Homemade Bialys Recipe (topped with Caramelized Onions) - Tickling Palates (2024)

Prep time: 10 mins | Rest time: 3 hours | Bake time: 20 mins | Makes: 8
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category:Breakfast

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

• All Purpose flour – 3 cups
• Active Dry yeast – 1 tsp
• Sugar – 1 tbsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Water - 1+¼ cups
• Milk / oil – for brushing
• Oil – ½ teaspoon (for greasing)
• Whole wheat flour – 4 tablespoon (for dusting)

For the Onion Filling:

• Onions, medium – 3
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Red chili powder – ½ teaspoon
• Chaat Masala powder – ½ teaspoon
• Salt – to taste

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, place the dry ingredients and mix well. Heat water to lukewarm temperature (110 F) and add it to the flour and knead to make a soft and elastic dough. You can also use your food processor to do this.
2. Shape into a ball and place it in a bowl greased with oil and turning it around so that the dough ball gets completed coated with oil. Cover and let it double for 2 hours. At this stage you can refrigerate the dough and bake it later. When you want to bake, make sure to keep the dough at room temperature for about half an hour and before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
3. Meanwhile, let’s make the filling. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When it crackles, add onions and sauté over medium heat. Sprinkle little salt and continue sautéing until they become soft and turn golden brown in color. Add the red chili powder, chaat masala powder and stir well. Take off fire and let it cool.
   
4. Sprinkle your work surface lightly with whole wheat flour and place the dough on it. Divide it into 8 equal pieces and shape each one into a roll by flattening it and then pinching the ends together to form a smooth ball. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover them with a towel. Let them rise for about one hour (about 1 ½ to 2 hours for refrigerated dough) till pressing with a finger on the top leaves a dent.
   
5. Work on one piece at a time, while you keep the others covered so they don’t dry out. When the rolls are ready, pick them up one at a time and place it upside down on the work surface. Grease a small bowl on the outer with oil. Place the bowl on the roll press gently using rotating motion so that it makes an indent in the middle. Now use finger tips to perfect the indent. Make sure you do not poke a hole in the middle. Remember not to press on the edges, or they will flatten out. Once shaped, you should have a depression of about 3” in diameter with 1” of puffy dough around the edge, so your Bialy should be about 4” in diameter. Prick the center of the Bialy with a fork so the center doesn’t rise when baking.
   
6. Place the shaped dough on a parchment lined (or greased) baking tray leaving about 2 inches space between them. Place the caramelized onion filling in the depressions of each Bialy. Brush the outer dough circle with milk.
   
7. Preheat the oven at 230C (450F) and bake for about 20 minutes or till they’re golden brown in color. Cool them on a rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.