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.

Banana Bread

Some people have it in their minds that banana bread is some kind of dumping ground for unused, overripe bananas, like the threat of wasted produce is what drives them to get in the kitchen and bake.

"I just don't know what I'll do with all these leftover bananas, guess I have to make bread."

And while my struggle for dominance in the produce aisle is far from over, I, like anyone else with an oversize sweet tooth, have learned something important.

Bananas are not the boss of me.

You see, I no longer let my rotting fruit strong-arm me into anything. I have taken a stand. When I go to the grocery store I assertively buy bananas for one reason and one reason alone. And that is banana freaking bread.

Even if that means slapping a half-eaten banana from a loved one's hand and screaming, "I need those!", I remain vigilant and ready to defend. Sorry, Nathan.

Bottom line, banana bread is not happenstance, it is a treat. A delicious, creamy, on-purpose treat that should be honored as such. That said, there's no need to get gluttonous about it. Have your sweets and mind your waistline, folks. This here's the healthiest and most decadent banana bread you'll ever taste. So don't worry if you eat half a loaf. Like we did immediately after this picture was taken.

Banana Bread

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large, overripe bananas, mashed well
• 1/2 cup agave syrup
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wipe a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with olive oil and dust with flour.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the mashed bananas, agave syrup, yogurt, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until just combined. Don't mind the lumps, those are tasty!

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake about 60 minutes, but check it with a toothpick at 45. When the toothpick comes out clean, take it out of the oven. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Now, I like a slice of piping hot banana bread as much as the next girl but trust me when I say, once this baby is cool, put it in a ziplock bag and leave it alone overnight. In the morning, the sweetness of the bananas will have intensified and it will be about one million times better.