Bialy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bialy, a Yiddish word short for bialystoker, from Białystok, a city in Poland, is a small roll that is a traditional dish in Polish Ashkenazi cuisine. A traditional bialy has a diameter of up to 15 cm (6 inches) and is a chewy yeast roll similar to a bagel. Unlike a bagel, which is boiled before baking, a bialy is simply baked, and instead of a hole in the middle it has a depression. Before baking, this depression is filled with diced onions and other ingredients, including (depending on the recipe) garlic, poppy seeds, or bread crumbs.
The name bialy is short for bialystoker kuchen (Bialystok Cake). The bialy was formerly little known outside of New York City, but has started to move into the larger market. They were originally brought into the United States by Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I found the recipe here. You can click over there from Zeb Bakes on my side bar of blogs and scroll down to see her breads.
The bialy is a cousin of the bagel- just more depressed than holey. The flavor and texture is wonderful- chewy and toothsome- I ate two still warm from the oven and I’m not a bit sorry. I made them smaller- the recipe spoke of 12- I made 18. These are really worth the effort- I just wish I could figure out why I start baking on stifling hot days. The baking temp for these is 450 degrees F- so my face got a little singed every time I opened the oven.
The buns are from the same source. Joanna at Zeb Bakes is a dedicated bread baker- and I love to try some of the artisan breads she tries.
These are from a post she wrote this week- ” If you don’t know it, Dan Lepard writes a great baking column each week in the Guardian newspaper, usually with ingredients that are easily available and fairly straightforward techniques for the home baker to follow. ”
Mine don’t look as good as hers, but they sure tasted good. I made them to go with hamburgers- and they are great! They don’t get soggy, aren’t doughy or too big, and the flavor is delicious on its own.
They are easy to make, just indent the lines on the large rectangle before the second rise, and then bake them in the pan.
Cut them in half…
…and load them up with goodies!
Everyone loved them!
Two breads I’ve never heard of! Learning something new today.
(I, myself, am never tempted to bake on hot days but I WILL save the recipes for a nice, cool autumn day!)
Kim- I have an oven in the garage- so I didn’t heat the house up- although these both bake at high temps, so I got a hot blast in the face each time I opened the 450 degree F oven!
I am never tempted to do laundry on hot days- but baking is a mood enhancer for me. PLUS- you get to eat the end results!
Oh Heidi, your family look so happy tucking in there! What great pictures – looks like you had a good time making these breads and you made a much better job of scoring those pesky bbq squares than I did. I saw on C’s blog that she had made the dough for that into a beauiful loaf and she was very pleased with that too. I might try that another time. Thanks for the mention, it means a lot to me coming from you x Joanna
Heidi, they all look wonderful! Aren’t those BBQ buns divine? And so delicious. Half the breads I bake are inspired by Joanna’s blog – don’t know where we’d all be without her. Yesterday I made baguettes again! 🙂
Joanna, Celia-
I have so much enjoyed your baking exploits, experiments and adventures!
The BBQ buns are exactly what I want a bun to be- thin,flavorful, and strong enough to stand up to whatever you put inside them!
Thank you both for sharing your kitchens and interests- it is a pleasure to be your blog friend.
Heidi I love the family pictures eating the burger buns with gusto. I will definitely have to give these ones a go.
My family was very unhappy with my posting the pictures. They usually forbid ( they meaning my youngest son) me to use their (his) picture. He didn’t say anything this time, and as it is well known around here, the only reason I take pictures is to post them as illustrations.
Thank you for your appreciation, I will pass it on.:)
(Enjoy your little ones, the older they get, the sassier they are!)
The Bialy was delicious.They not only look great, but they taste wonderful! I would like to try the BBQ buns some time. You make the best breads.