Bialys

I forget where I first saw the recipe for these Bialys. They are essentially a bagel that is baked instead of boiled, and instead of a hole in the middle there is traditionally a depression in the center that is filled with cooked onions. I just sprinkled some sea salt on the top. They have a great, chewy texture.

The Bialy comes from Bialystock, Poland, which had a population of around 50,000 Jews at the start of the war. Only a few hundred survived the Holocaust. 

The proper way to eat these is while reading “Gimpel the Fool,” one of my favorite of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short stories of shtetl life.

There’s also this animation of the story.

To make, combine the following in a stand mixer:

4 3/4 cups of bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
a package of active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups of water warmed to 130 degrees

Let the dough hook mix on slow for a good ten minutes. Then cover and let the dough poof for an hour. Then divide into 3 ounce balls (about 13) and let sit for another 30 minutes. Shape into rounds, sprinkle with salt and bake for 12 minutes at 450.

-Corbett