Jalapeño Cheese Bagels
My first taste of a bagel was when I was going to the University of Québec in Montréal back in the 80s’. I discovered a cute little eatery nearby making sandwiches. That place was tiny with just a couple of tables. It was more a take-out joint than anything else. It was very busy from morning to mid-afternoon because their sandwiches were original, using tortillas, croissants 🥐, bagels and many other different kinds of bread. Now, let’s not forget that I’m talking over 30 years ago. Back then a sandwich was 2 slices of “white” bread… I know, very boring!
My favorite lunch item at the eatery was a bagel with cream cheese and lox… oh my! From there, I started buying bagels and eating them for breakfast as well. One day, I came across one of the oldest bagel bakeries located in the neighborhood of Plateau-Mont-Royal. It is called Fairmount Bagels and if you ever go visit Montréal, I highly suggest stopping by the bakery, you won’t regret it! Anyway, the moral of all this is I’ve been eating bagels in many flavors and loving 😍 them all!
A few years ago, David and I went on another West Coast road trip 🚗 and in the middle of nowhere, we decided to stop at a small café for breakfast. To our surprise, on their black board menu hanging on the wall behind the counter was “Jalapeño Cheese Bagels” served with cream cheese. Curious and hungry all at the same time, we ordered one each. They were good but “oh boy” were they spicy! We don’t mind spicy and hot but first thing in the morning, it was a little too much! That was our first and last experience of Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels until 3 years ago…
Living so close to the Canadian/American border 👮♂️, we shop in the states quite often. One morning while shopping in Bellingham, Washington, we saw those Jalapeño Cheese Bagels again and decided to give them a second chance. Nope, they failed once again by being way too “hot” 🔥. We both agreed to just forget about them until…
Coincidentally, last year I made another batch of my Pickled Jalapeños while there was more unopened ones in the pantry plus half of another jar in the fridge. Yes, I know they’re pickled but when they sit too long, they start turning brown… not really an appetizing color! This is when the light bulb 💡 went off and I decided to try making homemade Jalapeño Cheese Bagels. My first attempt was bang-on! They were not overly spicy and still had some kick to them! According to the kitchen approval supervisor, David loved them!
I love making bagels 🥯 anywhere from plain to sweet and now, spicy! If you want, you can omit the jalapeño peppers and just keep the cheese but why would you? This is what the recipe is all about. Next time you want to use up your pickled jalapeños (they are less “hot” than the fresh ones… and that’s the reason why I use them for this recipe), try this and put a little spice in your life!
Bon Appétit!🍽
Here are some other great bread recipes for you to enjoy…😀
– English Muffins
– Marbled Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread
– Tomato Rosemary Focaccia
– Popovers
– Cheddar Biscuits
– Challah
– Scones
and for even more bread recipes 🥖🥨, click on this link… Recipe Category • Bread
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Jalapeño Cheese Bagels
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Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 cups warm water (between 105-110ºF)
- 2 tbsp. honey tips & tricks
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapeño peppers, plus more for garnish see Recipe
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, or more if needed
- 1/2 tsp. olive oil to coat the bowl, or more if needed tips & tricks
- 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 large free-run egg yolk, beaten mixed with 1 tsp. water
- 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, warm water, and honey; let it sit until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sea salt and Pepper Jack cheese; stir until well blended.
- Add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture.
- With the dough hook attached, process on speed 2 for 5 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl before increasing to speed to 3; knead for 5 minutes.
- Increase the speed to 4 and process for another 5. If the dough is not smooth, add ¼ cup more flour and knead again for 5 minutes or until the dough forms a ball and bouncy.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and with floured hands, stretch to form a rectangular shape. Add most of the jalapeño peppers and flip the dough over, kneading it. Add the remaining peppers, knead again and form a ball.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, swirling it to coat with oil.
- Cover with a clean dish towel, and let it rise for 1 hour in a warm, draft-free area such as an oven (temperature off) or until it doubles in size.
- Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface, sprinkle flour on top and knead it again.
- Form a ball by pulling under and, using a bench scraper, separate the dough into 8 equal pieces before forming them into balls.
- Roll each ball down to a 4-inch diameter. Make a hole with a 1 ½-inch cookie cutter or stick your thumb through the center. Reuse the holes by rolling another bagel and stick your thumb through the center - don’t use the cookie cutter.
- Place bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a clean dish towel and proof for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- In a large shallow skillet filled with water and kosher salt, bring it to a boil.
- Place bagel in the boiling water without crowding it and boil 1 minute per side.
- Strain bagels on a wire rack until excess water drips off while boiling the others.
- Transfer the bagels to a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Brush bagels with egg wash and top with sharp Cheddar cheese, covering the entire surface. Place several jalapeño slices over the cheese, pressing down gently to prevent them from falling off.
- Transfer them to the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the sides and tops are golden, turning the baking sheet halfway through cooking.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.
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