High Protein Cottage Cheese Bagels (Cacio e Pepe)

I’m jumping onto the homemade bagel bandwagon! Let’s make high protein cottage cheese bagels but make them Cacio e Pepe style! It’s the viral bagel trend but with a cheesy twist! Whether you make them for breakfast, brunch or lunch, they'll make a good impression! These bagels are cheesy, peppery, pillowy and soft and couldn’t be more delicious!

My High Protein Cottage Cheese Bagel recipe is comprised of gluten free flour, baking powder, salt and cottage cheese. Gluten free flour, baking powder and salt are added to a large bowl and form the basis of the dough. These 3 ingredients give the bagels their soft structure, some leavening capability and a touch of flavour. Next up, the star of the show – cottage cheese! Full-fat cottage cheese helps bring the dough together and adds copious amounts of protein, moisture, tanginess and richness. A simple mix of the ingredients is all you need before leaving the dough to rest for 10 minutes. This step is crucial as it allows the flour to hydrate and makes the dough easier to work with. The dough is then divided into 4 equal portions and shaped into bagels. The bagels are given a light brushing of egg wash and topped with a sprinkling of Pecorino Romano and ground pepper!

The bagels are then transferred into a preheated oven and baked for 30 minutes or until golden-brown and delicious! Now for the tough part – the wait! I know it’s tempting but at this point the bagels are far too hot to eat! Remove the bagels from the oven and set them aside to cool for approximately 20 minutes. Enjoy these bagels on their own or top them with butter or a smear of cream cheese!

Why buy store-bought when you can make your own at home using a handful of simple and everyday ingredients. This recipe couldn’t be easier to make and comes together in under 1 hour. So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!

For more fun and exciting breakfast ideas, try Chocolate Blueberry Yoghurt Bites, Homemade Breakfast Sausages, Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Quiche and Tropical Chia Pudding recipes!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes (includes 10 minutes of inactive time)

Makes: 4 bagels

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp gluten free multipurpose flour, such as Cup4Cup (See Notes below)

• 1 ¾ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• 1 cup full-fat, 4% cottage cheese

• 1 egg, beaten

• ¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano (See Notes below)

• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a 11” x 17” baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. To a large bowl, add the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until fully incorporated.

3. Toss in the cottage cheese and using a large spoon or spatula, mix until combined. Mash the dough a few times with a fork to further break down the cottage cheese.

4. Using your hands, form the dough into a disc and set it aside in the bowl for 10 minutes to allow the dough to rest and for the flour to fully hydrate.

5. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion of dough into a ball, flatten and stretch it slightly and poke a hole in the middle, shaping it into a bagel.

6. Transfer the bagels onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and brush them with the beaten egg. Sprinkle Pecorino Romano and ground pepper over top.

7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the bagels are golden brown in colour and have cooked through.

8. Remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

9. For some added richness, top the bagels with butter or cream cheese!

   
   

Notes:

1. Don’t Mind Gluten: If you don’t have gluten free flour on hand and don’t mind some gluten, simply substitute the gluten free flour in this recipe for regular, all-purpose flour on a 1:1 basis. 

2. Freshly Grated is Best: Nothing quite compares to freshly grated Pecorino Romano! At your local grocer, you’ll find the pre-grated variety, but I highly recommend buying some Pecorino and grating it yourself. It makes a world of difference! Once you try freshly grated, you’ll never go back!