Sweet Homemade Bagels – With Zero Sugar

A Bagel Kids And Parents Can Both Love

So you want to make some sweet homemade bagels but you don’t want to use refined sugar? I totally feel you.

While some people may not see the big deal in 4 grams of added sugar in their child’s breakfast, consider that those 4 grams in just one bagel are one-sixth of the AAP recommended daily limit of added sugar for children.

Which means your child would be starting their day with a mildly sweet breakfast that’s already using up some of their allowed (but still totally unnecessary and unbeneficial) added sugar by essentially eating a piece of bread.

I remember a couple of years back when my older daughter was crazy about bagels. But my husband was shocked and horrified by the added sugar – particularly in sweet bagels, but also in plain bagels. In his mind, bread should be bread – no added sugar needed. And I agree!

But of course, kids love sweet things. And I don’t blame them since I have quite the sweet tooth myself. But when you consider that 4 grams of white refined sugar is one whole teaspoon, that means a typical sweet bagel from the store has one full teaspoon of added sugar – some of which comes from corn syrup!

That’s kind of ridiculous for what is basically a piece of bread. I mean, like I said, I understand the desire for sweet things. But when you’re talking about highly processed sugar and corn syrup, that is a lot of empty and harmful calories going into your child for their first meal of the day. Especially after they load it up with sugary jam.

So why not make sweet bagels that aren’t just empty calories and that might even benefit your child’s health? How about bagels sweetened only with a whole food ingredient like dates?

I would say that is how the recipe for these homemade healthy bagels came to be … But that’s not exactly accurate. Actually, this bagel recipe kind of happened by accident.

What I was really trying to make when I created this recipe were donuts. But when they came out of the oven and I tried one, it was not sweet enough to be a donut and I instantly thought it looked and tasted like a bagel (but don’t worry, the donut recipe is coming 🙂 ).

So it turned into my sweet bagel recipe! And the kids loved them. My toddler particularly enjoys these soft bagels slathered in butter, but they are also good covered in homemade jam, peanut butter or cheese.

When to Make Healthy Bagels

These bagels are slightly sweet but not overly so, which allows them to be quite versatile. While they make an excellent breakfast option, they can also be used as snacks or filling sides with lunch.

The best time to bake up a batch of these homemade bagels is on weekends. They do require a couple hours of rise time (two 1-hour rises), so you will need to plan ahead a little bit to make these.

But the great thing about these bagels is that they freeze really well. They also cut and thaw easily from the freezer.

So if you want to bake up several batches of this easy bagel recipe on the weekend, you can toss them straight into the freezer to have for breakfasts and snacks on school mornings for the next couple of weeks.

These sweet bagels also make a great on-the-go snack you can quickly grab as you or your kids are headed out the door for various outings and activities.

Oh, and just because these bagels did not end up qualifying as a donut recipe does not mean they don’t taste amazing with chocolate on top of them according to my 7-year-old 🙂

Ingredients

• Milk: Milk is the primary liquid in this bagel recipe. I always use organic whole milk for the most nutrition.

• Yeast: Active dry yeast is what gives these bagels their rise. Any active dry yeast you have available is fine.

• Butter: Butter helps keep these bagels moist and flavorful. I generally use Irish grass-fed butter. Alternatively, organic butter is also a good option.

• Date Paste: My super simple homemade date paste recipe is the perfect natural sweetener for these bagels, making them sweet but not too sweet.

• Egg: An egg is the binder in this recipe. I like organic, cage-free eggs or farm-fresh when I can get them.

• Flour: Any all-purpose flour will work for this recipe. I use organic unbleached flour.

• Salt: Salt brings out the flavor of these beautiful bagels. I use pink Himalayan sea salt, but any salt will do.

Instructions

Step 1

In a large glass or stainless steal bowl, combine yeast and warm milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Step 2

Once yeast has become foamy, add in butter, date paste and egg. whisk until everything is fully combined.

Step 3

Add flour salt and cinnamon if using. Mix with a spatula until most of the flour is incorporated and then switch to kneading in the remaining flour around the bottom and edges of the bowl with your hands. Knead for a few minutes to ensure everything is fully and evenly incorporated.

If using raisins, fold them into the dough with your hands.

Step 4

Cover the bowl with a piece of oiled foil or a wet towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Step 5

After 1 hour, the dough should be about double in size. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 6

Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Roll each ball into a 6-inch rope. Connect the ends of the rope to form a circle, overlapping the ends.

* See note.

Step 7

Let dough circles rise for 1 hour, uncovered.

Step 8

Fifty minutes into the second dough rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 9

At the one-hour mark, place your baking sheets into the oven.

Step 10

Bake for 13-15 minutes, checking on them halfway through the bake time. You may need to switch the baking sheets around halfway through if they are on different wracks in the oven. Keep a close eye on them to make sure the bottoms of your bagels are not burning and the tops are not getting too brown.

Bagels are done when the tops are lightly beginning to brown. Do not let them darken too much if you want a soft bagel. For a more firm bagel, cook slightly longer until the tops are browned but be careful to not let them get too dark. They will burn quickly, so watch them carefully.

Step 11

After pulling the bagels out of the oven, allow them to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before serving. Once they are completely cool, store them in an airtight container or sealed bag on the counter for up to one week or in the fridge for up to three weeks.

Substitutions & Tips

• If your child likes cinnamon raisin flavored baked goods, this recipe also includes the option to incorporate those flavors into these delicious healthy bagels.

• When shaping these bagels into circles after their first rise, you will need to press and knead the ends of your dough together so that they don’t pull apart. The ends may pop up a bit, but they will hold together if you pinch them together well.

• When baking these bagels, watch them carefully to get them to your desired texture. They will still be good if baked longer than the recommended time, but they will be a little firmer and dryer. If you want a soft bagel, be sure not to overbake.

• To freeze these, you can just toss them in a large sealable bag. Then they will be easy to pull out one at a time whenever you need one.

• One tasty way to serve these is to melt a little homemade honey-sweetened chocolate on a half slice of bagel, then add a little natural, no sugar-added peanut butter and honey and mix it all together on top of the bagel. My 7-year-old loves this for breakfast.