# Sourdough Asiago Bagels



## oldsmokerdude (Sep 28, 2018)

*INGREDIENTS*

400 g hungry sourdough starter (I don't like to use freshly fed starter for this recipe. The hungry starter provides a more pronounced flavor)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
95 g warm water
300 g bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt (I use fine grain sea salt. If you are using kosher, you will need to increase the amount of salt.)
225 g Asiago cheese (about 8 oz) You can substitute other fillings for the Asiago cheese. For example you could add 8 oz fresh blueberries, 4 oz diced jalapeno and a cup of Cheddar, 4 oz mini chocolate chips, or just go plain....let your imagination run wild.








*INSTRUCTIONS*

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Stir well.
Stir in yeast
Add water and sourdough starter. Mix well until it forms a shaggy dough.






On a floured counter top, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Try working in as much flour as possible to form a firm and stiff dough. The dough should just barely be tacky. Alternatively, you can use a mixer and dough hook. Knead with dough hook at medium speed for 5 minutes, let rest for 10 minutes, then knead for an additional 5 minutes.
Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. 
Carefully divide the dough into 7 pieces (I use a scale to make sure they are all the same size for more even baking). Shape each piece into a round. Take a dough ball, and press it gently against the counter top moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms (as pictured below). Repeat with 6 other dough pieces.






Gently press your finger through the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the hole to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet (parchment paper is great for this). Repeat the same step with the remaining dough balls.
	

		
			
		

		
	






After shaping the bagels and placing them on the cookie sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450 F. I bake my bagels (and all my bread) on a baking stone (you can see in the picture below how well used it is) and would recommend you do the same. I also add a medium cast iron skillet while the oven is heating up. We'll use this to steam the bagels a bit later.
	

		
			
		

		
	






Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, it shouldn’t take too long for them to float to the top (a couple seconds). Let them sit there for 1 minute, and them flip them over to boil for another minute. Extend the boiling times to 2 minutes each side if you’d prefer a chewier bagel.






Apply egg wash (beat together 1 egg + 1 tbsp water) to bagels to help cheese to stick. Top with Asiago cheese (or other toppings of your choice)






Place in oven and add 1 cup boiling water to cast iron pan. Wait 30 seconds, then spray the wall of the oven with a mist of water (I use a garden sprayer to do my misting and not to worry; that's all the sprayer is used for).





Do this twice more at 30 second intervals. *Turn the oven down to 425* F and set the timer for 10 minutes.
When the time goes off, rotate the bagels 180 degrees to ensure even cooking. Set the timer for 10 more minutes. Remove bagels when they are a nice golden brown.






Cool bagels on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. I know it's so tempting to taste one now, but allowing the bagels to cool will bring out even more flavor.
Hope this is helpful. I would be interested in any modifications you make. I know this is not a "pure" sourdough recipe, but the sourdough does add a nice touch to the flavor profile.


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## TomKnollRFV (Sep 28, 2018)

Thank you! 

I'm going to start me a sourdough culture soon I think!


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## Xendau (Sep 28, 2018)

Thanks so much 

 oldsmokerdude
 ! +1


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## link (Sep 28, 2018)

Thanks for taking the time to post this. It is appreciated.
Link


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