This Everything Bagel & Cream Cheese Snacking 'Bread' Is the Perfect Treat for Hungry Teens
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I don’t know what to say, friends, except that a snacking bread with capers, cream cheese pockets, and copious amounts of everything bagel spice blend is my idea of a VERY good time. The softness of the bread coupled with the creaminess of the cheese, the tang from the capers, the sharpness from the flaked garlic and dried minced onion, and the crunch from the poppy seeds is just everything (pun intended) that your mouth has been asking for.
Makes one 8-inch square bread
Active time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170 g) full–fat cream cheese, cold
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds or black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried garlic flakes
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 2 generous teaspoons flaky sea salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (170 g) buttermilk
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (80 g) drained capers in brine
- 1½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8–inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with a long piece of parchment paper that extends up and over two opposite sides of the pan.
- Cut the cream cheese into 24 portions, about 1½ teaspoons each, place them on a plate, and chill in the refrigerator. Whisk together the poppy and sesame seeds, dried garlic and onion, and flaky salt (the “everything” mixture) in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and then the buttermilk. Vigorously whisk in the baking powder, then the baking soda, and then the “everything” mixture, reserving a tablespoon of it to sprinkle on the top of the bread. Fold in the cold cream cheese portions (but do so gently so the cream cheese doesn’t blend into the batter), capers, and flour with a flexible spatula, just until the last streak of flour disappears. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the reserved “everything” mixture.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb or two. Remove from the oven and let cool until you can easily lift the bread out of the pan by its parchment handles, about 10 minutes, running a knife around the edges if it resists. Serve warm with extra cream cheese, red onions, and lox.
VARIATION
For Za’atar, Feta, and Lemon Snacking “Bread,” omit the capers and, in place of the cream cheese, substitute 6 ounces (170 g) of Greek feta cheese, cut into ½– to ¾–inch cubes. Substitute ½ cup (100 g) of olive oil for the melted butter. In a large bowl, rub 2 tablespoons of lemon zest into the sugar, along with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, before adding the oil. Substitute 3 tablespoons of za’atar spice blend for the sesame seeds, garlic flakes, minced onion, and flaky sea salt, adding it to the batter in place of the “everything” mixture. Combine an additional 1½ tablespoons of za’atar with 2½ tablespoons of olive oil and brush over the top of the bread before baking.
Get more delicious recipes from Jessie Sheehan’s new cookbook, Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy, Savory Recipes for 24/7 Deliciousness, available on Amazon.
Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy, Savory Recipes for 24/7 Deliciousness
Excerpted from ‘Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy, Savory Recipes for 24/7 Deliciousness’ copyright © 2024 by Jessie Sheehan. Used by permission of Countryman Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.