Bagels with Cream Cheese and Peppers

Heat buttermilk in a small pot until lukewarm. Stir in the yeast and honey.

Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl. Pour in the lukewarm yeast mixture and beat with the dough hook of a hand mixer to a smooth dough, adding more water as necessary if dough is too dry. 

Cover dough with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and form into balls. Make a hole in the middle of each with a fingertip and then expand each hole with a fingertip.

Bring 1 liter of water to a boil in a large pot, add the baking soda and stir to dissolve. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Use a slotted spoon to plunge the dough rings into the boiling water and let cook for 1 minute. Remove, drain and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake on middle rack of preheated oven at 200°C (fan 180°C, gas mark 3) (approximately 400°F/convection 350°F) until golden and set, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese with yogurt and tomato paste. Peel the garlic, chop very finely and stir into cheese mixture.

Halve bell peppers, remove seeds and rinse. Finely chop half of the bell peppers and fold into the cream cheese mixture. Season with salt, black pepper and soy sauce.

Rinse cucumber under hot water, wipe dry and cut into thin slices.

Remove bagels from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.