Asiago Cheese Bagels

These Asiago Cheese Bagels are both stuffed and topped with melted cheese. Bread and melted cheese.... doesn't that sound magical?

These bagels are totally amazing, and when they are baking your house will be enveloped with the aroma of baking cheese. 

How delicious does that sound?! 

And if a little bit of the cheese burns, even better. 

These bagels are a copycat of Panera Bread's most popular bagel. I had no idea these asiago cheese bagels existed, but when the "asiago cheese bagel incident" happened at work, I knew I had to figure out how to make these.

Panera Bread sells this take out pack of a Baker's Dozen of bagels, two of which are the asiago cheese version. We had a "welcome" breakfast with bagels for a new colleague with the aforementioned baker's dozen. 

When that box was opened, two folks immediately pounced on the asiago cheese bagels, to everyone else's dismay. I had no idea they were so coveted!!! There was lots of pouting and muttering. At that moment, my plot to duplicate these bagels was hatched.

The next week, I made these and brought them in for all of the "have nots." They didn't last very long! 

A few weeks later, we hosted a training at work, and we again had Panera Bread's bagels. And guess what? The asiago cheese bagels went first! I'm pretty sure we should have changed our order to include mostly asiago. Right?

These bagels are smaller and airier than the Panera version, and that's not a bad thing. They are so good toasted and spread with butter... or my garlic and vegetable spread.

Ingredients for These Asiago Cheese Bagels:

Asiago Cheese - Asiago is an Alpine Italian cheese made from cow's milk. 

Bread Flour

Instant Yeast

Salt

Water

Diastatic Malt Powder - this is a specialized ingredient which is particularly helpful when using flours that have no malt added. However, in small amounts, it's a great ingredient for adding to bagel and pretzel doughs. You can substitute Barley Malt Syrup, which you will also need for boiling the bagels before baking. 

Baking soda - for boiling the bagels. Note: The baking soda will cause the boiling water to wildly rise, so make sure you have a large pan or you turn off the heat before adding it (I speak from experience). 

How To Make Asiago Cheese Bagels:

First, mix the dough ingredients by combining the flour, water, salt, and yeast. Once the dough ingredients have been combined, mix in grated asiago cheese. 

Next, let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour. 

After that, shape the dough into eight bagels and refrigerate them overnight, and up to two days. The dough is very forgiving. They might look a bit beat up after emerging from the fridge, but once they're boiled and baked, they shape up very nicely. 

You can use a half sheet pan or two quarter sheet pans, depending on the available space in your refrigerator. 

On baking day, remove the bagels from the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature. 

At that point, boil them in a solution of water, barley malt syrup, salt, and baking soda, and then sprinkle them with the rest of the asiago cheese. I divided the remaining asiago cheese into eight piles so that I'd make sure each bagel had the same amount of cheese. 

Once you've boiled the bagels and topped them with cheese, bake them for 20 minutes in a 450 degree F oven. 

Cool the bagels on a rack for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. I love these with garlic and herb cream cheese and smoked salmon. 

Want more bagel recipes? Give these a try:

1. Onion Bagels: This same recipe without the cheese and topped with onions. 
2. Everything Bagels: These bagels are round and shiny, and, if you are a bagel purist, totally authentic. 
3. Sourdough Blueberry Bagels: Easy with no bulk first rise. 
4. Leftover bagels? Stir fry them with cabbage and bacon! 
5. The bagel's forgotten cousin, the Bialy, an onion and poppyseed filled roll.

Welcome to a celebration of National Dairy Month, hosted by Jolene of Jolene's Recipe Journal. If we are celebrating dairy, for me, it's cheese. Love me some cheese, especially in bread. 

