Best Bialy Recipe – the easiest to make, and also the best tasting.
This is an updated recipe for making bialys recipe. We used a modern method that makes it easy and foolproof. The method uses a slow fermentation to increase flavor, and no kneading so it’s easier. Then we chose the highest quality ingredients so it tastes better gives you reliable results. And a secret ingredient to give it that New York bagel taste. Plus, the ingredients are sustainable. What more could you want?
Updated:
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of contents
What are Bialys?
Bialys are a traditional Jewish yeast roll that originated in the Polish province of Bialystok in the 17th century. The bialy was brought to America by immigrants from Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century and is most commonly associated with the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Similar to a bagel, but without the hole, it is a round, chewy roll with an onion-filled depression in the center, and is usually eaten as an accompaniment to a meal or as part of an open-faced sandwich.
The bialy’s ingredients are similar to the bagel: flour, water, yeast and salt. Often they do not include malt or sugar, making them a bit denser and chewier, and they are not boiled the way bagels are. The distinguishing characteristic of the bialy is its oniony flavor, which comes from a mixture of cooked onions and other spices or poppy seeds that are added to the depression in the center of the roll before baking. The bialy has a slightly puffy texture with a crisp crust that makes it perfect for holding various toppings, such as cheese or smoked salmon.
Ingredients
The key to improving flavor is to use all the best ingredients.
- Bread Flour – King Arthur Organic bread flour King Arthur responsibly sources the wheat for their flours, and it pays off in the taste and quality. They have a “never bleached” guarantee, which means their flours don’t have an off taste or unpredictable results that can be caused by bleaching. They also carefully calibrate the protein content, so the flour gives you the same results everytime.
- Yeast – SAF-Instant Red – for Hearth Bread and SAF-Instant Gold for Enriched Bread – Instant yeast is easier to use and more reliable so the results are better.
- Salt – Diamond Kosher tastes cleaner and measures differently.
- Barley Malt Syrup – adds an extra homemade yeast flavor to the bread.
No Affiliates Statement
We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
Sustainability
Choosing sustainable products makes baking a small but meaningful act of sustainability. Sustainability is at the heart of this recipe: choosing high-quality pantry staples, supporting responsible growers and brands. High quality products don’t just taste better, they are usually produced sustainably as well.
Method
This recipe uses an easy, foolproof method that requires only a few minutes of active time. Check out Master Bread Method for a more detailed explanation on how this works.
- Measure the ingredients by weight and mix together
- Chill the dough overnight
- Shape the dough and let it rise
- Bake
This recipe uses our Master Bread Method. An easy, foolproof, updated way of making bread.
Why this Works
This is the best bialy recipe we have ever tried, because it is by far the easiest to make, and it is also the best tasting. It incorporates the latest science in bread making by using the autolyse method, a slow fermentation, no kneading, and added flavor with quality ingredients including malt.
Just measure the ingredients using a scale to measure. Mix for a few minutes and then refrigerate overnight. The next day they are shaped, allowed to rise, topped and baked. The dough needs to rise slowly for 12 to 14 hours, and the cold refrigerator helps this by slowing them down. This requires some planning so that the dough is not ready to be baked in the middle of the night. We make the dough at 6:00 pm, so it will be ready to form by 8:00 am, bake by 9:00 am.
This is also the best tasting Bialy we have ever made. The key is to use all the best ingredients. There are only a few ingredients, so it’s important to use the best if you want the best bialys. Then adding malt and allowing it to rise slowly for 12 to 14 hours is the secret to improving the taste.
RECIPE
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments
- Silicon mat
CHOOSING BRANDS:
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Ingredients
- 250 grams water
- 1 Tablespoon barley malt syrup
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Red SAF instant yeast
- 450 grams King Arthur organic bread flour
- 1 onion
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 Tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat the water to 95℉, using a kitchen thermometer to check it. Place the bowl of the stand mixer on the scale and measure in the water. Then measure in the malt syrup, salt, and stir. Measure in the yeast and stir. Zero the scale and measure in the flour.
- Using the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and wait 5 minutes.
- Switch to the dough hook, and mix on low for another 3 minutes.
- Put the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl with enough room for it to double in size. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for an hour, then refrigerate it overnight (12-16 hours).
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place the silicon mat on a baking sheet and lightly oil it. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape them into balls by rolling them on a flat surface, the pulling the surface down and tucking it under to tighten the surface. Place the balls on the baking sheet spacing them at equal distance. Oil the tops, cover with plastic and allow to rise until they are about double in size, about an hour.
- Slice the onion into thin strips and sauté in vegetable oil until soft, but not browned. Add poppy seeds.
- Preheat the oven to 450℉, 30 minutes before baking.
- Make an indentation in the center of each of the balls and fill with an equal amount of the sautéed onions. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over each of the bialys.
- Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Immediately remove the bialys from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
WHY THIS RECIPE IS A GAME CHANGER:
This recipe is a total game-changer — crafted with the finest [brand name] ingredients, simplified using a master recipe with pro-tested techniques from top chefs and bakers, and designed for deliciously sustainable cooking made easy.”
| Ingredient | Percent by Weight |
Flour Sugar Salt | 100 50 |
Baker’s Percentages is a formula-based system where total flour weight is always !00 percent and all other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of that flour weight. It allows you to quickly and accurately compare recipes.
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