Caramelized Onion Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a 10-in. cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, toast caraway seeds until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until softened, 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until deep golden brown, 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt; remove from the heat and cool slightly. Sprinkle cheese over onions in skillet. Place melted butter and caraway seeds in a shallow bowl. Cut each biscuit into fourths. Dip biscuit pieces in butter mixture; place in a single layer over onion mixture in skillet. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool in skillet 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. If desired, sprinkle with thyme. Serve warm.

Steps:

• In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook onions in butter 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown and caramelized; remove from heat.
• Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except onions in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Add 1/2 cup of the onions at the Raisin/Nut signal or 5 to 10 minutes before last kneading cycle ends. (Reserve any remaining onions for another use.)
• Select Basic/White cycle. Use Medium or Light crust color. Do not use delay cycle. Remove baked bread from pan; cool on cooling rack.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Lower the heat a bit and continue to cook until the onions are a golden brown and caramelized all over. I add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar - it really enhances the sweetness, and gives the onions a deep mahogany color. The whole process takes about 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup water. Stir to dissolve and let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Pour in remaining water and 3 cups bread flour, mix well. Add onions, pepper, salt and another cup of flour and stir again. Add remaining flour gradually until dough comes together into an elastic ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise unil doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 Lightly grease a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Gently deflate risen dough on a lightly floured surface, press a hole in the center of it (like a huge bagel), and place in the tube pan. Cover, and let rise another 45-60 minutes. When bread is finished rising, bake for 45 minutes, until golden. Turn loaf out of pan onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature before slicing. Enjoy as part of your favorite sandwich, as morning toast, or just plain sliced, it's really that good (my favorite way to eat this is toasted alongside fried eggs). *Make Ahead Tip: I often prepare the caramelized onions a day or two in advance, refrigerate them, and then microwave them for 20 seconds when ready to make the bread (just to get the chill off).*

Steps:

• To prepare the sponge, place the water in a mixing bowl.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the water, stir in and let sit for 2 minutes.
• Mix in the 1 cup bread flour.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit overnight or for 14-16 hours.
• To prepare the onions, heat the olive oil and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute.
• Add the onions, stir well, and saute, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes or until browned and caramelized.
• Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
• To prepare the dough, place the water in the bowl of an electric mixer or in a mixing bowl.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the top, stir in, and let sit for 2 minutes.
• Add the sponge, bread flour, whole-wheat flour, salt and pepper.
• Mix with the dough hook for 2 minutes, or until the ingrediets are combine.
• Or beat vigoursly with a wooden spoon for 8-10 minutes.
• Let the dough rest for 15 mintes.
• Add the caramelized onions and resume mixing, continuing for 12-14 minutes or until the dough is silky and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• The dough should be very wet and sticky, but still elastic.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in volume.
• Turn over a baking sheet and set a piece of parchment paper on it.
• Place the dough on a well-floured work surface, handling it gently to preserve as much volume as possible and cut into 2 equal pices.
• Gently pull and stretch each piece of dough into a flat round, about 1 1/4 inches thick.
• Transfer to the parchment paper.
• You may have to reshape once you have moved it.
• Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• To avoid the plastic from sticking to the dough, spray the dough with some cooking spray.
• Place a baking stone on the middle rack in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
• Using a spray bottle, spritz the oven walls with water.
• Work quickly so the oven does not lose heat.
• You could also quickly place several ice cubes in the bottom of the oven after you have placed the loaves in the oven.
• Slide the loaves, still on the parchment paper, into the oven onto the hot stone.
• Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the bread brown.
• Transfer the flatbreads to a rack to cool.
• Note: I could only bake one loaf at a time.
• Next time I will forget about turning the dough onto a floured board.
• I'll gently dump half of the dough onto each piece of parchment paper and shape it there.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is golden brown, about 9 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add the onions to the skillet and cook, covered, stirring occasionally and scraping up the stuck bits on the bottom of the pan as needed, until the onions release their juices and are caramelized, golden and soft, about 30 minutes. (If the onions begin to brown before they soften, stir in a tablespoon water, lower the heat and return to cooking.)
• Combine the butter, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the onions until the butter melts and becomes saucy.
• Meanwhile, with a large serrated knife, shave 1/4 inch off the bottom crust of the bread.. Make 1-inch wide crosshatch cuts on the top of the bread, three-quarters of the way through to the bottom. Put the bread on the prepared baking sheet.
• Spoon 3/4 of the onion mixture into all of the slits. Mix together the Gouda and mozzarella in a small bowl, then stuff three-quarters of the cheese inside all of the slits. Spoon the remaining onion mixture on top, followed by the remaining cheese. (The bread will be very stuffed and messy.) Cover the bread loosely with foil and bake until the filling is warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a platter or cutting board and top with the bacon and parsley. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Mix your choice of brown flour with the white, the yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Put in the butter and rub it into the flour. Stir in the seeds if using. Make a dip in the centre of the flour and pour in almost 300ml hand warm (cool rather than hot) water, with a round-bladed knife. Then mix in enough of the remaining water and a bit more if needed, to gather up any dry bits in the bottom of the bowl and until the mixture comes together as a soft, not too sticky, dough. Gather it into a ball with your hands.
• Put the dough on to a very lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 mins until it feels smooth and elastic, only adding the minimum of extra flour if necessary to prevent the dough sticking. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cover with an upturned, clean, large glass bowl and leave for 45 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size and feels light and springy. Timing will depend on the warmth of the room.
• Knock back the dough by lightly kneading just 3-4 times. You only want to knock out any large air bubbles, so too much handling now will lose the dough's lightness. Shape into a ball. Cover with the glass bowl and leave for 15 mins.
• Fry the onion in the olive oil until very lightly caramelised, then leave to cool. Cut the dough in half and shape into 2 balls. Cover with the glass bowl and leave for 15 mins. Shape by flattening each ball into an 18cm round, put each on a large baking tray lined with baking parchment. Make 6 deepish cuts with a sharp knife to mark each round into 6 wedges. Cover with a clean tea towel. Leave for 40-45 mins, or until doubled in size. Finish by brushing with beaten egg, scatter over the onion, then the grated cheese.
• Put a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven 20 mins before ready to bake and heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Put the risen bread in the oven, carefully pour about 250ml cold water into the roasting tin (this will hiss and create a burst of steam to give you a crisp crust), then lower the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Bake for 30-35 mins or until golden. If the onion is getting too brown, lay a piece of parchment over the top. Remove and cool on a wire rack. If you tap the underneath of the loaf if should be firm and sound hollow.

Steps:

• Melt butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Cook onions in butter 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown and caramelized. Do not hurry the process. Remove from heat.
• Place all remaining ingredients in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
• Set to basic cycle with medium or light crust. Add onions at beep signal or 5 to 10 minute before end of kneading cycle.
• Alternatively, use dough cycle. Remove dough at end of cycle, shape as desired, place on cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet and let rise. Bake for app. 30 to 40 minutes in a 400 deg. oven. Exact time depends on shape.
• Note: I generally substitute one cup of whole wheat or rye flour for one cup of the bread flour. Rye is particularly excellent.