowl and use the paddle attachment to combine.
• Slowly add the room temperature water while the mixer is running and stop once the dough begins to come together. You may not need to add all of the water. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too “wet”, add more flour a 1/2 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together again.
• Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for about seven minutes. The dough should look a bit wet at the end but still be able to form a smooth ball.
• Spray a large bowl with cooking spray or lightly coat with oil. Place the dough into the bowl and allow the dough to rise for about an hour at room temperature. The dough may not double in size but should be puffy.
• Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 325F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and on a pastry mat gently deflate the dough. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces.
• Use your fingers to gently stretch each piece of dough into a circle that’s about two to three inches wide.
• Place a piece of the frozen cream cheese in the center of the dough, bring up the edges of the dough to enclose the cream cheese and use your hands to gently roll the dough into the shape of a ball.

Egg Wash:

• Whisk the egg together with a 1/2 teaspoon of water until it is combined.
• Using a pastry brush, coat the bagel balls with the egg wash and generously sprinkle each ball with the everything bagel topping.
• Place into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes at 325F or until the bagels turn a golden brown.
• Remove the bagels from the oven once done, cool slightly and serve while warm.

Recipe notes: Keep in mind that the cream cheese has to be frozen for at least an hour so plan accordingly before you start making these. To save time, you can make the cream cheese and topping the day before. You can also swap out the chives for other ingredients such as sundried tomatoes, jalapenos, etc. if you want to try something different.

A few of the bagels may leak cream cheese while in the oven. The cream cheese can be gently pushed back into the bagel once they’ve been removed and have cooled down slightly. The recipe recommended an oven temperature of 325F but I found mine weren’t browning enough so I switched my oven onto convection for the last few minutes and that did the trick. Uneaten bagel bombs should be stored be in the fridge in an airtight container and will keep for up to three days.

(Source: Amateur Gourmet)