Parmesan Garlic Bagels
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Delicious bagels cooked in a salt and brown sugar water bath then topped off with Parmesan cheese and garlic cloves. This recipe originally published in February 2015.
I love bagels.  I grew up in a city where there were a ton of delicious bagel shops.  In fact, one of my friends worked at a bagel place and he used to bring me a huge bag of bagels after his shift some nights.  I really looked forward to that because if there is anything better then bagels, it’s free bagels!
Unfortunately we now live in a town without a single bagel shop. If I want a bagel I have to go to the local grocery store and they are just subpar.  Good enough in a pinch but not great.  That’s why I have to make my own.
My favorite bagel is the salt bagel. It’s simple but delicious.  My favorite way of eating it is with vegetable cream cheese. Pure bliss!  I have yet to make a salt bagel as good as the ones I buy in the city.
My second favorite type of bagel is Jalapeno Cheddar.  I love the melted cheese on top and the spiciness of the jalapenos. It’s awesome.
However, I’ve made both of these bagels in the past so I didn’t want to make them again. I wanted to try something different.  I found these Parmesan Garlic Bagels and they seemed pretty easy to make.
Ingredients:
- yeast
- honey
- salt
- flour
- brown sugar
- Parmesan cheese
- sea salt
- garlic cloves
To make the bagels combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly.
Add in the salt and half the flour and mix.  Add in the remaining flour a half cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until a smooth dough forms.
Knead the dough until it becomes elastic and then put it in a greased bowl. Let the dough rise for 1 hour then punch it down and divide it into 12 equal pieces.
Roll each piece of dough in a ball and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
After the second rise poke a hole through the middle of each bagel to make a bagel shape.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and then bring a large pot of water to a boil with brown sugar and salt. Add the bagels 2 at a time and cook for two minutes. Flip it over and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the water and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle the wet bagels with grated cheese and sea salt, lightly pressing into the bagel.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the bagels with the garlic cloves and bake an additional 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Do I have to use brown sugar in the water bath?
No you don’t but it adds just a hint of sweetness to the bagels that is really good with the garlic and Parmesan.
Do I have to boil the bagels before baking?
Yes! This is the way bagels are made. If you simply bake them they don’t look or taste like a bagel should. Do not skip this step.
Can I use a different kind of cheese?
Absolutely! Cheddar works really well on bagels or Asiago would be good on these as well.
Do I need any special equipment to make the bagels?
No! All you need is a large pot for boiling and a large sheet pan for baking. As long as you have those two things you will be able to make these.
Can these be frozen?
Yes. After baking the bagels let them cool completely.  Cut them in half then wrap them in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag and put in the freezer for up to 6 months.  Remove from the freezer and toast or bake to thaw them.
The bagels are made in the traditional way of boiling them, putting on the topping, and then baking them. They come out golden brown and delicious.  The cheese and garlic get crispy and taste amazing.
We enjoyed them for breakfast with vegetable cream cheese. They would also be good with sausage and egg on them for a breakfast sandwich. For lunch we cut them in half and put turkey and cheese on them and had bagel sandwiches.
More Bagel Recipes:
- Air Fryer Everything Bagels
- Parmesan and Fresh Herb Bagels
- Jalapeno Cheddar Bagels
- Rosemary Sea Salt Sourdough Bagels from The Spiffy Cookie
- Classic New York Water Bagels from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
If you’ve tried my Parmesan Garlic Bagels or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:
Quick Parmesan Garlic Bagels
Ingredients
- 2 c. warm water
- 2 packets active dry yeast
- 2 T. honey
- 1 t. salt
- 4 1/2 - 5 c. flour
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 8 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly.
- Add in the salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix until combined.
- Add the remaining flour a half cup at a time until a smooth dough forms.
- Knead until the dough becomes elastic then place in a lightly greased bowl to rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
- After it has risen, punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece in a ball and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, poke a hole through the middle of each bagel to make the classic bagel shape.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the brown sugar. Add the bagels 2 at a time.
- Cook for two minutes then flip over and cook an additional minute.
- Remove from the water and place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle the wet bagels with grated cheese and sea salt, lightly pressing into the bagel.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the bagels with the garlic cloves and bake an additional 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
- Allow to cool before storing.
These look so yummy! I’m a sucker for a good bagel. Especially one covered in cheese!
Delicious bagels! My daughter would love this bagel.
Delicious bageels with parmesan … YUm
Garlic and cheese is a wonderful choice, I could eat a lot of these. Thanks for hosting this month 🙂
Thanks so much Heather for hosting! These sound and look amazing! Love the photos!
Thanks for hosting again! And mentioning my water bagels!
I could definitely eat a lot of these! 😀 They look perfect. And garlic and parmesan. Mmm.
I want to smear garlic goat cheese all over these! Thanks for hosting, Heather!
I’m a garlic junkie so I absolutely know I would love these bagels.
Thanks for hosting this month, what a great theme! It is one we all enjoyed. I would love to have a sandwich for lunch with your bagel today, love the cheese!
I love all these bagel recipes you guys are sharing!! I’ve never had Parmesan on a bagel though – will have to give these a try (I love making bagels – they’re so easy once you figure out what you’re supposed to do!). Thanks for sharing!!
I can pratically smell one of those gorgeous bagels toasting in my kitchen. They look great!
This may be my favorite Bread Bakers month so far, Heather! I love all the different bagels everyone has baked. So great to see how different bakers approach a challenge. Thank you so much for hosting.
You made me laugh, but you are right. The only thing better than a bagel is a free bagel. 🙂 Yours came out perfect, with all that cheese on top. And the garlic! Serious perfection!
I was just writing on Stacy’s post how my two favorite bagels currently are roasted garlic and a parmesan pepper one. This combines both, how perfect!
Thank you so much for hosting this month, Heather! I really enjoyed this challenge! Garlic and Parm? Great combination–I’m in!
THank you so much for hosting this month. I know it was a lot of work and I appreciate all that you do. Your bagels look scrumptious!
I could see eating these bagels with veggie cream cheese. They look wonderful. Thanks for hosting this month’s Bread Bakers!