We’re at it again, folks.

I mean, there’s nothing more satisfying than being able to eat a homemade bagel still warm from the oven. And with these two-ingredient dough bagels I’ve been sharing with you, I can have freshly made bagels whenever I want.

And this variation is the best yet.

I love the combination of cheddar cheese and jalapeños. I think it’s a savory match made in heaven. The savory counterpart to chocolate and peanut butter. Or apples and cinnamon. Basically, what I’m saying is, it’s epic.

This flavor combination is used in so many ways. Like jalapeño poppers – which I made a bunchhh for Halloween this past year, jalapeño popper quesadillas, and loaded jalapeño and cheddar corn bread. These bagels compete with the best. And honestly, they may even be the best. They have plenty of jalapeños. And plenty of cheese. And when topped with plenty of cream cheese they are out of this world. Yasssss!

Even if you wanted to forgo that schmear of cream cheese, you can make these delicious bagels into toad-in-a-holes. Or eggs-in-a-basket. Or bullseye-eggs. Whatever you want to call this dish, just don’t get it confused with the “toads-in-a-hole” that refers to sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding batter. This is not that. This is eggs fried perfectly in a hole, in the center of a slice of bread. Or in this case, a bagel. A jalapeño cheddar bagel.

This dish takes me back to my childhood. When American Girl dolls were all the rage. Specifically their cookbooks. Because that used to be a thing, you know. I have them all to prove it. #nerdalert

No, but really. These things were my favorite. Only the original historical-inspired dolls had cookbooks and each book showcased a breakfast, a dinner, and a few favorite dishes that were popular during their time period. I absolutely loved Kirsten – the pioneer, but my mother was all about Molly – a girl who grew up during the Great Depression. Molly’s cookbook included recipes that were a little more familiar with what we’d eat today and a little less “exotic” – like fruit soup (although I do share a recipe for blueberry soup and apple soup on my blog). Molly’s book had recipes like coffee cake, meatloaf, and toad-in-a-holes.

It became sort of my thing to cook up an entire five-course meal for my family. Even if my biscuits from Addy’s cookbook resembled hockey pucks. Molly’s, however, was always my favorite breakfast – homefries, frozen fruit cups, and eggs cooked perfectly in the center of toast. And while I may not be able to get Audrey to eat most things I put on her plate, eggs and toast are definitely not something I struggle with.

So, to mix things up a bit, I took this little traditional family breakfast and amped it up a bit with some jalapeño cheddar two-ingredient dough bagels. And let me tell you, these things did not disappoint!

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Jalapeño Cheddar Two-Ingredient Dough Bagels

serves 4 * serving size: 1 bagel * calories: 189 * fat: 4.7g * carbs: 27.5g * fiber: 1.4g * sugar: 5.1g * protein: 10g

for the bagels: 

• 1 c. plain, non-fat, Greek yogurt
• 1 c. self-rising flour
• 1/2 c diced jalapeños
• 1/2 c cheese, divided
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

In a large bowl, with a sturdy spatula, combine the flour and the Greek yogurt together, adding 1/4 c. of the yogurt at a time.  Once the dough is crumbly, dump dough on a clean, lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Dust with additional flour if you notice the dough is too sticky. When dough is smooth and elasticy, flatten and pour the jalapeños and 1/4 c. cheddar cheese on top. Knead ingredients into dough until fully incorporated.

Divide into four equal parts.  Shape each portion into a ball and then use your thumb to make a hole in the center of the ball.  Gently pull and stretch until your dough is a uniformed ring size – making the hole a little larger than you may think you need due to the dough rising while baking.  Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining rounds.

Mix together the egg wash by whisking the egg and water together in a bowl.  Brush the egg wash over the bagels and sprinkle each bagel with 1 tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate the baking sheet and bake for an additional 11 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from oven and increase the temperature to 450 degrees F.  Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes or until the tops of the bagels are golden.

To make the toad-in-a-hole, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Slice a bagel in half. (If you need to make the hole slightly bigger, do so with a small circular cutter). Butter the inner portion of each bagel, and place on heated skillet. Crack an egg in each hole of the bagel, put a lid on top of the skillet, and fry until egg is cooked to preference.