Bagel Recipe (Easy No-Yeast Yogurt Dough) - Skinnytaste (2024)

FAQs

Can you substitute sour cream for Greek yogurt in bagels? ›

You can use a fat-free Greek yogurt too if you prefer, I've found it works just as well as regular Greek yogurt. You could also use sour cream. If you can only find plain yogurt, you can drain some of the liquid using a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth.

Bottom line: your diagnosis sounds very likely - not enough fermentation for the amount of flour. Measure correctly, and allow enough time for fermentation, to get your bread right. The recipe calls for proofing the dough overnight in the fridge.

If your dough is too wet, it'll create large holes in the crumb of the dough and your bagels will be more like French bread, with a fluffy interior (see top photo). When too much flour is kneaded in, bagels become dense, hard and tough, instead of crisp and chewy.

Yogurt is your best substitute for sour cream. Whether you're baking or making a dip or sauce, yogurt is a 1:1 sub. That means if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt. Full-fat Greek or natural yogurts work best, but low-fat or even nonfat can be used, too.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is the liquid that is left after butter has been churned, and it's a great choice to use in baking or bread recipes instead of Greek yogurt. The acidity of buttermilk will help your dough to rise higher, but because it's thinner than Greek yogurt you may have to use less.

Bread flour – Because of its high protein content, bread flour makes these homemade bagels delightfully chewy. This recipe also works with all-purpose flour, they're just a bit less chewy than bagels made with bread flour.

The reason we boil the dough first is so that the outside crust sets before it goes in the oven. We generally let the dough boil for 30 to 60 seconds on each side, but the longer you let it boil, the thicker and chewier the crust. The amount of time the bagel is boiling also affects its interior texture.

Once your bagels are shaped and risen, they're ready for a water bath. Most of our recipes call for boiling, though we do have one, Chewy Bagels, that calls for steaming if you want to give this a try.

While my recipe aims for 24 to 36 hours of proofing in the fridge, I've successfully gone up to 40 hours. Any longer than that, though, and the entrapped gases beneath the surface of the crust will start to slip away, creating a slightly porous/matte crust with fewer blisters.

Why do my homemade bagels go flat? ›

According to Molly, “If the bagels proof too much, they'll deflate in the water bath.” If you're keeping an eye on your dough, she advises pulling it a little too early rather than a little too late (and definitely before they double in size), as it's better to be underproofed.

It is not recommended to store bagels in the refrigerator. Refrigerating bagels can cause them to become stale faster. Keep your bagels on the counter in a paper or zip-top bag, or freeze them for long-term storage.

Because of the baking process and the high heat that comes with good bagel-making, the bottom should be crispy to the point where it feels very firm to the touch. There's a crispy spectrum to play with here but you almost want the bottom of a bagel to crackle when you bite into it.

Sour cream is often used in cheesecake recipes to add a tangy flavor and a creamy texture. However, if you don't have sour cream or prefer not to use it, there are several alternatives you can try: Greek yogurt: This is a good substitute as it has a similar tangy flavor and creamy texture.

Sour cream, especially full-fat sour cream, is a great substitute for yogurt in baking. It has a similar tangy flavor and creamy texture, making it suitable for a variety of recipes like cakes, muffins, and quick breads.

While they both can taste pretty tart, sour cream will be much richer. Unlike Greek yogurt, which ranges from 100–300 calories per cup, sour cream tends to be more caloric because of its higher fat content. If this only made you more confused, just ask someone from Bon Appetit.

Greek Yogurt as a Substitute for Sour Cream can be readily used in Chilled Recipes. Yogurt – especially Greek yogurt – makes a terrific substitute for sour cream in dips, salad dressings, and garnishing chilled soups. It's also perfect for marinades, either on its own or as a stand-in for buttermilk.