Brooklyn Bialy Recipe(Bialystok Kucken) Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

Did bialys come from Białystok? ›

Bialys (short for the Yiddish bialystok kuchen) originated in Bialystok, Poland, and were brought to America by Eastern European Jews immigrating in the early 1900s.

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.

A chewy yeast roll bearing similarity to the bagel, the bialy has a diameter of up to 15 centimetres (6 in). 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.

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.

Today, bialys are served up just like a bagel. Slice them and smear cream cheese or jam over their craggy surface or fill with your favorite lox, smoked fish or other vegetables.

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

Its slender profile makes more balanced sandwiches. And unlike the bagel, which loses a reason to live after a few hours, the bialy is practically designed for toasting.

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.

"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).

(Tip: Enjoy what you can fresh and then freeze the rest right away. Both bagels and bialys keep well in the freezer.)

What is a flagel? ›

Enter, the flagel — or "flat bagel." A flagel is made the same way a regular bagel is: the dough is mixed, proofed, boiled then baked. The difference is, the flagel is flattened after it is boiled, before it goes into the oven. The result is a crispier, thinner bagel.

Anyway, the Yiddish word bialy is actually a shortened form of the original name bialystoker kuchen. According to the (not always reliable but close enough) Google Translate, this means “Bialystok cake”, named after Białystok, Poland where the Ashkenazi Jews first began making this genius creation.

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.

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.

There is some evidence that the bagel may have been made in Germany before being made in Poland. In the 16th and first half of the 17th centuries, the bajgiel became a staple of Polish cuisine. Its name derives from the Yiddish word beygal from the German dialect word beugel, meaning 'ring' or 'bracelet'.

Podpłomyk is a traditional flatbread originating from Poland. This simple unyeasted flatbread is usually made with a combination of flour, water, and salt.

Back to Bagels; A Hole Lotta Good History

The bagel's known history goes back at least a good six centuries, and, in practice, probably more than that. While we know them in the here-and-now of 21st-century America, the bagel's likely rollout to the world probably began in Poland.

A bagel also historically spelled beigel, is a bread product originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, that is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked.