2-Ingredient Bagels — No Kneading, No Yeast

It was Mor — better known as Morcake — who introduced me to this wonderfully i n g e n i o u s recipe.

Back in 2018 she sent me the link. It had come out in the U.S. and turned into one of the most viral things ever, and she said that she thought this recipe was made for me.

So I clicked on it.

What can I say? Mor was absolutely right.

Five minutes of prep, minimal ingredients, and a result that looks like I kneaded dough for three hours.

“Are you sure you don’t want this recipe for your blog?” I asked half surprised, but half hopeful she’d say she was giving it up. Dibs are legit, after all.

Mor passed on it — mostly because she doesn’t like yogurt, and also because she’s wonderful. So first of all: I thank you, Mor, for sharing this discovery with me. My freezer and I, which to this day are usually full of perfect bagels, are very grateful.

And now, friends, meet one of the coolest recipes there is — excellent bagels from just 2 ingredients: flour and yogurt. No kneading, no mixer, no rising, and no yeast.

And the best thing about them is their flavor.

No, they don’t have the chewy texture of the bagels you know. They’re more like the “kiss” of a loaf of bread — that golden edge everyone fights over. Something between wild crispness and a soft, deeply pleasing interior.

But even cooler? That texture doesn’t disappear after a day. Not even after two days. You can freeze them, reheat them, and they still keep that little “kiss” texture — crunchy, so enjoyable, and such a perfect mouthfeel.

The woman whose recipe I borrowed wrote that her friends make these when they’re trying to watch their weight. Since I’m neither a nutritionist nor a dietitian, I’m not completely sure what makes them better nutritionally than other baked goods. What I can tell you is that they’re filling, and they make excellent sandwiches like the one you see here in the pic.

And by the way, I tried different versions with all sorts of toppings and additions (you can see two versions in the large photo below). In the end, what worked best was water to help the poppy seeds stick — not egg — and ground black pepper in the dough itself.

In short, take half an hour, get yourself some yogurt, and don’t you dare forget to tell me how they turned out!

2-Ingredient Bagels

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Serves: 4 each Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes 25 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

Ingredients for 4 bagels:

• 1 cup self-rising flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 level teaspoon baking powder)
• 3/4 cup (200 ml / about 7 oz) plain yogurt (High-protein yogurt works beautifully here)

Dough Additions. Choose salt + one additional flavoring (I added salt and black pepper and they were insane):

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed chili flakes (spicy)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

For the topping (optional):

• Poppy seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Za’atar with sesame

Instructions

- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a medium bowl, place the flour, salt, chosen seasoning, and yogurt. Mix well with a wooden spoon. The dough will be sticky and a little lumpy — that’s perfectly fine.
- Transfer to a well-floured work surface and knead briefly until the dough comes together. This part is a little tricky because the dough isn’t elastic, but a bit more flour (don’t be afraid to add 2 to 4 tablespoons) will help. The goal is simply for the dough to come together into a ball. We’re not looking for challah-dough elasticity here.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a rope about 8 inches (20 cm) long. If the dough is still sticky, roll it on a floured surface.
- Shape into bagels by forming a circle and sealing the ends well. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- And now comes the artistic part. Dip each bagel in water for a second (only the side you want to decorate), then dip that side into a plate of poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C) and bake 5 more minutes.
- Do not cut into them until cooled, otherwise they’ll be doughy inside.

2 versions here - one with white flour and water instead of egg wash for the poppy seed, and one with spelt flour and egg wash for the sesame seeds (the egg wash was less successful).

Notes

- There are plenty of additions you can mix into the dough: dried oregano, paprika, turmeric, a little sesame, flax seeds for texture, and more.
- You can use spelt flour instead of white flour.
- Before baking, you can top the bagels with Italian seasoning, coarse salt, nigella seeds, thyme leaves, and more.
- These bagels keep wonderfully in the freezer in a sealed bag. You can even reheat them in the microwave and they still come out great.