Steffen's Dinners - Recipes and Photos

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I love onion bread. Here is my recipe for flavorful sourdough bread rolls made from wheat, whole wheat and rye flour and caramelized onions.

Ingredients

Starter

• 2 tbsp sourdough starter culture
• 3 1/3 oz / 100g bread flour
• ¼ cup and 3 tbsp / 100ml water

Caramelized Onions

• 1 lb / 450g onions, chopped
• ½ cup / 125ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• ½ cup / 125ml balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp water (for cooling down)

Bread Dough

• ¾ lb / 350g bread flour
• 3 1/3 oz / 100g whole wheat flour
• 3 1/3 oz / 100g whole rye flower
• 2/3 cup / 180ml water
• 1/3 oz / 10g salt
• ½ tsp olive oil
• corn meal

Preparation

1. Combine ingredients for the starter in a non-reactive bowl. Mix well, cover, let stand overnight until very active and bubbly.
2. Heat up large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and onions. Cook until lightly browned, stir frequently to avoid scorching, adjust heat as necessary. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
3. Add the sugar, keep cooking until golden brown and caramelized. Stir frequently.
4. Add the balsamic vinegar, cook until liquid has evaporated.
5. Add the 2 tbsp water, let cool down, set aside.
6. Combine starter, bread flour, whole wheat flour, whole rye flour, salt and water in a stand mixer bowl. Add the caramelized onions (with the oil).
7. Knead with dough hook until dough becomes elastic and cleans the bowl (ca. 10-15 minutes).
8. Form a ball, coat with olive oil and let rise until volume has doubled.
9. Divide dough into 10 equal pieces (ca. 100g each).
10. Sprinkle a cutting board with cornmeal. Shape the rolls by rolling the dough pieces, pressing them with the palm of your hand against a flat surface. Place on the cutting board.
11. Cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let rise until volume has doubled. Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C. I bake the rolls directly on a large baking stone, but a baking sheet (cover with baking paper) will work, too.
12. With a sharp knife, slash the rolls, be careful to not deflate the dough.
13. Transfer rolls to the baking stone or sheet in the oven, spray with water. Bake until done (20-30 minutes), spray with water a few times during the first 10 minutes.
14. Remove from oven, let cool before serving.

Yields 10 rolls.

If you are interested in yeast, sourdough and bread, you may also like the Wild Yeast pages.

The caramelized onion preparation is inspired by the "caramelized onion and herb ciabatta" recipe in . The sourdough is my own.