Saturday, April 30, 2011

Onion & Cheese Bread



I knew as soon as I saw something called "Onion and Swiss Rye Bread" on this month's Kitchen Play menu I would have no choice but to participate in this amazing contest brought to us by the National Onion Association. What really appealed to me about this recipe, is it seemed like I could recreate it using things I always have in the house. Onions, some kind of Swiss cheese, whole wheat flour, yeast. All I have to do is make sure I get a few extra onions to caramelize. Easy, right?

Yeah, well. Not so fast. Turns out, for a household of only two people, we go through about a pound of onions every day. I am not exaggerating when I say that I actually went out and bought "extra onions" on four separate occasions, each time thinking, "now these are for the bread." But then I wanted to make guacamole. And roast a chicken. Cook an omelet. Whisk up a little salad dressing. Turns out everything we eat in this family begins with onions. The lesson here? Buy in bulk and buy often. This bread is worth it.

Onion & Cheese Bread (adapted from Cookistry)
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
  • 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1/2 cup caramelized onions
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Olive oil

In a large bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir to combine and let proof for about 5 minutes.

Add flour, gluten, cheese, and onions. Work with wooden spoon until the dough is elastic. It should come together fairly quickly, though the dough will be quite wet and sticky. Incorporate salt and butter.

Form dough into a ball, drizzle olive oil in your bowl and rotate the dough a few times until fully coated with oil. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Flour your work surface and knead the dough just enough to get it formed into a ball. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and evenly press the dough into the pan. Let rise again for about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden, about 40 minutes. Cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then let cool on rack completely.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Gilliam,

    Love your writing style! We have the same issue with onions (and mushrooms) in our house. They never stick around and there's never enough in stock. Glad you finally figured it out and were able to join this month's giveaway. Good luck!

    Best,
    Casey
    Kitchen PLAY

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Casey. I love Kitchen PLAY and I'll definitely be joining another Progressive Party soon!

    ReplyDelete
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