Helene Meurer is known to the Thermomix world as SuperKitchenMachine thanks to her lively and informative blog superkitchenmachine.com. Her Onion Jam Flan was a big favourite from In the Mix 1 and this recipe has been just as popular.
Bialys are a savoury bun, originating in Białystock, Poland, and brought to wider attention in New York by Jewish immigrants. You might think of them as a bagel without the hole. They’re traditionally filled with onions and poppyseeds, not usually cheese, but Helene is a fan of finding new places for cheese, and I am right there with her.
In fact, if I had cheese as my Valentine I would be pretty happy!
Makes: 12
Time: 1 hour, plus 45 minutes to rise dough.
Ingredients
Dough
- 140 grams (4.9 oz) milk
- 1 sachet / 2 tsp dried instant yeast
- 30 grams (1 oz) butter, cut into cubes
- 20 grams (0.7 oz) sugar
- 480 grams (16.9 oz) baker’s flour
- 1 tsp salt flakes
Topping
- 100 grams (3.7 oz) parmesan or other hard cheese, cut into 3cm cubes
- 200 grams (7 oz) onions, peeled and quartered
- 20 grams (0.7 oz) vegetable oil or olive oil
- ½ tsp salt flakes
- poppyseeds, to garnish
Method
- Pour milk into the TM bowl.
- Add 140 g cold water, yeast, butter and sugar and mix for 3 min/37ºC/speed 1.
- Add the baker’s flour and salt flakes and knead for 2 min/Closed lid/Knead. Wrap dough in a silicon mat or place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingwrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
- Place parmesan cheese in the TM bowl and grate for 10 sec/speed 8. Set aside.
- Place onion, vegetable or olive oil and salt flakes in the TM bowl and chop for 4 sec/speed 4. Scrape down and cook for 5 min/Varoma/speed 1/MC off with TM basket on TM lid. Allow the mixture to cool. When cool, add grated parmesan and mix for 4 sec/Reverse/speed 3.
- Preheat oven to 250ºC/Gas Mark 9. Fill a shallow baking tin with 2cm water and place on a low rack in the oven. The steam created will help the bialys form a glossy crust.
- Divide risen dough into 12 balls. (Add a dusting of flour if the dough is sticky.) Press an indentation into the centre of each ball so they are like little round bowls. Place on lined baking trays. Add a spoonful of the onion mixture to the indentation of each bun. Sprinkle buns with poppyseeds.
- Reduce oven temperature to 230ºC/Gas Mark 8. Place baking trays in oven and cook for 10 minutes until golden brown.
This recipe is from my second cookbook, In The Mix 2: More Great Thermomix Recipes and I’ve shared it today because I think it’s a nice one for a Valentine’s Day brunch.
