We Knead to Bake Project - Bialys with Caramelized Onions and Paneer

This was a completely new bake for me. I hadn’t even heard of bialys before Aparna introduced them in this month’s We Knead to Bake project.

A bialy is a Yiddish word, short for bialystoker kuchen, named after Białystok, a city in Poland. It’s a small roll that belongs to traditional Polish Ashkenazi cuisine. In the early 1900s, many Eastern Europeans, including the Polish, immigrated to the United States and settled in New York, bringing their bialy-making skills with them. That’s how the New York bialy came to be so well known. There you go — a mini history lesson on bialys.

For those unfamiliar with bialys, like I was, they may look and even taste somewhat similar to bagels, but there are key differences. A bialy doesn’t have a hole in the center like a bagel. Instead, it has a shallow depression filled with toppings, usually onions, garlic, poppy seeds, or similar ingredients. Bagels are boiled and then baked, while bialys are baked directly. According to Aparna, a good bialy should have a soft, springy crumb with a chewy, slightly floury crust.

I haven’t made bagels from scratch either, so I can’t personally compare the processes, but I was quite excited to try these. They were fairly easy to make, apart from the rising time — though still nowhere near as demanding as croissants. Aparna also gave the recipe an Indian twist by adding paneer and garam masala, which made me even more eager to bake them.

I added green chili (of course, for the heat), paneer, caramelized onions, and stuffed paratha masala. The result tasted like a paneer kulcha in bagel form, if that makes sense. The combination of paneer and paratha masala worked beautifully together and complemented the bread perfectly.

Here’s the recipe, adapted from King Arthur Flour:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/bialys-recipe

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (use bread flour if available, or all-purpose flour plus 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten)
  • I used 3 cups wholemeal bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• Milk, for brushing the dough

For the Onion Filling

• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 3/4 tsp stuffed paratha masala
• 3 green chilies, crushed or minced
• Salt, to taste
• 100 g paneer, crumbled (optional)

Method

1. Add the yeast, sugar, salt, and flour to a stand mixer or food processor bowl. Pulse a couple of times to combine. Add the warm water in a steady stream and knead until the dough comes together. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes to allow it to absorb the liquid. Knead again, adding a little more water or flour if needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and not sticky.

2. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning it so it’s evenly coated. Cover and let it rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

If you’re not making the bialys immediately, you can refrigerate the dough overnight at this stage. When ready to proceed, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

3. While the dough rises, prepare the filling. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add the onions and sauté over low to medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and continue cooking until the onions soften and turn golden brown. Stir in the stuffed paratha masala, then remove from heat and let the mixture cool.

4. Lightly flour your work surface and place the dough on it. Divide it into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a roll by flattening it slightly and pinching the edges together to form a smooth ball.

(If needed, refer to this video for shaping rolls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB908K3Kd6k)

5. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with a towel, and let them rise for about 1 hour. If using refrigerated dough, allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when a gentle press leaves a slight indentation.

6. Work with one roll at a time, keeping the rest covered. Using your fingers, form a depression in the center. Hold the roll like a steering wheel, with your thumbs in the middle and fingers around the edge. Pinch and rotate gently to widen the depression without breaking through the base. The center should be thin enough to hold the filling and not puff up during baking.

Avoid pressing the edges, as they need to stay puffy. The finished shape should be about 4 inches wide, with a 3-inch depression and a 1-inch raised rim. Prick the center with a fork to prevent it from rising.

7. Place the shaped dough on a parchment-lined or greased baking tray, leaving about 2 inches between each bialy.

8. Spoon the caramelized onion filling into the center of each bialy. Add a little minced green chili on top. Brush the outer rim with milk. If using paneer, add it during the last 5 minutes of baking to prevent it from burning.

Bake at 230°C (450°F) for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. This recipe makes 8 generously sized bialys.

Enjoy them warm with butter or cream cheese.