You can think of Bialys as a bagel’s more low-maintenance sibling—no boiling needed, just mix, rest, shape, rest, and bake. This straightforward four-ingredient dough recipe is delicious, perfect for beginner bakers, and also happens to be vegan. Fresh, chewy, and lightly crisp, my bialys are amazing on their own but make a next-level breakfast egg sandwich.

These are a bread steeped in history–bialys come from Białystok, Poland, and are a classic recipe in Polish Ashkenazi-Jewish baking.
🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
🥯 Bialys or Bagels?
Bagels and bialys may look similar at first glance, but they differ in preparation, texture, and shape. Bagels are boiled before baking, which gives them a dense, chewy crumb and a shiny, firm crust. In contrast, bialys are not boiled then baked, just baked, which gives you a softer, more bread-like texture with a firm crust. Bagels tend to be a little sweeter because of the sugar in the dough, while bialys are more savory with no sugar in the dough.
Another big difference is their shape. Bagels have a complete hole in the center, but bialys feature a small depression instead, traditionally filled with caramelized onions and poppy seeds. This is the filling we’re making in this recipe, but you could use a variety of fillings.
🧾Key Ingredients in This Recipe
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳How to Make This Recipe
Prepare the Bialy Dough and Filling
✅ Pro Tip
If your bialy dough doesn’t rise in the first stage, this is a sure sign your yeast is dead, and you shouldn’t continue with that batch. If the yeast is dead, there’s no fermentation taking place so the bialys will stay flat and dense
Shape and Bake the Bialys
🥗 Tasty Bialy Filling Variations
- Egg with za’atar spice or furikake: A whole cracked egg is too much for the small depression, so crack an egg in a bowl and scoop out the yolk without shaking off all the egg white.
- Cheese of your choice: Grate some cheese into the depression. Don’t use too much, or it will overflow the bred depression.
- Jam: A great sweet filling option. Don’t use more than 1 teaspoon, or it will overflow, unless you don’t mind like in the photos above.
- Sliced potatoes and herbs: Shave a small potato using a mandoline, and overlay the slices. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence.
- Cheddar and jalapeno: Shave a jalapeño using a mandoline, and sprinkle with a little cheddar cheese.
Easy 4 Ingredient Bialys + 6 Filling Options
Print Recipe SaveIngredients
For the Dough:
- 420 grams all-purpose flour 420g all-purpose flour, 3.5 cups
- 5 grams sea salt 1 teaspoon
- 4 grams instant yeast 1 teaspoon
- 250 grams warm water 1 cup + 1 tablespoon
Caramelized Onion & Poppyseed Filling*
- 1 yellow onion Sliced in thin half-moons
- 2 tablespoons oil flavorless like canola or vegetable
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1-2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- Combine the all-purpose flour, sea salt, and instant yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Gradually add the warm water while mixing until a smooth dough forms while you stir it.420 grams all-purpose flour, 5 grams sea salt, 4 grams instant yeast, 250 grams warm water
- Let it sit for 20 minutes to hydrate then knead for 8 minutes (use the stir setting if using a stand mixer) until smooth and elastic.
- Cover and let sit for 45-50 minutes until doubled in size. You can also do this rise overnight which helps it develop more flavor.
Cook the Onions
- Use 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat, add the sliced onion and season with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt to help draw out the liquid. Cook for 10-15 minutes until they turn a light golden brown.1 yellow onion, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Shape the Bialys
- Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Very lightly oil. I use 1 teaspoon of oil for the whole sheet and spread it with my hands.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions (if you are being super precise, each should be ~111 grams). Shape each piece into a ball by folding in the edges by pressing them into the center of the dough and pinching the bottoms to seal. Add them pinch side down to the baking sheet. Lightly oil the top of each ball and cover with plastic to seal. Rise 50-60 minutes until doubled in size. If you refrigerated the dough overnight in the refrigerator, rise for 60-70 minutes unless you have a proofing drawer or oven.
- With 20 minutes left on the rise, preheat your oven to 450°F (245°C) with the rack in the center of the oven.
- Without removing the dough from the baking sheet to prevent overhandling, create a round, flat disk with a central depression to hold the filling without puncturing the dough.
- Add one heaping teaspoon of the caramelized onions or other filling*. If you try to do more it will blow over during baking.
- Spray the bagels with cold water and sprinkle with poppy seeds.1-2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- Bake for 14-18 minutes, rotating the trays halfway if they are browning unevenly, until the bialys are a light golden brown or reach an internal temperature of 190-200°F, approximately 90°C.
Notes
- Egg with za’atar or furikake: A whole cracked egg is too much for the small depression, so crack an egg in a bowl and scoop out the yolk without shaking off all the egg white.
- Cheese: Grate some cheese into the depression. Don’t use too much, or it will overflow.
- Jam: Don’t use more than 1 teaspoon or it will overflow.
- Sliced potatoes & herbs: Shave a small potato using a mandoline, and overlay the slices. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence.
- Cheddar jalapeno: Shave a jalapeño using a mandoline, and sprinkle with a little cheddar cheese.