Cheese bagels

Cheese bagels

60 min+
Our sesame-sprinkled homemade bagels are hiding a savoury secret: they are filled with a delicious cheddar filling. These savoury cheddar cheese bagels are a twist on the classic bagel with a cheesy surprise in the middle that will have your taste buds dancing. They have a bagel’s beloved signature crispy exterior, soft interior, and chewy texture. Whether you enjoy them as a breakfast treat, savoury lunch, or a midday snack, our cheddar bagels recipe is sure to satisfy your craving.
https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/cheese-bagels/

Instructions

Dough
  • Pour the lukewarm milk into a bowl and dissolve the yeast in it.
  • Add oil, sugar, salt, and flour. Knead the dough well, for instance, using a stand mixer.
  • Cover the bowl with a lid, tea towel, or cling film, and place it somewhere warm to proof for about 1 hour.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop and knead it. The dough is fairly firm but still flexible.
  • Divide it into 6 pieces and roll them into small rectangles (approx. 10x25 cm).
  • Distribute the cheddar evenly and place it in a strip in the middle of the rectangles. Close them around the cheddar lengthwise so you get 6 ‘sausages’ – make sure you close them well.
  • Fashion the ‘sausages’ into rings by stuffing one end into the other. Again, make sure you close them well, so the cheesy filling does not spill out.
  • Place the rings on a piece of parchment paper, cover them, and let them proof a second time for about 20 minutes.
Boiling and baking
  • Preheat oven to 200°C (regular oven).
  • Bring water to a boil in a big saucepan. Turn down the heat so it is slowly boiling but not a rolling boil.
  • Cook 2-3 bagels at a time for about 2 minutes on each side (approx. 4 minutes in total).
  • Place the boiled bagels on a lined baking tray – make sure that the side that was facing up during the second proofing is still facing up, otherwise they will not rise properly.
  • Brush the 6 boiled bagels with beaten egg, garnish with sesame seeds, and bake them in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Tip

If you would like these cheddar bagels to be even cheesier, you can also sprinkle cheese on top. The same shredded cheddar that is used inside these baked goods also melts beautifully on top to create a beautifully bubbly surface. Melted, browned cheese on bagels is a classic, and it makes for both a flavourful and texturally delicious addition. Try adding red cheddar to your list of cheese bagel toppings along with sesame seeds for a combination that is gooey as well as crispy.

Questions about cheese bagels

With a cheesy bagel recipe like ours, making homemade cheese bagels becomes quite easy. To learn more about cheese bagels, have a look at our answers to the most frequently asked questions below.

How to make cheese bagels?
A cheddar cheese bagel may make for a tasty snack as well as a decadent sandwich bread. Prepare the dough, let it proof, then make 6 small rectangles and place the cheddar in a strip in the middle. Fold them into ‘sausages’ around the filling, then fold them into rings. Let them proof for a second time, then boil them in water for 2 minutes on each side before brushing the side that was facing up during their second proofing with egg wash and sprinkling them with sesame seeds. Bake them for 20 minutes in the oven and let them cool slightly before savouring the chewy baked good with the gooey filling.
What cheese is best for cheese bagels?
Cheese and bagels seem to go hand in hand and one of the very best cheeses for bagels is cheddar. Red cheddar has a deliciously rich and nutty flavour. It also melts very well, ensuring a gooey and cheesy filling. Other popular choices include plain or flavoured cream cheese or the nutty and buttery Italian asiago. An asiago cheese bagel has a milder and sweeter taste than a cheddar bagel with a fruiter, nutty, and buttery flavour.
Can you freeze cheese bagels?
Freezing cheese bagels is entirely possible. Once they have cooled, wrap them in cling film. If you have cut them in half, place a piece of parchment paper between the slices to prevent them from sticking together. Place the wrapped cheese bagels in freezer-safe bags or airtight containers. Store them in the freezer for up to 4 months. To thaw them, either leave them in the fridge overnight, place them on the countertop for 2-3 hours, or defrost them in the oven (3-5 minutes on each side at 175°C [regular oven] should do it). Defrosting them in the microwave will make their texture hard rather than chewy.
What to serve with cheese bagels?
Though these cheese bagels taste wonderful just the way they are, they can also be used to make delicious sandwiches. You can use a toasted cheese bagel to make a tasty breakfast sandwich with scrambled eggs and bacon or fried eggs and avocado. Using it to make a lunch sandwich with cream cheese and smoked salmon, creamy tuna salad, or juicy chicken breast and homemade hummus is also a great idea. Lastly, you can also use cream cheese with garlic to make a flavourful, savoury garlic cheese bagel.

Ingredients

Cheese bagels
Lukewarm milk
250 ml
Yeast
25 g
Rapeseed oil
1 tbsp
Sugar
1 tbsp
Coarse salt
1½ tsp
Wheat flour
400 g
Shredded red cheddar cheese
175 g
For brushing
Beaten egg
1
Garnish
Light and dark sesame seeds

Chewy cheese bagels with sesame seeds on top

Cheese bagels have a lovely chewy texture with a crisp, golden-brown crust and a soft interior. A bagel's signature chewiness is achieved by boiling the dough before baking it. Though this makes for a more time-consuming cooking process, the result is well worth the effort. Topped with nutty-tasting sesame seeds in different decorative colours and filled with red cheddar, these homemade baked goods are a must-try.

Since cheese bagels freeze well, you can make a big batch while you are at it. This way you always have some on hand to make a tasty, toasted cheese bagel sandwich. Cheese bagels taste great with classic bagel toppings like smoked salmon and cream cheese, tuna salad with egg, and chicken with hummus. They are also great for breakfast sandwiches with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon or creamy avocado and poached eggs.

Indulge in melted cheese inside the dough

Just like regular ones, these cheese bagels have a delightfully chewy texture. Unlike plain bagels, though, they have the added benefit of containing a gooey, cheesy filling. This sets our cheesy homemade bagels apart from most others that only have shredded cheddar sprinkled on top. Stuffing cheese bagels with cheddar, however, allows it to flavour them more significantly.

Rich and savoury red cheddar cheese

Melted cheddar makes for a delicious filling in cheese bagels. Red cheddar has a creamy, almost buttery, taste with nutty undertones. Depending on how long it has matured it can be either mild-tasting or tangy. An aged cheddar has a sharper flavour, whereas a younger one is smooth. No matter how mature it is, the cheddar melts beautifully to create a savoury, salty bagel filling.

Experiment with spicy jalapeno cheddar bagels

Using fresh or canned jalapenos to turn this into a jalapeno cheddar bagel recipe is a great way to add some spice. The green chillis may be used in a few different ways to create a spicy cheese jalapeno bagel.

You can either cut up or grate the jalapenos before incorporating them into the dough, use finely grated jalapenos to flavour the egg wash, or slice and place them on top to signal the spiciness of your jalapeno cheese bagel. Any or all of these choices are great if you want to turn up the heat of your homemade cheese bagels.