@Abe & @Melissa_Florida Kuchens sound so good, and pletzels do look like they are closely related to bialys.
I made some old family recipes this past month too. It is gratifying and healing to feel that continuity through food with loved ones who are no longer with us.
@bethicita Those are beautiful bialys. Thank you for sharing. Did you use red onions? Yum.
Thank you for the link! I did a little reading last night and plan on making this type of kuchen. My family would love it, as they are big fans of everything cinnamon 
Yes and thank you.
@Abe & @Melissa_Florida, I also thank you for mentioning kuchen, which my German grandmother made for me nearly 70 years ago. A flood of memories rushed in at the mention of kuchen.
While kuchen literally just means cake to me it means a yeasted chocolate roll cake. Can’t beat a nice slice of kuchen and a cup of coffee on a lazy late Saturday morning. And Bialys for brunch on Sunday.
Thanks Melissa! I put up a batch last night but at the last minute had to convert the recipe to use yeast as my sourdough starter had spoiled in the fridge. Mine definitely rose too tall to be traditional in appearance. When I make them again I will make them flatter and larger diameter to start with and bake on three trays instead of two. I luckily had some fresh rosemary and vegan feta in the house so I made half with onion/poppy and half date/cheese/rosemary. Definitely a great recipe!
Those look delicious. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. And I’m sorry about your starter. Did it mold? If not, I’m sure it can be revitalized with some tlc.
@Fermentada - I am pretty sure the starter got moldy… it looked purplish and slimy. Didn’t smell right either. Will build a new one soon. I shared some of the bialys with friends, and they were very much enjoyed! Thanks again.
That sounds scary 
Definitely easier to build a new one.
Thanks for the recipe!
Doesn’t look over proofed to me. Looks great!
Hey Melissa, you inspired me. I HAD NO IDEA what a Bialy was but my wife being from New Jersey and spending years in NYC going through her medical residency just loves these. I decided to make a batch and see how the “boss” liked them.
I used my typical 50/50 mix of bread flour and wholegrain white flour with 75g of levain. After the flour had a 12 hour or so premix I added the levain and waited for it to ferment. I used the poppy seed and onion mixture BUT did a little trick that made them turn out scrumptious.
I mixed 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 3 tablespoons of water and heated it up to a slurry. After filling the center I treated the perimeter of the bialys with this mixture and baked for 13 minutes in the ROFCO.
Light crunch exterior with a chewy light crumb. I received a 
from the boss as they came out perfect.
No need to use the broiler. Thanks for the inspiration!
@Melissa_Florida Those look really good! I need to work on shaping too. I’m trying for the slightly irregular, lumpy look of the bialys in this photo from Kossar’s Bialys bakery that’s used in this Wikipedia article.
I’m so glad you made awesome bialys for the boss 
That’s a cool idea to do a cornstarch coating. Were you inspired by a another recipe or bread? Or just wanting more Maillard/caramelization of the crust?
Inspired by Mexican Bolillos. I like the paper thin crunchy crust it makes. Not everyone uses it on the Bolillos. Diane said she seemed to remember the Bialys she had in her past had a crunchy exterior. Has been a long time since bailing on the high taxed states of NY & NJ. 
When I read your recipe I thought you were trying to do the same thing in the broiler.
I mostly wanted the top to be as done as the base, though really the kind of baking sheet you use impacts that more than anything in my experience. I have baking sheets that are uncoated aluminum, non-stick coated aluminum, and steel-coated aluminum (wedding present, my favorite). The base of anything comes out pretty differently across all three.
I like the idea of a crunchy exterior so I’ll give it a try.
I agree. Those bialys look amazing!
Thanks much for this recipe and history, Melissa. I followed it exactly, except for a different whole wheat (Rouge de Bordeaux) and the result was delicious. It would be interesting to know if bialys were traditionally baked with some portion of whole grain.
Those are beautiful and I bet rouge de bordeaux was tasty! Did you find it needed a little more water? (I’ve worked with it in the past and found it thirsty.)
No extra water was added. The dough seemed pliable enough and the baked bialys came out with a nice chewy texture.
