Bialys are a relative of the bagel; a staple breakfast food in New York. But unlike their distant cousins, there is no hole in this crusty and airy roll. Instead, there is an indentation filled with savory caramelized onions.
I never knew it before, but apparently I’ve been taking bialys for granted. I’ve always thought of them as a staple breakfast item here in New York. They are available in many bagel shops and bakeries, and sometimes you can even find them in the grocery store. But according to some, bialys are on the verge of extinction. You’d be hard pressed to find them outside of enclaves where those with Jewish-Polish ancestry live: New York, Palm Beach County Florida (the epicenter of retired Jewish New Yorkers), San Francisco and Los Angeles. I consider myself lucky to live in a place where these airy onion-filled rolls exist. But if you aren’t that lucky, now at least you’ll know how to make them.
A QUICK HISTORY OF BIALYS
Bialy is a yiddish word that’s short for “bialystocker kuchen,” meaning “bread from the city of Bialystock, Poland.” Much like bagels, bialys were brought to the US by Jewish Polish immigrants, most likely in the 1800s or early 1900s. Because of their short shelf-life, they never took off in popularity the way the bagel did. While bialys can still be found in bakeries all over New York, at one point they were so popular on the lower east side of Manhattan that the neighborhood became known as “bialy central.” We don’t know who in particular deserves credit for bringing us bialys, but this article has some really interesting family tales about the bialy’s possible journeys to the US.
Bialys are often called the sister of the bagel, but I don’t consider them quite that closely related. Maybe they’re more like cousins. First of all, bialys are not boiled and then baked, as bagels are. They are simply baked, making for a matte finish and a lighter inside that’s similar to an English muffin. They are also slightly flatter and without the signature bagel hole, opting instead for an indent filled with caramelized onions. But they are often served in the way that bagels are. Schmeared with cream cheese and topped with smoked salmon. I prefer mine slathered in dripping butter and layered with jarlsberg cheese (which always reminds me of my grandfather Papa Sid). The cheese with the caramelized onions will give you real french onion soup vibes.
BIRTHDAY BIALYS
I know I just made Montreal Style Bagels a few weeks ago, and bialys might seem somewhat similar (even with all their noted differences). But living in a house with 3 other people plus a baby (my niece Scarlet) means we have a lot of stuff. So I’ve taken to making my housemates a special birthday breakfast in lieu of a physical present. Bialys were my brother’s request for his birthday last week. Whenever we pick up from our local bagel shop, he always gets one topped with a breakfast sausage patty and swiss cheese. We recreated that breakfast sandwich to the tee. And I’m proud to say that the verdict was “as good as, if not better” than the ones he’s had.
DIFFERENT STYLES OF BIALYS
My bialys have a slightly different style and preparation method than others you may have seen or read recipes for. Here are a few of those differences:
NO POPPY SEEDS
Traditional bialys use poppy seeds either in the onion filling or as a topping. I opted instead for dried onion and garlic flakes as a topping, which I think amps up the onion flavor.
NO “POOLISH” OR PRE-FERMENT
I recently learned the word “poolish” from seeing it in other bialy recipes; it is a type of pre-ferment. A pre-ferment is a small portion of dough (usually it’s more liquidy) that is prepared in advance. It is allowed to sit by itself for 6 to 24 hours before being mixed with the rest of the dough ingredients. Many of the bialy recipes I saw include this, as it provides a more flavorful sour-dough like taste. You can certainly try this for your bialy recipe, but I chose to allow my dough to sit overnight in the fridge instead. This cuts an extra step out of the recipe, but the dough’s slow rise still gives you a strong flavor. Plus, it’s less work to do in the morning when you want to bake your bialys.
A DRIER DOUGH
As you can see from my photos, I opted to add a bit more flour to my dough for a drier consistency. This gives the bialys a more rustic shape, with lots of nooks and crannies that become crispy bits of crust. For a smoother dough and a more uniform shape, add 1 to 1/2 cup less flour to the dough. But I personally love the look and texture of a firmer bialy.
BAKE ON A PIZZA STONE OR PREHEATED SURFACE
This is not strictly necessary, but much like when I baked my Montreal Style Bagels, I think baking the bialys on a preheated surface makes for a crispier crust. A preheated pizza stone is the easiest choice. But if you don’t have one, you can use any large cast iron cooking vessel, as cast iron retains heat. I used a cast iron griddle, but even a large pan or dutch oven will work.
FREEZE BIALYS AFTER A FEW HOURS
This goes for any bialys, but I found it particularly important with this recipe. They are best eaten fresh, and will start to get hard after a few hours. Storing them in a paper bag for up to 24 hours is best, and after that they should be sliced and frozen. They are just as good frozen and popped in the toaster oven as they are fresh.
Caramelized Onion Filled Bialys
Equipment
- 1 pizza stone or large cast iron cooking vessel optional
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (one packet)
- 4 to 4 1/2 cup bread flour
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salter
For the onions/topping
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cups minced onions I do mine in the food processor
- salt and pepper to taste
- poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, or dried garlic flakes, for topping optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Let sit for 10 minutes until bubbly. Add 4 cups of bread flour to start and mix to combine. If the dough seems too wet, or you want a firmer, more rustic bialy, add another 1/4 cup flour.
- Knead the dough. If using a stand mixer, knead for 8 minutes on medium. If kneading by hand, knead vigorously for 10 minutes. Dough should be firm but stretchy.
- Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Cover in plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 hours. At this stage, the dough can be transferred to the fridge overnight to develop a deeper flavor. Or if you prefer you can simply move on to the next step.
- While the dough rises, heat a pan with olive oil over medium low heat. Sauté onions until soft and caramelized, stirring often to avoid burning, 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten into a disc. Transfer the discs to 2 parchment paper lined baking sheets. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour.
- While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 450. If using a pizza stone or cast iron surface, set this inside the oven to preheat it as well.
- Once the bialys have risen, use you fingers to poke an indentation in the center of each bialy, about 3 inches in diameter, being sure not to poke through the dough. Fill each indentation with about 1-2 teaspoons of the cooked onions. If using poppy seeds, dried onions or garlic as a topping, brush bialys with water and sprinkle with the topping.
- If using a pizza stone or other preheated surface, carefully transfer the parchment paper with the bialys on it to this surface. If not, keep bialys on the baking sheets. Bake bialys for 15-18 minutes, in batches if needed, until golden brown. Serve hot with butter or cream cheese. The bialys should be stored in a paper bag for up to 24 hours, and afterwards sliced and frozen, at which point they can be re-toasted.
Leave a Reply