2 Ingredient Dough Cheddar Old Bay Bagels

Or, a BAYgel, if you will...

Here's the game plan for today's recipe. We're going to make that basic, magical 2 ingredient dough recipe that you've seen here a million times. We're going to jazz it up with some garlic and lots of cheddar cheese. Then, we're going to coat the whole situation in a healthy sprinkling of Old Bay seasoning and more cheese.

So, let's get to it!

Let's start with our base dough. Like I said, we've made this dough a million times into a million things. All we need is some self rising flour and some plain non fat greek yogurt. Now, I always get asked if you can make substitutions for this dough, so let me address those questions right here.

Can you use regular greek yogurt instead of non fat? Yes. I use non fat as personal preference, and because it's an item that I always have on hand. Can you use sour cream instead of greek yogurt? Yes. I personally have not tried this, but a friend of mine tested a recipe for me using this ingredient, and it worked out great. Can you use regular yogurt instead of greek yogurt. No. Regular yogurt is too thin, and the consistency of your dough will not come out right. Can you use gluten free flour? Yes. I have not tried it, but I've had friends that have done this with great results. Just google a recipe for self rising flour using gluten free flour (you'll add baking soda and salt), and use that mix in equal proportions to the flour in this recipe. Can you use almond/coconut flour? No. These flours are too dense for this dough.

Now that we have those questions answered, let me address another comment that I always get on these 2 ingredient dough recipes. Yes, I know that if I add ingredients to the dough (like we're going to do today), it's no longer a 2 ingredient dough. Trust me, I recognize that. But I choose to still call it a 2 ingredient dough recipe; because if we took out all the extra bells and whistles, the base dough is just 2 ingredients. Plus, 4 ingredient dough doesn't bring the same curb appeal!

With that being said, we are going to add 2 extra ingredients to our flour/yogurt mixture: garlic powder and shredded cheddar cheese. I find that 2 ingredient dough needs a little extra savory flavor to balance out the tanginess of the yogurt, so I almost always add a pinch of salt. But one of my newest favorite flavor combos is Old Bay and garlic, so a little pinch of garlic powder goes right in the dough. For the cheese, we're going to shred half a block of cheese, mix half of the cheese right into the dough, and save the rest to melt over the top of the bagel.

Once our dough is together, we'll knead it for a couple of turns, shape it into a bagel, and get ready to top it before it goes to the oven. So, we'll brush the top of the bagels with a little egg that's been beaten really well. Then we'll sprinkle on a generous dusting of Old Bay seasoning, top the bagels with our remaining cheese, and pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes to get beautifully golden brown.

Let me just tell you, I wish I could bottle the smell that these bagels emit while they're in the oven. If I have any candle maker friends out there, please create me a Cheddar Old Bay Bagel flavor!

When our bagels are ready to eat, we are in for quite the treat! The cheddar that we mixed into the dough creates these little cheesy pockets that scatter all throughout the inside of our bagel. And, the outside of our bagel is savory and crusty and a little crunchy from that crispy cheese that seals in the top. The Old Bay adds just the perfect amount of light heat while packing TONS of flavor. And, it marries perfectly with that sharp cheese.

There are no words worthy of describing this magical bite!

Ok, everyone! I hope I've answered some of your questions about 2 ingredient dough today! And, you know today's latest creation is not the last that we've seen of this dough. It's become one of my missions in life to figure out what to do with this dough next. And you know, your girl has plenty of ideas!

I hope you all enjoy, and let's eat!