Homemade Bialys: Chewy, Onion-Top Rolls You’ll Never Buy Again

Growing up, I never gave bialys much thought. The bagel shop where I briefly worked in high school had us front-end people take bagels off the machine rollers, pinch together the centers, schmear them with the onion filling and leave them on a tray for the professionals to bake, and that was about as far as I’d considered them — a bagel variant. Oh, and that they were excellent toasted with salted butter.

It was reading The Bialy Eaters, Mimi Sheraton’s account of the onion-topped kuchen from Bialystok, Poland to Paris, Argentina and Miami Beach, that changed my view. While the book is about bialys, its subtext is the stories of the few survivors of Bialystok recalling the rolls they used to make. I hadn’t realized how rare authentic bialys were, and I became a little obsessed.

If you’re not from New York City, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. You’ve heard of bagels, but bialys are often neglected on the lower shelf and get little love. Many commercial bialys are spongy with weak centers; getting decent onion coverage is a lucky find.

Because of that, bialys are crying out to be made at home. Out of the blue — deadlines met and having already been to the gym — I decided Thursday was the day. I was thrilled to find a version in Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Bread Bible, learned from a baker at Kossar’s. These don’t require boiling, so they’re easier to make. Ours came out chewy and soft, with caramelized onion centers that were impossible to resist.

Bialys

Adapted from The Bread Bible

The dough for bagels and bialys is very similar — both are chewy and intense — but bagels get a crisp shell from boiling; bialys have a soft, chewy crust. They have a springy, soft crumb and a floury crust, and they don’t keep long. Make them for the day you want them, or freeze them quickly to preserve freshness.

Yield: Six 4 × 1¼-inch high bialys, or six flatter 5 × 1-inch high bialys

At-a-glance

Ingredients — Dough

Ingredients — Onion-Poppy Seed Filling

1. Mix the dough. In the bowl, whisk together the flour and yeast, then whisk in the salt (this keeps yeast from direct contact with salt). With a dough hook on low speed, gradually add the water and mix about 1 minute until moistened. Raise the speed to medium and mix 7 minutes. The dough should clean the bowl but remain soft and elastic. Add a little flour or water if needed. (Dough will weigh about 17.75 oz / 506 g.)

2. Let the dough rise. Place dough in a lightly greased 1½-quart (or larger) container. Press down and lightly oil the top, cover, and mark the container at double height. Let rise at 75–80°F for 1½ to 2 hours or until doubled.

3. Shape the dough and let it rise. Deflate the dough and transfer to a floured counter. Cut into six equal pieces (~3 oz / 84 g each). Work one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered. Round each piece by pulling the dough to form a smooth skin and pinch the edges together. Set pinched side down on a floured baking sheet. Flour the tops and cover with plastic wrap.

Allow the rounds to rise about 2 hours at 75–80°F or until almost doubled; they should keep an impression when pressed lightly in the center. If under-risen, they will puff up in the center instead of holding the hollow crater — if that happens, make a small hole in the center before filling. Because bialys bake quickly, test-bake one to check readiness if unsure.

4. Make the onion-poppy seed filling. In a small sauté pan, heat the oil and cook the onion over medium, stirring, about 5 minutes until translucent. Cook longer for deeper caramelization if desired. Remove from heat and stir in poppy seeds, salt, and pepper. Cool.

5. Preheat the oven. Preheat to 475°F, 30 minutes before baking. Position a shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it; place another sheet pan on the oven floor.

6. Make the craters for the filling. Hold each dough piece with both hands, thumbs near the middle, and pinch the center firmly between thumbs and first two fingers. Stretch to 4½–5 inches in diameter, forming a crater. (A weak pinch will let the center puff; be sure to pinch firmly.) Place on the lined baking sheet and spoon 1 teaspoon of onion-poppy filling into each center.

7. Bake the bialys. Slide the baking sheet onto the hot stone or baking sheet. Toss a handful of ice cubes onto the oven floor pan to generate steam, then shut the door. Bake 6–10 minutes until pale golden with brown spots (instant-read thermometer in center ~211°F).

8. Cool the bialys. Remove and transfer to wire racks to cool until just warm.

Storage: Bialys keep one day at room temperature in a paper bag. For longer storage, wrap individually, place in freezer bags, and freeze up to one month. Thaw wrapped at room temperature.

Variation (flatter, crisper New York style): Brush tops with a mixture of 1 large egg white beaten with 1/2 teaspoon water and sprinkle extra poppy seeds (about three times the weight of the egg white). Cover with plastic wrap and press down with a sheet pan to form 5½–6-inch rounds. Remove plastic, use the wide end of a chopstick to make ~12 holes in each, and bake as above — add a few extra minutes until golden brown.

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