Asiago Cheese and Rosemary Bagels

Coat a large mixing bowl with the canola or vegetable oil. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper and dust lightly with cornmeal. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, place the flour, yeast, salt and brown sugar and mix on low speed to combine the ingredients. Add the warm water and the rosemary to the bowl and mix on low for about 10 minutes.

Take the dough from the mixing bowl and roughly knead into a ball shape. Place the ball into the bowl which was coated with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour.

After the dough has risen, take it from the bowl and gently punch it down to get rid of most of the air. Divide the dough into 8 pieces each weighing about 3.5 ounces. Roll each piece into a ball and place them on the cookie tray. Cover the tray with a clean towel and let it sit for another 20-25 minutes.

Fill a large pot with water. Bring the water to a boil and add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Take the towel off of the tray of dough and gently poke a hole in each dough ball with your thumb, making sure to keep the bagel nice and round with an even hole. Place back on the tray.

When they all have holes poked in them and your water is boiling, place 3-4 bagels into the water and boil for 2 minutes. Turn each bagel over and boil for another 1 minute. Scoop the bagels out using a slotted spoon or kitchen spider and place them back on the cookie tray, right side up. Repeat the boiling process with the rest of the bagels.

When all of the bagels have been boiled, place some grated cheese on the top.

Place the tray into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until each bagel is a nice golden brown color.

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.