I came across bialys when living in America in my early 20s. They are similar to bagels but softer, with fudgy centres filled with fried onions.
They originally came from Bialystock in Poland, although I’ve heard they are no longer made there. Why? Because there are no Jews anymore.
There is now a baker near Colchester who makes bialys. I’d love to try them out.
Some people say if you ask for onion platzels in Brick Lane or Golders Green, they are the same thing. I’ll have to try, but the bialy I had in one Golders Green bakery was simply awful.
Traditional Onion Bialy
This is a recipe adapted from American food writer Stacie Stukin.
Serves 12 rolls
Ingredients
Pate fermentée:
- 120 ml lukewarm water
- ⅔ tsp active dry yeast
- 180 g bread flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
Bialy dough:
- 300 ml lukewarm water
- 450 g bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 150 g pâte fermentée
- 14 g active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sea salt
Filling:
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium brown onions, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
To make the pate fermentée:
- Put the water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, then add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes until combined into a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Keep the mixture in a cool place or the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. Cut into small pieces and add to your bialy dough.
To prepare the filling:
- Heat the oil in a side pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and slightly caramelised, about 20 minutes. Transfer the onions to a bowl and stir in the poppy seeds, and salt. Set aside to use later.
To make the bialy dough:
- Add the water and flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and mix for 2 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes.
- Add the pâte fermentée, yeast, and salt and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are completely combined. Add a little more water if this hasn’t happened in 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium to medium-high and mix until the dough is smooth, pulls away from the sides of the bowl and leaves the sides clean, has a bit of shine, and makes a slapping noise against the sides of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. Do the windowpane test to check to see if the gluten is fully developed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plastic bag and let stand at room temperature until doubled in volume.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (each weighing about 80 g). Form each piece into a small bun, cover with clingfilm, and let rest for 5 minutes. Press each ball into a flatter disk of dough.
- Line 2 baking trays with parchment or a silpat. Place the disks of dough, evenly spaced on the baking trays. Loosely cover with clingfilm or a tea towel. Let them rest for an hour or so.
- Preheat the oven to 350C
- Uncover the bialys and, using the pads of your fingers, make a depression in the center of each disk of dough. Put a teaspoon of the poppy/onion filling in the centre of each bialy.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes.
- Serve immediately. You can also freeze these for later use.
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