Make the sponge by stirring 1/2 teaspoon yeast into 2 cups bread flour in a large bowl.

Add 1 1/4 cups water until you get a smooth batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for two hours until the batter is foamy and bubbly.

In the same bowl, add the additional 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and stir.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt and honey. Stir with a wooden spoon or mix on low speed with a dough hook until you form a ball, Then work in the other 1/2 cup flour to stiffen the dough (you may not need all the flour).

Then knead for 10 minutes (or about 6 minutes by mixer). Add the Asiago cheese during the last minute of kneading (I kneaded the cheese in by hand to ensure it was even.) The dough should be firm and thoroughly mixed. If it is dry, add a but more water, and if it is sticky, add a bit more flour.

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll into balls. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and let them to rest for 20 minutes.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. To shape the bagels, push a roll through the center and stretch out the hole to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Put the bagels on the pan and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let sit for 20 minutes.

To test the bagels to see if they are ready to retard in the refrigerator, your bagels need to pass the float test. Basically, fill a bowl with room temperature water. If your bagels float within 10 seconds of being dropped in the water it is ready! Pat it dry, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. If it doesn’t float, return the bagel to the pan and let it proof more. Check again every 10 minutes until the bagel floats.

The next day, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the one rack set in the middle of the oven.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Drop the bagels into the water, boiling only as many as will fit. After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal. Sprinkle the bagels with the shredded Asiago cheese and more truffle salt as soon as you remove them from the water.

When all the bagels have been boiled and topped, place the pans in the oven. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate 180-degrees, lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and continue baking for 8 more minutes, or until the bagels are brown and the cheese is melted. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.