Ultimate Pizza Bagels

 

  

One of my favourite things of all of the food groups is Pizza. I adore Pizza in any way shape or form. You may not think of it as a food group, but I do.  We have our fruits and vegetables, our meat fish and poultry, our dairy, our grains and breads and then there is Pizza, which from where I am sitting deserves a group all of its own. 

It combines the best of all the food groups, and it does it in a most delicious way. I will forever be grateful to the Italians for this delicious contribution to the world. It was always my dream to be able to eat pizza in Italy, but I don't think that is ever going to happen now for one reason or another!

 

 

It was not always so, this love I have for pizza. I was well into my teens before I ever tasted a pizza. Our high school did a Winter Carnival every Winter. It lasted several days and it was a happy mix of games and activities.  

That was back when we used to get quite a bit of snow in Nova Scotia in the Winter months. You could make snow sculptures and go ice skating out of doors, tobboganing, etc. I believe in Global Warming because it has certainly changed a lot in recent years. 

  

The year I was in Grade nine, they held a "Coffee House" on one of the nights of our HS Winter Carnival. The gym was set up with a stage for the performers and there were tables scattered throughout for our "customers" to sit at and enjoy the music and pizza which was available to buy by the slice. 

Our Home Ec Department was kept very busy making the pizzas for sale and I, as one of the "waitresses," was kept very busy taking and delivering orders. 

This was the very first time I ever tasted Pizza. I fell in love. (Who wouldn't!) Next time I tasted it, it was by way of a boxed Pizza Mix, enjoyed in the comfort of our home, introduced to us as a family by my then boyfriend, who would one day become my ex husband.  Apparently it was something his sister's made quite often at home. 

 

So what does any of this have to do with Pizza Bagels?  Why nothing really!  It was just an attempt on my part to explain how Pizza, which is something which we all take very much for granted these days, became one of my great loves.

Pizza can come in many ways, shape or forms, aside from the traditional.  There are French Bread Pizzas, Naan Pizzas, Spaghetti Pizzas, Cracker Pizzas, etc. Pizza Bagels and Pizza Bagel Bites. This, I am sharing today, is my attempt to share with you what I feel is the Ultimate Bagel Pizza!

It combines all of the things I love about Pizza, but in the form of a very delicious, hand held, Pizza Bagel.  I used Sour Dough Bagels for my Pizza Bagels.  It provided the perfect case for all the cheesy ooey gooey goodness! 

I started by brushing the cuts sides of a bagel with some softened butter and sprinkling them with some garlic Italian seasoning. Onto this I sprinkled some coarsely grated Parmesan Cheese. I then popped them into the oven to crisp up the edges and melt the cheese.

 

Onto that went some pizza sauce. I have always made my own pizza sauce.  It is delicious. I downsized it to a smaller amount for these. (Quantities are given for enough to make one are are easily multiplied to make more!) 

 

This went onto both the top and bottom of the bagels.  On top of that almost garlic bread topping. It is all about layering flavours here. 

 

 Next I applied a sort of an uncooked sofrito/mirepoix of very finely chopped vegetables. I used two kinds of sweet bell peppers (yellow and red), onions and green and black olives. You could use whatever combination you wanted to use. 

It is meant to be another layer of flavour in what is already shaping up to be something quite delicious to say the least. And I am all for the flavours!

 Onto that, and again on both sides, goes a layer of grated Mozarella cheese.  Ooey, gooey, milky Mozarella Cheese.  This helps to "glue in" those vegetables and keep them in place.

I added a layer of very thinly sliced Pepperoni.  Italian Pepperoni. You will never catch me snacking on a Pepperami stick, but on a pizza, I love the flavour of Pepperoni. It just fits.

Of course if you don't like Pepperoni, you can add whatever kind of protein you like, or even no protein at all.  Just make sure it is thinly sliced. You could try ham, or proscuitto, even mortadella or sliced hotdogs. Cooked ground beef, Italian sausage.  Crisp diced bacon. Whatever floats your boat!! This is placed only on the bottom half of the bagel.

Its then time to close it all in by flipping the top half of the bagel over top to cover everything up. You might think that I would be finished here, but nope, here is more!

 Finally on the top I gild the lily with some melted butter.  A thin layer brushed over top of everything.  More flavour it added by lightly sprinkling on some dried basil and oregano leaves, and then a final dusting of very finely grated Parmesan Cheese. 

Now it is time to pop your Pizza Bagel into the oven. Make sure you line your baking sheet and lightly spray it with low fat cooking spray. That cheese will melt and the sauce may ooze a bit. You don't want your pizza bagel to end up stuck to the baking tray.

 You are almost at the finish line now. Into the oven for a quick bake.  Just until the bagel is warmed through and gilded on the edges, the cheese has melted and that buttery parmesan topping is golden crispy! 

Prepare to fall in love!  Grab the napkins and get ready to drool! Get ready to open wide and enjoy a spectacularly delicious hot sandwich!

 

 These delicious hot delights are the ultimate in Pizza Bagels.  Not just a half a bagel like most Pizza Bagels you will see, these are the whole shebang! 

With double the sauce, double the toppings and double the cheese.  A true delight you can wrap your mouth around.

 Hot, delicious and oh so moreish. I guarantee these Pizza Bagels are sure to become firm family favourites.  

I cannot claim fully the inspiration for this delicious treat. I was largely inspired by a photo of some Pizza Bagels I saw on Pinterest from Don't go Bacon My Heart. Lush and lucious. I have adapted the recipe in a way I feel puts them together better and so that if you only want one or two you can easily manage that. Plus I like to make my own sauces, etc. If you would like a full size recipe for my pizza sauce, you can find it here.

I don't know how you feel about Pizza, but as far as I am concerned, there can never be too much of it in my little world. My husband does not share my passion, but that's okay. It just means that there is more for me to enjoy!

Ultimate Pizza Bagels

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Yield: One

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 15 Mincook time: 15 Mintotal time: 30 Min

Quantities are given for one Pizza Bagel. You can multiply as per your requirements. These are fabulously tasty. Best Pizza Bagel ever, which says a lot!

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1/4 cup (60g) tomato sauce (Passata)
• 1/2 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
• pinch fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp each dried basil and oregano
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

For the filling:

• 1 TBS softened butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic Italian seasoning
• 1 TBS coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup (50g) grated Mozarella cheese
• 1 TBS each minced onion, peppers, olives
• 4 thin slices pepperoni

You will also need:

• 1 sour dough bagel split
• 1/2 TBS melted butter
• 1/2 TBS finely grated Parmesan Cheese
• pinch each dried oregano and basil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas  mark 4. Line a small baking tray with aluminium foil and spray it lightly with canola spray.
2. Place the split bagel onto the baking tray.  Spread both halves with the softened butter and sprinkle with Italian garlic seasoning. Sprinkle over top the coarsely grated Parmesan cheese.
3. Pop into the oven for 8 to 10 minutes to gild the lily and melt the cheese.
4. Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together to combine well.
5. Remove from the oven and spread each half of the bagel with half of the pizza sauce. Top with the chopped onions, peppers and olives, dividing the chopped vegetables between each half. Top each half with half of the Mozzarella cheese, pressing it down lightly to adhere.
6. Place the pepperoni onto the cheese on the bottom half. Carefully place the top half of the bagel over the pepperoni, cheese side down.
7. Brush the bagel all over with the melted butter.  Sprinkle with some oregano and basil. Sprinkle the finely grated parmesan cheese over top.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for a further 15 minutes until the bagel is crispy, the cheese inside has melted and the topping has gone golden crispy.
9. Cut in half to serve. Deliciously scrummy!

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