Bialy (also bialystoker kuchen or cebularz in Poland) is a type of yeast roll, being a traditional dish in Polish and Jewish cuisine. It is named after a Polish city Bialystok. Bialys can be filled with anything, but traditionally you'll find them filled with onions, garlic, poppy seeds and breadcrumbs. Bialys are (like bagels, their boiled cousins) very popular over the Atlantic Ocean, in New York City. They were brought to America by Jewish immigrants in the early 1900s. And today we are making sourdough bials!
Table of Contents
initial
- 75 g whole wheat flour
- 75 g water
- 1 teaspoon of your original mother
Dough
- all the above starters (about 150 g)
- 400 g white wheat flour (or bread flour)
- 270 g water*
- 8 g salt
SATURATION
- 2 large onions or 4 the smaller ones
- fat for fried onions
initial
- In the evening prepare the starter. Mix 1 teaspoon of sourdough starter (active), 75 g of whole wheat flour and 75 g of water. Cover and leave to ferment overnight until doubled in volume and bubbly.
Dough
- In the morning prepare the dough. Mix 270 g of water and all of the starter above. Add the flour and mix until all the flour is incorporated, then knead the dough for 5 minutes. Then, let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- After an hour has passed, add salt and mix well into the dough. Also, check if the dough is firm and needs more water. Now let the dough rise until it doubles in volume, swells and aerates. If you want, you can perform some stretching and folding during rising – this will help the dough to get more strength. My dough took 5 hours to rise, you may need less or more depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Once the dough has risen, use your plastic dough spatula to gently roll it out onto an unfloured work surface. Dust the top surface of the dough with flour and using a bench knife or pastry spatula divide it into 9 pieces, each weighing approximately 85g. Form each piece of dough into a roll – see left photo below. Dust the rolls with flour, cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rest for an hour.
- Meanwhile, saute the onions and heat the baking stone to the maximum temperature of the oven. Saute the onions until they turn color and soften well. Feel free to add some herbs, spices or poppy seeds.
- When the dough has rested and your stone is preheated, start shaping the bialis. First, clean the work surface. Work with one part of the dough at a time. First, dust the top surface of the roll and then turn it dusted side down. Next, make a rim about 1.5-2 cm away from the edge and use your fingers to flatten the center of the dough. Make sure the middle is very thin, you don't want the dough to puff up in the middle and pull the onions out everywhere. Place each shaped bialy on parchment paper and fill the indentation with roasted onions.
- Transfer the parchment paper with a pizza peel onto the hot baking stone and reduce the temperature to 240°C (465°F). Bake for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.
endnoteS
- The starter for the dough was prepared in the evening and left to rise overnight. The dough is mixed in the morning, allowed to double in volume, pre-formed into rolls, allowed to rest, formed and baked immediately on a baking stone.
- Adjust the amounts of water according to the absorption needs of your flour. My flour does not absorb much, the dough was quite dynamic and soft at 65%. You should aim for dough that is neither soft nor stiff.
- Preparation time: 18 hours and 5 minutes
- Cooking time: 20 min
- Category: bread
- Kitchen: Polish, Jewish
Looking at mine semolina sourdough bread post, it seems I've never been back from Sicily 🙂 Well, in a way I haven't. Memories of beautiful Sicily and its wonderful landscape and spending time and creating new projects with Pure Sicily the team is still so alive. More from Sicily to come in the coming months and I invite you to follow me on social media (Facebook, Instagram), where I post pictures of my bread adventures. There's a new adventure just around the corner, as I'll soon be heading to the French countryside to bake some bread in a wire mesh oven – so stay tuned!
I'm a big fan of pizza (even more than a loaf of bread, but don't tell anyone, okay?) and I'm always happy to find new shapes and flavors. The White one it's one of those shapes (check out those mini pizzas!) and there's just something magical about onion bread. Who says you can't make bialy pizza dough?
And now for the recipe of today's post.
Bialys sourdough
Baking time
The starter for the dough was prepared in the evening and left to rise overnight. The dough is mixed in the morning, allowed to double in volume, pre-formed into rolls, allowed to rest, shaped and baked immediately on a baking stone.
