Gluten-Free Protein Bagel Bites

a sheet tray with gluten-free pizza bagels topped with cottage cheese, mozzarella, pepperoni, and salami

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5 from 4 votes

Gluten-Free Protein Bagel Bites

Prep Time25

Cook Time40

Total Time1 5

Author: Alex Snodgrass

Ingredients

For the Bagel:

1 cup whole milk cottage cheese (see note)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour, divided
1 large egg, beaten
flaky salt, to garnish

For the Toppings:

6-8 tablespoons pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
16 pepperoni slices, diced small
4 slices Genoa salami diced small
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
chili flakes, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a wide-mouth jar or quart-sized container, add the cottage cheese, lemon juice, baking powder, salt, and dried oregano. Use an immersion blender to blend until the mixture is completely smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of flour to the cottage cheese mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir together until a shaggy dough forms. It will be quite sticky at this point.
Lightly dust a cutting board with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour and spread to coat the surface. Turn the dough onto the floured board. Begin kneading the dough, adding flour if it becomes too sticky, until a dough ball forms. Using a knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into 8 even pieces.
Using clean hands, roll all 8 portions into individual balls. Transfer to the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each. Gently pat them down to flatten a bit. Using the end of a wooden spoon or your pointer finger, press down in the center of each ball to make a hole. Stretch the dough a bit to smooth out the inside, making a mini bagel! Don’t fret if the hole disappears a bit while baking.
Brush the tops of each bagel with egg wash and top with flaky salt. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes on the middle rack. After 15 minutes, transfer to the upper rack and bake for another 10 minutes until the bagels are crisp on the exterior and golden brown on the outside. When tapped, they should sound a bit hollow. If they feel too soft, bake for an additional 5 minutes at 350°F. Allow to cool completely before cutting in half with a serrated knife. If you cut them while warm, they will be gummy.
Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Top each bagel with a few teaspoons of sauce, spreading to the edges. Add the mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. For an extra bubbly top, broil for 1 to 2 minutes.
Garnish with chili flakes, if desired. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Cottage cheese really varies in texture. This recipe has been tested with three kinds of cottage cheese, all with varied results. For the best results, I suggest using a thicker cottage cheese, such as Good Culture. If you can’t find Good Culture, look for “small curd” cottage cheese, which means it is a little less watery. If your dough is not coming together into a disk and is too sticky, add flour in 1 tablespoon increments until you’ve reached the right consistency.

Nutrition