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

FAQs

Do you eat a bialy with cream cheese? ›

Like bagels, bialys are toasted (or not!) and may be eaten plain or topped with savory toppings like a generous smear of butter or cream cheese. There's no need to slice these babies—just take a bite.

And unlike the bagel, which loses a reason to live after a few hours, the bialy is practically designed for toasting. It's good plain the next day, and even better when toasted and buttered.

Bialy fans often enjoy them straight up, fresh from the oven, although you can also top them with a shmear of cream cheese or butter — or cured or smoked fish.

Bialys are similar to bagels. They are made with the same dough but they are not boiled before hand nor are they rolled. Instead they are pressed and stretched creating a slight depression that is traditionally filled with poppy seeds and caramelized onions, then baked. The finished product is glorious.

Bagels are made with high gluten flour to achieve their signature hard exterior and chewy texture. Bialys' consistency is more bread-like due to their not being boiled; they also contain large air bubbles once baked, making it all the more delightful when butter gets trapped inside the holes.

bagel: What's the difference? A bialy is a flat roll with a depression in the center typically seasoned with an onion and poppy seed mixture. The more well-known bagel refers is a round roll, typically with a hole in the center. Unlike bialys, bagels are boiled and then baked, giving them a chewier texture.

"They are smaller so they are less calories," Giniger said with a laugh. "They are less filling too." Because they're thinner, they also make a better base for sandwiches than their bagel counterparts, Gingier said, (plus, their flavored middle means you don't have to add as many condiments).

Unlike an onion roll, a bialy typically has a depression in the center instead of a hole, and it's not as airy as a bagel. Bialys are commonly served with cream cheese or other toppings.

The bialy comes from Bialystocker Kuchen or bread from Bialystok, Poland. In the old country, rich Jews ate Kuchen with meals – for the poor Jews, Kuchen was the meal. Now for us in the states, it is mostly eaten in the morning, heated and topped with butter.

Luckily, bialys reheat quite easily. Simply place on a baking sheet in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes until the roll is heated through and the crust is slightly crisp. If you wish, serve with some olive or flavored oil and kosher salt for an extra special treat.

Is bagel dough the same as bialy dough? ›

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.

Three bagel twisted into one giant bagel make a Bozo.

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. It is also usually covered with onion flakes. Before baking, the depression is sometimes filled with diced onion and other ingredients, such as garlic, poppy seeds, or bread crumbs.

Bialys originated in the city of Bialystok, Poland, in a Jewish community that numbered more than fifty thousand before World War II.

Bagels with cream cheese are common in American cuisine, especially in the cuisine of New York City and American Jewish cuisine. Bagels with cream cheese became popular in the 1980s as they expanded beyond Jewish communities.

While bagels with cream cheese are delicious, traditional cream cheese is not necessarily healthy. This popular bagel topping is generally low in protein and high in fat and calories. The good news is that there are healthier cream cheese options, if cream cheese is your favorite bagel spread.

You can just spread some cream cheese on your toasted bagel and add toppings of your choice. No recipe required, just use what you enjoy.