Poland: Bialys
Traditional Polish rolls from Bialystok that I turned into domed little pillows instead of the proper indented shape. They still tasted great.
Entry 18 of 195
Bialys are Polish rolls from the city of Bialystok that differ from bagels in that they’re not boiled before baking and lack a center hole. They feature a depression meant to hold caramelized onions and poppy seeds. The “proper” way to eat a bialy is not to slice it open (like a bagel) but to fill the center with butter or cream cheese and eat it like a savory, bread danish.
The bread originated in Bialystok and migrated to New York with Polish immigrants in the early 1900s. If you put them in a police line up for some kind of strange bakery-related crime, it’s not going to fit the witness’ description — because mine came out as domed little pillows of bread instead of the flat, indented shape they’re supposed to be.
Despite this aesthetic failure, they had good texture and taste. I then made a sandwich with one, which proved structurally unsound due to excessive height and slippery fillings. Some things are better left in their traditional form.