The Bialy May Be Better Than a Bagel
It’s certainly easier to make
Clearly, a lot of you now have a bit of a bread-baking itch that you’re trying to scratch, and are hungry for some really satisfying baking projects. Well, I’ve got a good one for you: bialys.
For the uninitiated (or people who didn’t grow up Jewish on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1950s), bialys are a close relative of bagels, and, in my humble opinion, they’re every bit as good.
The dough is nearly identical; the major difference is that where bagels are boiled before baking, these are just baked, which results in a matte as opposed to a shiny crust — and also makes for an easier baking project. Instead of a hole in the middle, bialys are indented and filled with caramelized onions, then (sometimes) sprinkled with poppy seeds and salt and cooked in a hot oven until brown and crusty.
I can’t even tell you how much of a treat it is to eat one of these right from the oven. Not to mention it’s so rare to find a great one out in the world (and I mean always; not just in this baffling time) that the best way to get the true experience is to make them yourself. If you have the time (and the flour), I promise you won’t regret it.
