My Mom’s Genius Pillsbury Dough Hack Will Change the Way You Bake

My mom lost her sense of smell in an accident in her early teens. The result? She is not as fixated on food as her food writer daughter, or her chef son, for that matter. A vegetarian, most of her meals come out of a bag, box, or can with “lentils” somewhere on the label. But she’s always baked. A family friend used to say that her challah rolls got “5% better” each time she made them. Even though, to me, she’s always produced perfectly doughy and springy rolls with just the right amount of sweetness.

Her creativity with that dough is as notable as the quality of the bread. When we lived in the same state, she used to deliver hippo-shaped rolls to the newsroom where I worked, goofy smiles drawn on with edible markers. She also once made a full-sized replica of her cat in the medium of challah.

But her bagels have never had the same appeal. Over the years, she mostly resigned herself to buying them at bakeries devoted to the rounds. Now that she lives in Tennessee, she’s moved so far from her New York roots that it’s become a challenge to find a shop that makes them to her satisfaction.

It was an idea from a friend that changed everything. My bagel-loving bestie lives in rural Maine, where there isn’t a Jewish bakery for miles. She’s resorted to using store-bought pizza dough to make last-minute bagels when the craving strikes. When I told my mom about it, she was inspired. 

The Secret Ingredient in My Mom’s Bagel Recipe

Mom ran with the idea and bought not only pizza dough, but also several Pillsbury products. They included breadsticks, cornbread, crescent rolls, and Grands! Biscuits with Flaky Layers. My mom calls the last of these “pull-apart rolls” ever since I was a kid.

In her makeshift test kitchen, she concluded that, while pizza dough is indeed the closest to a bouncy water-boiled bagel back home in New York, her favorite was made from the pull-apart rolls. She said that was because the biscuit dough pulls apart into delicious flaky layers, despite being boiled before they’re baked. The boiling, however, does give the exterior a slightly rubbery bite, similar to bagels. In other words, it’s the best of both worlds, though it leans slightly more toward being a bagel than a biscuit.

I tried the experiment myself and was almost as convinced as my mother was. Though I live in an area where New York-style bagels are plentiful, the layered pastries are a fun addition to my mealtimes, especially when I add two things my mom didn’t: an egg wash and everything bagel seasoning. Though I’m not a baker by any stretch, this mom-approved recipe is a keeper.

Tips for Making My Mom’s Flaky Bagels

This recipe entails poking a hole in each biscuit so that they resemble bagels. The trick is to make a very large hole. If it’s too small, the dough will expand and you’ll end up with something that looks more like a bialy. It’s also important to note that when boiling, don’t exceed the 20-second limit. Any longer than that and the dough’s layers will separate into biscuit jellyfish, and no one wants to eat that!

How to Make My Mom’s Flaky Bagels

Ingredients:

• 1 can Pillsbury Grands! with Flaky Layers
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• everything bagel seasoning, to taste

Directions:

1. Grease a large baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fill a large pot with a gallon of water. Add sugar and bring everything to a boil.
2. Carefully separate the 8 biscuits from the Pillsbury can. Poke a large hole in the middle of each.
3. When water is boiling, add two bagels at a time to the pot. Boil for 20 seconds, then use a spatula or slotted spoon to flip the bagel and boil for another 20 seconds on the other side. Fish out of the boiling water and transfer boiled bagels to the baking sheet.
4. With a pastry brush, apply egg wash to the tops of each bagel. Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.
5. Bake for around 30 minutes, or until the bagels are a shimmering bronze and there are no areas that still look raw. 
6. Serve on their own or on the side with carrot-flecked Matzo Ball Soup.