Homemade Bagel Bites (Mini Pizza Bagels)

This video isn’t about fixing or elevating Bagel Bites, it’s about understanding them. Bagel Bites are a perfectly engineered 1980s American food product, designed for consistency, cost, and the microwave, not for freshness or culinary flexing, and that’s exactly why they work. Instead of doing another gourmet remake, we break down what actually makes them taste the way they do, from the intentionally cheap tomato sauce and processed cheese to the role the bagel plays in texture and nostalgia. The goal isn’t to make a better version, it’s to reverse engineer the experience most of us had as kids coming home from school, nuking a paper plate full of them, torching the roof of our mouths, and eating every last one anyway.

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Stuff I Use...

My Meat Slicer

My Cookware Set

My Dutch Oven

My Induction Burner

Deli Containers

Large Mason Jars (32oz, wide mouth)

Rust-proof Mason Jar Lids

Portable Single-burner Stove

Butane Torch

Butane Canisters

Coarse Reinforced Strainer

Fine Mesh Reinforced Strainer

Sheet Trays

The BEST Smash Burger Spatula

Cutting Board Scraper

Ice Cream Maker

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Yield: 24-48 bites

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Homemade Bagel Bites

Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 2 H & 15 M

Ingredients

Mini Bagels (makes 24 total, 48 halves)

• 681 g bread flour
• 383 g water
• 4.5 g instant yeast
• 11.25 g malt powder
• 13.5 g kosher salt

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp neutral oil
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 2 cup tomato sauce
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

Toppings

• Low-fat Mozzeralla cheese, cut into 1/8 inch cubes
• Pepperoni, cut into 1/8 inch cubes

Instructions

Mini Bagels

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix by hand until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
2. Knead the dough until smooth, it doesn't have to be perfect. If you're an overachiever, knead until it passes the windowpane test.
3. Cover and bulk ferment the dough in the fridge overnight (12-48 hours). The longer the bulk ferment, the more complex the bagels will become.
4. Divide dough into 20-24 pieces (roughly 45-55 g).
5. Pre-shape the pieces, then cover and let bench rest for 15-20 minutes.
6. Shape the dough balls into bagels (see video).
7. To a large pot of boiling water, add a pinch of kosher salt and few tablespoons of barley malt syrup. Boil each bagel for 1 minute per side in malted water, then dip into desired toppings.
8. Bake at 450°F (232°C) until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes or until bagels hit 205F.
9. Allow the bagels to rest on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Sauce

1. Heat neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes until slightly darkened and glossy.
3. Stir in tomato sauce, sugar, dried oregano, and salt until fully combined.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Taste and adjust salt. Sauce should be thick, sweet-forward, aggressively red, and unmistakably processed.

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