Forerunner of the bagel, but heftier, more dense, and with a larger hole, bubliki are yeast bread made with the addition of milk, butter, and egg whites.  They are formed into a ring, leaving a hole in the middle through which they are often strung for storage and collected for sale in groups of a dozen in a bakery or to drape over a samovár.  After forming into the distinctive shape, the rings of dough are boiled quickly and set aside to rise before baking.  Bubliki may be sweet or savory with the addition of either sugar, fillings, such as poppy seeds, or grated cheeses and onion juice.  Glazed with egg white, bubliks  generally have a denser crumb than bagels and tend to be somewhat sweeter as they are generally considered a pastry. 

Bubliki are usually eaten as is, dipped into a beverage, such as zavarka, or eaten with condiments and cheeses or, particularly, with sour cream.

While similarly shaped and textured breads have developed in the Middle East, Mediterranean region, and Eastern Europe, such as the biegle or bagel, baranki, sushki, koulouri , and simit, it is believed that bubliki originated in Belarus.