Monday #DairyMonth Recipes

Berry Cream Pops by Jolene's Recipe Journal

Broccoli Cheese Casserole by Art of Natural Living

Gochujang Paneer Bowl by Magical Ingredients

Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake Shake by A Little Fish in the Kitchen

Macaroni Salad Caprese by Palatable Pastime

Milk Cookies by A Day in the Life on the Farm

No Churn Blueberry Ice Cream by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta by Hostess At Heart

Pimento Cheese Mac and Cheese by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Reese Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream by Blogghetti

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chili Chicken by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Summer Fruit Tortillas by The Freshman Cook

Vanilla Bean-Nutmeg Milkshake with Blackberry Swirl by The Spiffy Cookie

Asiago Cheese Bagels

Yield: 8 Bagels

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 40 MinCook time: 20 MinInactive time: 10 HourTotal time: 11 Hour

These Asiago Cheese Bagels are both stuffed and topped with melted cheese. Bread and melted cheese.... doesn't that sound magical?

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 tsp (7 grams) diastatic malt powder, or 1 tbsp barley malt syrup
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp (10.5 grams) salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (255 grams) 95 degree F water
• 3 1/2 cups (454 grams) unbleached bread flour
• 3 ounces (87 grams) grated Asiago cheese

For the Topping

• 1 1/2 ounces, about 3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese

For the Boiling Solution

• 2 quarts water
• 1 1/2 tbsp barley malt syrup
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Stir the malt, yeast, and salt into the water.
2. Measure the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer, and pour the water mixture over it.
3. Mix on low with the dough hook for three minutes. The dough should be stiff, but not super dry. Adjust the water if necessary. Cover and let sit for five minutes.
4. Mix again on low for another 2 minutes.
5. Transfer the dough to your unfloured work surface, and knead the cheese in by hand, for about one to two minutes. If the dough seems a bit too dry, wet your hands a few times as you knead.
6. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or bucket. Turn the dough to coat with the oil. Cover and let rise for one hour.
7. Turn the dough out onto the counter and cut it into 8 equal pieces (about 2 3/4 ounces each).
8. Form each piece into a ball.
9. Line a baking sheet (or two quarter sheet pans) with parchment and spray with spray oil or brush it with oil.
10. One at a time, roll each ball into an 8 to 10 inch strand. Wrap it around your hand, overlap the ends under your palm, and roll the ends together on the work surface. Sometimes a few drops of water helps glue the ends together. If the dough resists rolling, let it rest, covered, to relax the gluten. Alternatively, you can poke a hole in the middle of the ball of dough and gently pull the dough out into a circle with your thumbs. You're aiming for a 2 inch hole. This is what I did.
11. Place each shaped bagel on the parchment. When done, spray the bagels with spray oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or up to 2 days.
12. On baking day, remove the pan from the refrigerator 60 to 90 minutes prior to baking.
13. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
14. At one hour, check to see if the bagels are ready by doing the "float test." Fill a small bowl with water and place one of the bagels in the water. If it floats, they are ready. If it doesn't, wait another 20 to 30 minutes (Note: if your kitchen is very warm, do the float test earlier).
15. To prepare the poaching liquid, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Lower to a simmer. Add the malt, baking soda, and salt.
16. Lower a bagel, top down, into the simmering water. Simmer about 45 seconds on one side, and then flip with a slotted spoon. Simmer for another 30 seconds. Using the slotted spoon, place it back onto the oiled parchment lined baking sheet with the top up and sprinkle with 1/8th of the cheese topping. Continue with the rest of the bagels.
17. Place the baking sheet into the oven and reduce the oven to 450 degrees F. Bake for 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, and bake for another 12 minutes.
18. Cool the bagels on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

261.82

Fat (grams)

3.83

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.95

Carbs (grams)

45.41

Fiber (grams)

1.58

Net carbs

43.83

Sugar (grams)

4.34

Protein (grams)

10.77

Sodium (milligrams)

1330.05

Cholesterol (grams)

7.26

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2016/10/asiago-cheese-bagels.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

bagels, cheese, asiago

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This is an updated recipe, originally published October, 2016 and updated June, 2022.