Bialy is a Yiddish word for a small bread which originated in the Poland city of Bialystok. The chewy rolls are similar to bagels in texture, but are baked without first boiling, and there is a well in the center but no hole.
These classic homemade bialys are chewy and delicious, with their bagel-like texture and wonderful onion and poppy seed filling. They are very similar to bagels, but there’s no boiling required. Use a stand mixer or bread machine to mix the dough and your hands-on time will be minimal. All you have to do is combine the ingredients, turn on the machine, and shape the bialys.
In this particular version, the dough is refrigerated overnight or up to 24 hours, which develops their excellent flavor.
Related:
You might also like this delicious garlic naan or this French fougasse. If you are looking for a snack, try these soft pretzel bites.
Homemade Bialys
These classic homemade bialys with traditional onion filling are similar to bagels but without the boiling. You’ll love the chewy texture and great flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion (minced, divided use)
- 4 cups bread flour (or add 5 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten to all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups water (about 11 to 12 ounces, room temperature is fine)
- 1 tablespoon cream (or milk or oil, for brushing over the bialys before filling)
Filling Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Dash salt
- cornmeal for the pans
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the minced onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Let the onion cool and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, wheat gluten, if using, salt, yeast, and onion powder. Add all but about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the onion mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a whisk to blend thoroughly.
- Put the remaining onion in a small container; cover and refrigerate until it’s time to bake the bialys.
- Add the water to the dry ingredients and mix with the dough hook for 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust the amount of water as needed. The dough should be slightly sticky. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Knead the dough with the dough hook for 8 minutes. Move the dough to a greased bowl; turn to grease all sides of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the next day.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and separate into 8 portions. Each will weigh about 3 3/4 to 4 ounces. Alternatively, separate into ten 3-ounce portions for smaller bialys. Shape the dough pieces into smooth balls and place them on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel and let them rise for 1 hour.
- Sprinkle two baking sheets with cornmeal.
- Shape the balls into disks about 5 inches in diameter while pressing the centers firmly where a hole would be in a bagel. But don’t make a hole—you just want a good indentation for the filling. Place them on the prepared baking sheets.
- Heat the oven to 450 F.
- Take the onion mixture out of the refrigerator and add the poppy seeds, pepper, and a dash of salt.
- Brush the bialys lightly with the cream or milk (or oil). This helps them brown, but is not essential.
- Fill the indentations with about 1 teaspoon of the filling.
- Bake the bialys for 11 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
