Ingredients

The following ingredients have 8 Servings
  • 1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 1 tsp active dried yeast
  • 300g  strong white bread flour
  • 175g plain flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1½ tsp  sea salt
  • 50g plain flour
  • ½ tsp active dried yeast
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp smoked sea salt
  • ¼ tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds, plus a pinch extra for sprinkling
  • a few pinches sesame seeds

Instruction

  • The day before you want to make the bialys, make the poolish starter. Mix the flour and yeast with 50ml warm water in a bowl, then cover with clingfilm and leave overnight.
  • The next day, start the dough by putting the onion in a small pan with 150ml water. Heat until the water just begins to bubble, then immediately take off the heat – you don’t want to lose any of the quantity through evaporation or the dough might become dry. Leave to cool to room temperature. Pour off the water into a measuring jug and check it’s 150ml – if not, top up. Keep the onions aside for later.
  • Meanwhile, mix the yeast with 100ml warm water and leave it to stand for 10-15 minutes until foamy. Tip the flours into a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and when the yeast mixture is foaming, add the poolish starter and onion water. Turn the mixer to a low speed to combine the dough, then once it’s all together, turn up the speed to a medium setting and knead the dough for  5 minutes.
  • Add the salt and knead for 1 minute more. (Alternatively make by hand – mix first with a wooden spoon, followed by your hands and then knead for 10-15 minutes on a lightly floured worksurface). Leave the dough in a bowl, covered by oiled clingfilm, in a warmish area until doubled in size for up to 2 hours.
  • Knock back the dough by punching it down a couple of times, then cut into 8 equal pieces. Keep the rest of the dough covered while you work, one piece at a time, on a lightly floured worksurface. Shape the dough into flat rounds and poke the middles to make a dip for the filling – then space on a baking sheet, lightly dusted with flour. You’re going to need to cover the bialys with a deep roasting tin while baking – so check now that one fits, and space them across two trays if necessary.
  • When all are shaped, cover loosely with clingfilm or a slightly damp tea towel. Leave to rise again for 20 minutes until puffy and round.
  • While the dough is rising, make the filling. Finely chop the blanched onion, then put in a small pan with the oil. Fry gently until softened and really golden, then stir in the smoked sea salt followed by the paprika. Cook for a few minutes more, then take off the heat and stir in the poppy seeds and some ground black pepper. Cool.
  • Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. When the bialys are ready to bake, spoon about 1 tbsp of onions into the centre of each and sprinkle over a few more poppy seeds and some sesame seeds. Cover the bialys with an upturned deep tin, and put an ovenproof weight on top – a heavy baking dish, or even a brick.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the tin covering them and bake for 5-8 minutes more until the bialys are very lightly golden. Eat immediately or within a day as bialys don’t keep long. If you do have leftovers, split and toast, or pop them in the freezer.