Kefir Milk Asiago Spelt Semolina Bagels

These Kefir Milk Asiago Spelt Semolina Bagels are my interpretation of the monthly bake for the Bread Baking Babes.

When I saw what the bread of the month was, my first thought was “cheese” – yes!  Then I wondered what I could do to make them even more special.

Using Kefir Milk as the fermentation agent

As I was considering what flour to use, I decided it would be fun to incorporate a technique that I had success with last year when I made kefir milk pumpkin spelt bagels.  This method utilizes kefir milk as the fermentation agent and therefore, requires less yeast.

I used homemade kefir milk that I cultured from Cultures for Health Milk Kefir Grains.

If at first you don’t succeed, try again, and add more cheese

The first time I made these bagels, I incorporated a mixture of all-purpose spelt and wholegrain spelt.  I forgot to use the baking soda and malt in the boiling water so I ended up with some delicious rolls but not exactly bagels.  I had to try again. It had been a while since I had experimented with bagels so I was okay with having to repeat the experiment the next weekend.

When it came time to make the bagels again, I was reaching into the freezer to grab the whole grain spelt flour and had to move a container of semolina flour out of the way.

I thought, “Wait a minute, why not use semolina instead of the whole grain spelt?”  So that’s what I did.

I also added extra cheese to the dough and on top for the second batch.  I enjoyed the addition of semolina as well as the crusty cheese-topped bagels.

These bagels utilize a unique boiling technique

As I mentioned, I utilized the process from my Kefir Milk Pumpkin Spelt Bagels to make the dough, but I incorporated the boiling technique from Karen’s adapted recipe (i.e. Peter Reinhart’s method) for the boiling water bath.

Instead of just using baking soda, his method also includes barley malt and salt in the boiling water bath which gives it more of a bagel texture and flavor.

Kefir Milk Asiago Spelt Semolina Bagels

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• Author: Bread Experience
• Yield: 8-10 Bagels 1x

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Description

Kefir Milk Asiago Spelt Semolina Bagels, made with spelt and semolina flours, and filled with cheese, are fermented with kefir milk and require less yeast.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Dough:

• 2 cups / 240 grams all-purpose spelt flour
• 1 cup / 110 grams semolina flour
• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon / 8 grams salt
• 1 cup + ~1 tablespoon / 255 grams cold kefir milk
• 4 ounces grated Asiago cheese or a blend

Topping:

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

To boil the bagels:

• 2 quarts water
• 1 1/2 tablespoon barley malt powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon / 8 grams salt

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: all-purpose spelt and semolina flours, yeast, and salt.
2. Add the kefir milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly using a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon. When the dough becomes to thick to mix with the whisk or spoon; continue mixing with your hands until everything is thoroughly combined.
3. Transfer the dough to a work surface spritzed with water. Knead the cheese in by hand for about one to two minutes. If your dough is a bit dry, add a few drops of water or wet your hands while kneading.
4. Form the dough into a rough ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it proof in the bowl for a total of 2 hours.
5. After the first hour, on a work surface spritzed with water (or in the bowl), fold the dough onto itself from all 4 corners to strengthen the gluten structure. Form the dough into a ball again and place the dough back in the bowl; recover.
6. After the 2nd hour, make sure the bowl is covered tightly and place it in the refrigerator to retard overnight.
7. The next day, or up to 48 hours later, remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Using the cold dough straight from the refrigerator, divide the dough into 8 – 10 balls depending on how big you want the bagels.
8. Let the dough balls rest for 20 minutes. Shape the balls into bagels by poking a hole in the middle of the ball with your finger. Gently widen the hole until it forms a ring. The bagels will continue to expand so make the holes a little larger than you think.
9. Place the shaped bagels on a lightly greased baking sheet or a baking sheet covered with greased parchment paper. Set them aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
11. To test if the bagels are ready to be boiled, do the “float” test after 30 minutes. Fill a small bowl with water and place one of the bagels in the water. If it floats, the bagels are ready to be boiled, if not, wait another 20 to 30 minutes.
12. To prepare the poaching liquid, fill a large pot halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Add 1 tbsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tbsp barley malt and 1 tsp salt.
13. Using a large slotted spoon or tongs, gently lower a bagel top down into the simmering water. Let it simmer for 45 seconds, then flip over with the slotted spoon and let it simmer on the other side for about 30 seconds. Longer boiling results in a chewier bagel so pay attention during this step. Remove them from the water to a wire rack to drain for a second or two before placing them top side up on the baking sheet.
14. Sprinkle the tops with cheese topping. Continue with the remaining bagels.
15. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and bake another 12 minutes.
16. Remove the bagels to a wire rack to cool 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Prep time: 230 min total
Cold Ferment in Refrigerator: 12 -48 hours
Bake Time: 45 min (boiling and baking bagels)

• Category: Bagels

Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories is the host kitchen.  Look for more details on her blog.

And do check out the bagels the other Babes made.

Bake My Day

 – Karen
blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
Bread Experience – Cathy
Feeding my Enthusiasms – Elle
Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
Notitie Van Lien – Lien
Thyme for Cooking – Katie (Bitchin’ Bread Baking Babe Bibliothécaire)
A Messy Kitchen – Kelly

Happy Baking!

Cathy

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