Bialy

Make Bialy at home with this homemade Bialy recipe. Bialy Bagel is a soft, chewy breakfast bread from New York with sweet onion and poppy seed filling. With this Bialy recipe, bread bakes soft, with signature air-pockets, have perfect balance of salted chewy bread and sweet onion filling. Closest,  even better than Bialy sold in New York's Bagels and Bialys shops. 

Bialy is a breakfast bread which when you try once, would love to try again. A must try for every Bagel lover. 

This Bialy recipe requires no-kneading, no dough machines. Only 5 simple ingredients and little time will help you get the best Bialys ever! The secret to soft and chewy, signature honey-comb texture is letting the dough rest. (read on to know more).

Bialy is also a self-sufficient snack. All bialy need is cup of coffee. You can go fancy with fillings but this post is all about classic Onion Bialy with filling of Sweet-Onion and Poppy Seeds. 

Oh, I'm also including instructions to make overnight bialys. So you can put them in oven while family get ready for breakfast. How good does that sound?

Let's bake Bialy for breakfast today! 

Bialy

Bialys or Bialies were first brought to US by Portuguese. This close cousin of Bagel is very famous in New York but not so much outside. I had it 2-3 times in New York's Bagels and Bialys shops while we visited New York a couple of years ago.

Recently, when I remembered those soft and chewy bagels from New York, I decided to research and bake Bialy at home.

I tested a dozen recipes before I could connect the flavor and texture of homemade Bialy to the one I ate in New York. I have never been to Portugal but this recipe is the best version of New York's Bialys. 

Bagels and Bailys

First, let me share what is the difference between Bagel and Bialy. Both are breakfast breads but flavor, shape, and baking technique are different. Here are a few main differences between Bagels and Bialys:

1. Bagels have hole in center vs Bialys don't.
2. Bagels are more chewy vs Bialys are soft and medium chewy with signature honey-comb bread texture. (one of my favorite)
3. Bialys are filled in center with filling such as onion-poppy seeds (traditional) or cheese etc.
4. Bialys are also savory with salted bread and sweet onion topping in the center. You can eat Bialy as-is. I seldom need a cream cheese smear on Bialys.

How to Make Bialy?

You can make Bialy Bread i.e. mix, ferment and bake in one day, in about 4.5 hours.  I have also included instructions to make Bialys overnight. (see recipe card notes)

To make Bialys you need following ingredients:

1. Bialy Dough - Baily Dough is super simple and ingredients are easy to find pantry baking staples:

1. All Purpose Flour
2. Instant Yeast
3. Salt
4. Honey
5. Oil
6. Water

2. Sweet Onion Poppy Seed Filling

Sweet Onion and Poppy filling is signature classic Bialy topping/filling. I can't imagine eating Bialys without it. If you are trying Bialy for first time? I highly recommend trying with Sweet Onion and Poppy Seed filling.

The ingredients for classic Bialy filling are as follows:

1. Yellow Onion
2. Poppy Seed
3. Oil
4. Sugar
5. Salt

You also will need:

1. A large mixing bowl
2. Silicon (preferably) or rubber spatula.
3. Work Board to work on dough.
4. 2 Baking Sheets for baking Bialys.

Bialy Dough

Bialy dough fermentation and resting phases is the key to get perfect Bialy texture. There is almost no kneading required to make Bialy dough. Only ferment, stretch, fold and let dough rest a couple of times. This helps develop gluten and hence large air pockets, soft texture. In-short, the labor of time yields perfectly soft and chewy bialy bagels.

Fermentation:

1. I start by mixing the dough ingredients with a silicon spatula until dough comes together. Mix the dough just until combined then let it rest for 5 minutes. 
2. Next I mix the rested dough with silicon spatula (with big back and forth strokes) for 1.5 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Next, with oiled hand, stretch the dough, fold it so that it meets in center as if you folding a shirt. Stretch and fold once from the top and bottom side. Fold dough to make a ball. Leave on kitchen counter covered loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Repeat the Step-3 for 3 times. By the end, dough will be elastic, and bounce back when pressed gently. Leave dough on the kitchen counter covered loosely with plastic wrap. Let ferment until dough almost doubles in size.

Shaping:

Shaping dough is an important step to make perfectly looking Bialys. I highly recommend following the steps as shaping makes a big difference in how bialy hold the poppy seed filling. Trust me, I have wasted a couple of batches of dough when the filling will not hold-on while bialy bake in the oven.

1. Once fermented (i.e. first rise). Gently transfer dough to work surface. Divide into 10-12 equal size pieces. 
2. Roll reach piece to a tight ball by repeatedly stretching and tucking the loose ends at the bottom. This helps Bialy hold shape while baking and resulting bagels don't spread unevenly and are always perfectly sized.

Secret to perfect looking Bialy: Notice smooth edges on each rolled dough ball, rolled tight. This helps Bialy hold shape while baking and resulting bagels don't spread unevenly.

After the second rise, it is very important to shape the dough to perfect Bialy Shape. Here's how I shape the Bailys:

1. After second rise, with oiled hand, gently flatten each bialy dough ball to even, about 1 inch thickness. Use gentle hands to avoid de-gasing the risen yeasted dough.
2. Use a 1 cup flat-bottom measuring cup (oiled) to make a groove in the center of each dough ball. Press firmly almost flattening the center as otherwise bialy will not hold filling while baking. 

Secret to Perfect Onion Bialy: To make the perfect looking Onion Bialy (with the onion-poppy seed filling staying in-place while baking) don't shy while making the groves for filling. Flatten center almost paper thin. Don't worry it will still bake and rise fine in oven.

Bialy Texture and Serving Suggestion

After shaping, Baking Bialys takes only 10-15 minutes in oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fresh baked warm Bialys are soft and medium chewy with signature honey-comb texture. These honey combs are what makes Bialy soft like pillows.

Bialys are best served and eaten fresh out of the oven. Even though Bialy will keep fresh on kitchen counter, in an air tight container, for two days. I highly recommend trying these either fresh out of the oven Or baked just the night before.

How to Reheat Baily?

To reheat, preheat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place Bialy on a baking sheet in a single layer. Heat for 5 minutes intervals until bread is warm to touch. Keep an eye, don't overheat. Baily are ready serve when warm to touch. Serve immediately.

Overnight Bialys

Overnight Bialys means dividing the Bialy dough fermentation and Bake process into two days:

1. Day 1 (night before breakfast): Mix dough, stretch and fold, and then leave to ferment (first rise). Refrigerate before second rise.
2. Onion Poppy Seed filling can be made on Day 1. (or up-to 2 days in advance)
3. Day 2 (morning before breakfast time): Bring dough to room temperature, shape and rise. Bake and serve.

There will slight difference in flavor and texture of Bialy made overnight or on the same day. Dough rested in refrigerator (Point 1 above) develops more chewy crusty crust.. So overnight Baily will be more crusty and chewy. 

NOTE: Picture above shows the Bialys that I baked using overnight method. Pay attention to the rustic crust above vs below. Other than that, the overall flavor is the same. (See Notes in Recipe Card for more details.)

Friends, this season, serve something different for Holiday breakfast. There is nothing more comforting than fresh homemade bread for breakfast with friends and family. Fresh baked Bialys fill kitchen with aroma of baking bread and delicious breakfast. Try these soft and chewy, sweet and salty Breakfast Bagels. Let me know how your family liked by adding a comment below. 

Happy Baking! -Savita x