Eastern European Vinegar-Pickled Mushrooms
Small edible mushrooms are briefly cooked and packed in a seasoned vinegar marinade, a sweet-sour preserve served cold in Poland and neighbouring cuisines.
Bialy
Bialys · Bialy roll
Bialys are soft, yeasted wheat rolls baked without boiling, each shaped with an onion-filled central depression instead of a hole.
A baked roll with a filled depression
A bialy has a central depression that holds onion filling; it is baked directly and never boiled like a bagel. The King Arthur recipe makes twelve rolls with an overnight refrigerated dough rise and a small, cooked onion topping. It is a modern home method, not a claim that every Eastern European or New York bialy uses this formula.
Sources for this section
Eastern European and New York history
FOODISH, the culinary department of the ANU Museum of the Jewish People, places bialy in Eastern European Jewish food and describes Polish immigrants bringing it to America in the late 19th century. Kossar's account connects the bread with Jewish immigrants from Białystok and documents New York bakery production from 1936. These sources support the migration and diaspora association; they do not establish an invention date.
Sources for this section
Flour handling
Raw flour can carry bacteria that cause illness. Do not taste the unbaked dough; bake it according to the recipe and wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling the flour or dough.
Sources for this section
History
The ANU Museum describes bialys as an Eastern European Jewish bread brought to America by Polish immigrants in the late 19th century. Kossar's account links New York bialy baking to Jewish migrants from Białystok and records its bakery production from 1936. These sources document migration and diaspora continuity, not an invention date.
Ingredients
Yield 12 bialys · Scaling: source batch only
Bread flour
840 g
Table salt
17 g
For the dough.Instant yeast
6.2 mL1¼ tsp as recorded
Onion powder
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
For the dough.Water
510 g
For the dough.OnionPeel and quarter before chopping very finely.
1
For the filling.Poppy seeds
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
For the filling.Table salt
0.6 mL⅛ tsp as recorded
For the filling.Coarsely ground black pepper
3 to 4 grinds.
Olive oil
14 g
For cooking the onion filling.Farina or yellow cornmeal
Amount not stated
For dusting the baking sheets.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Pathogens in raw flour
Raw flour can carry bacteria that cause illness; the dough must be baked before eating.
Hazard sourceBake the dough before eating; wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling raw flour or dough.
Control sourceDo not taste the raw dough. Raw flour can carry harmful bacteria.
- Combine the flour, salt, instant yeast and onion powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater. Switch to the dough hook, add the water and mix on low for 1 to 2 minutes, until combined. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- Knead at medium speed for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate it overnight for a slow rise.
- The next day, divide the dough into 12 pieces and round each into a ball. Place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover with greased plastic and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C).
- Pulse the onion in a food processor until very finely chopped but not liquid. Mix it with the poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the mixture over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until its liquid cooks off and the onion is just beginning to caramelize. Remove from the heat and cool.
- Dust two baking sheets lightly with farina or cornmeal. Stretch each dough ball into a 6- to 7-inch (15- to 18-cm) ring shape without piercing the center, leaving a wide, flat depression instead of an open hole. Place 6 rolls on each sheet with a few inches between them.
- Put a scant teaspoon of onion filling in each depression and spread it out. Keep the filling modest so its moisture does not prevent the center from baking.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until light golden brown. Serve warm or cool on a rack.
Conditions
Yield12 bialys
Active time45 min
Temperature246°C
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
Białystok
Historical attestation · Locality evidenceSources describe Polish Jewish migration carrying the bread to New York; this is a migration association, not a proven birthplace.
New York City
Documented preparation · Locality evidenceThe sources document continuing bakery production and a strong diaspora association in New York.
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Sources
King Arthur BakingMethod · Ingredients
Classic BialysA complete 12-roll method with 840 g bread flour, 510 g water, instant yeast, overnight refrigeration, one-hour room-temperature proof, onion filling, a 475°F bake and 8–10 minute baking time.
Cited in: A baked roll with a filled depression
FOODISH, ANU Museum of the Jewish PeopleHistory · Context
Bialy (Don't Call it a Bagel)Describes a bialy as baked without boiling, with a depression rather than a bagel hole, and places it in Eastern European Jewish and New York food contexts. It describes late-19th-century Polish migration to America; this is not a first-attestation date.
Cited in: A baked roll with a filled depression; Eastern European and New York history
Kossar's Bagels & BialysHistory · Geography
Kossar's Bagels & Bialys: Our HistoryThe bakery's account says Jewish immigrants from Białystok brought the bread to New York and dates Kossar's bakery production to 1936. This is a business history account, not proof of where the bread was first invented.
Cited in: Eastern European and New York history
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSafety
Raw Flour and DoughRaw flour can carry harmful bacteria; CDC advises baking dough before eating and cleaning hands, bowls, utensils and surfaces after handling raw flour or dough.
Cited in: Flour handling