Ingredients
yields: 9 bialy
initial
- 75 g of whole wheat flour
- 75 g of water
- 1 teaspoon at the beginning of your mother
Dough
- all the above starters (about 150 g)
- 400 g white wheat flour (or bread flour)
- 270 g water*
- 8 g of salt
*Adjust the amount of water according to the absorption needs of your flour. My flour does not absorb much, the dough was quite dynamic and soft at 65%. You should aim for dough that is neither soft nor stiff.
SATURATION
- 2 large onions or 4 smaller ones
- fat for fried onions
GUIDELINES
initial
- In the evening, prepare the starter of the sourdough. Mix 1 teaspoon of your mother's active sourdough starter, 75g of whole wheat flour and 75g of water. Cover and leave to ferment overnight until doubled in volume and bubbly.
Dough
- In the morning prepare the dough. Mix 270 g of water and all of the starter above. Add the flour and mix until all the flour is incorporated, then knead the dough for 5 minutes. Then, let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- After an hour has passed, add salt and mix well into the dough. Also, check if the dough is firm and needs more water. Now let the dough rise until it doubles in volume, swells and aerates. If you want, you can perform some stretching and folding during rising – this will help the dough to get more strength. My dough took 5 hours to rise, you may need less or more depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Once the dough has risen, use your plastic dough spatula to gently roll it out onto an unfloured work surface. Dust the top surface of the dough with flour and using a bench knife or pastry spatula divide it into 9 pieces, each weighing approximately 85g. Form each piece of dough into a roll – see left photo below. Dust the rolls with flour, cover them with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for an hour.
- Meanwhile, saute the onions and heat the baking stone to the maximum temperature of the oven. Saute the onions until they turn color and soften well. Feel free to add some herbs, spices or poppy seeds.
- When the dough has rested and your stone is preheated, start shaping the bialis. First, clean the work surface. Work with one part of the dough at a time. First, dust the top surface of the roll and then turn it dusted side down.
- Next, make a rim about 1.5-2 cm away from the rim and use your fingers to flatten the middle of the balls of dough into the shape. Make sure the middle is very thin, you don't want the dough to puff up in the middle and pull the onions out everywhere.
- Place each shaped bialy on parchment paper and fill the indentation with roasted onion filling.
- Transfer the parchment paper with a pizza peel onto the hot baking stone and reduce the temperature to 240°C (465°F). Bake for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.
Eat bialys as soon as possible for best results!
I have a recipe for one sour dough throw pizza crustby the way, if you love pizza like me!
Tips for eating bialy with sourdough
To make an even tastier recipe:
- Use butter or cream cheese as in a bagels
- Eat with your favorite jam
- Like a bagel, you can top with smoked salmon and capers
- You can also use caramelized onions if you want more flavor than roasted onions. Caramelized onions can also add texture
- Sauteed onions also work if you don't want the depth of caramelized onions
- Add onion powder if you want that extra flavor
Happy baking and bon appetit!
Have you ever tried a sourdough bialy?
Sourdough FAQs
What is the difference between a bagel and a bialy?
A bagel and a bialy are both traditional baked goods of Jewish origin, but they have distinct differences in their shape, texture, and filling.
A bagel is a ring-shaped bread with a chewy texture, a dense interior and a shiny crust. Bagels are usually boiled before baking, which gives them their characteristic chewiness. They can be plain or flavored with fillings such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, garlic or any spices. Bagels are often sliced and fried before serving and are usually eaten with cream cheese or as a base for a sandwich.
A bialy, on the other hand, is a round, flat bread with a depressed center and a chewy texture. Unlike bagels, bialys are not boiled before baking, so they have a softer crust. The center of a bialy is filled with a mixture of onions and sometimes poppy seeds. Bialys are usually eaten fresh and plain or with a spread like cream cheese or butter.
Are bialys better for you than bagels?
When it comes to nutrition, bialys and bagels are both relatively high in carbohydrates and calories, so neither is considered a particularly healthy food. Neither bialys nor bagels are particularly healthy foods, but if you're trying to decide between the two, bialys may be a slightly better choice due to their lower calorie and carb content. However, it is important to be careful about the filling of bialys and the fillings added to bagels, as these can significantly affect their nutritional value.
