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Pizza Bagels

Everyone remembers bagel bites pizza bagels, but do you remember them as actually being good? They tasted like pizza, so yes. But they were also usually microwaved into some weird combination of soft yet so chewy you could barely gnaw through them. THIS RECIPE, though, does the mighty bagel bite justice. Perfectly crisp and slightly chewy mini bagels are topped with thick, homemade sauce and your favorite toppings.

Ingredients

FOR THE BAGELS:
475 grams all-purpose flour, 3 ¾ cups
10 grams sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons
12 grams salt, 2 teaspoons
265 grams 90°F beer, 1 1/2 cup, 32°C
6 grams instant yeast, 2 teaspoons
A drizzle of molasses
FOR THE PIZZA SAUCE:
Long drizzle of olive oil
½ red onion, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of salt
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 800 grams
7 grams salt, 1 ½ teaspoons
10 grams sugar, 2 ½ teaspoons
Pinch of chili flakes
1 gram dried oregano, ½ teaspoon
1 gram dried basil, ½ teaspoon
50 grams tomato paste, 3 tablespoons
FOR TOPPINGS:
Mozzarella cheese, full fat
Whole stick pepperoni, the whole stick lets you cut it into tiny cubes
Parmesan cheese, as desired

Instructions

In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse briefly to combine.
Pour yeast into the warm beer and whisk to combine, then add the beer/yeast mixture to the food processor while it is running. Process for 20-30 seconds or until the dough is fully combined.
*If you prefer to mix by hand, click over to my one hour bagel recipe here for that process
Transfer the dough to a cutting board and knead it by hand for 3 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough tears when you give it a tug, continue kneading until it becomes stronger.
Place the dough in a bowl (this one’s my favorite for doughs), cover it with a lid (I use this cheap 12″ pizza pan), and let it ferment at room temperature for 20 minutes. The dough should have risen by about 20%.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces, each weighing roughly 30 grams. Use a kitchen scale or eyeball it. Shape each piece into a mini bagel by degassing the dough with your fingertips (just press the down down a bit), rolling it into a tube shape and wrapping it around your pointer finger. Seal the seam by rolling the bagel back and forth on the worksurface and place on a parchment lined sheet tray.
Proof the bagels by covering them with another sheet tray.
This is a good point to preheat the oven to 475F/245C and bring a very large pot of water to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, add a long drizzle of molasses to the water and carefully drop in 6 bagels. Boil them for 30 seconds on each side, then remove with a spider strainer or slotted spoon and place them on a parchment-lined sheet tray.
Repeat the boiling process with the remaining bagels in batches of 6.
Transfer the boiled bagels to the preheated oven and bake them for 13-16 minutes until they are crusty and browned.
While the bagels are baking, prepare the pizza sauce. In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced red onion, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
Into the can of crushed tomatoes add salt, sugar, chili flakes, dried oregano, dried basil, and tomato paste and blend with an immersion blender until the herbs are well broken down. Alternatively, stir the ingredients together for a chunkier sauce. Add to the sauce pan with the onion and garlic.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 15-20 minutes to thicken it. It should be quite thick.
Once the bagels are baked, allow them to cool slightly before cutting each bagel in half using a serrated knife. Increase oven temp to 500F (260C)
Spread about 2 small spoons of the pizza sauce on each bagel half.
Top with mozzarella cheese, tiny pepperoni cubes, and a sprinkle of parmesan
Place the topped bagels on a parchment lined sheet tray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before serving.