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Traditional Onion Bialy

This is a recipe adapted from American food writer Stacie Stukin.
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American jewish, Jewish, Polish
Keyword: Bialys
Servings: 12 rolls

Equipment

  • 2 baking trays, lined with parchment or silpats

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.