Bialys - chewy rolls topped with caramelised onions

Mix yeast in warm water along with sugar, keep aside for 15 minutes to proof yeast. In a bowl, mix flour, salt and sugar mix well. Add proofed yeast and knead well for 10 mins until soft and smooth. Shape dough into a ball, keep in an oiled bowl. Cover and let it double in size.

Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seed, let it splutter. Add onion and sauté well till they become translucent. Add salt and garam masala. Stir for few minutes till the raw smell of the masala leaves. Let it cool.

Making of bialys : Place the dough on a floured surface. Divide it into 8 equal pieces and shape each one into a roll by flattening it then pinching the ends together to form a smooth ball. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with a towel. Let for 1 hour to rise (2 hours for refrigerated dough). When ready, pick them up one at a time using your fingers, form the depression in the middle.

Hold the roll like a steering wheel with your thumbs in the middle and your fingers around the edges. Pinch the dough between your thumb and fingers rotating as you go and gradually making the depression wider without actually poking a hole through.

The shaped bialys must have a depression about 3” in diameter with 1” of pluffy dough around the edge, so the bialy must be in 4” diameter. Prick the center of the bialy with a fork.

Place the shaped bialys on baking tray. Place caramelized onion filling in the depression of each bialy. Brush outer layer with milk-sugar mixture or milk powder mixed with little water. Bake in preheated oven at 220°C , convection mode for 20 mins. Serve immediately!