Onion Bread

Onion Bread

Well, this was not the first bread that I had baked - and some of them have turned out pretty good - and some not that great ....some with yeast and some quick bread (of which banana bread is my all time fav.).

But somehow I was quite impressed with this bread that I had experimented with this morning...am not quite sure how I got around to doing this today - had not really planned it so...but sometimes I find myself just working on a new recipe without realising it...it just happens...and those are sometimes the best dishes.

This is one of them...I had earlier backed some buns with coriander, garlic & cheese stuffed in them - it was pretty good...and T and discussed that onion would be a good stuffing too...while reading up some recipes, I got this one which is not exactly a stuffing but the onions are fried ( browned ) and then mixed with the dough - so you get the flecks of it all thru - not just in the centre...
As usual I made some changes - added some garlic too (one of our favourite ingredients) - and also brushed the top with some milk and put some sesame seeds onto it...gave it a more professional look and feel.


So what was the end result - well taste wise it was really good - but we both felt the onion flavour did not really come thru - it requires some more...so next time I plan to double the quantity of fried onions..

So here's how I went about it - this recipe is as per the original proportion of onion...please free to add more if you too like a more pronounced flavour of onion.

Ingredients:

1 and half cups whole wheat flour (atta)
1 and half cups all-purpose flour (maida)
1 and half Tablespoon oil
1 and half tsp of active dry yeast ( I used Blue Bird )
1 and half tsp of sugar
3/4 cups of water
3/4 tsp of salt
2 medium onions sliced finely
3-4 garlic pods grated
1 and half Tablespoon oil for frying onion

Method:

1) Take a pan, add about 1 and half Tblspn of oil, add the sliced onion and fry till it turns dry and brown - take care to keep stirring so that it does not burn, and it browns evenly, you can add a pinch of salt to hasten the process. Toward the end of the process add the grated garlic to it and let it also brown slightly. Do not let the garlic turn too dark - else the taste changes slightly.

2) Warm 1/2 cup of water - it should not be too hot - and add the sugar and yeast to it - keep it aside for about 5-7 minutes.

2) Take a bowl, add the flour(s), salt, and 1and half Tblspn oil and mix thoroughly.

4) Add the yeast mixture and additional 1/4 cup water and mix it all up.
5) Add the fried onion and garlic mixture to the bowl - and then gently knead the dough till it all comes together - if required add little flour or water - so as to form a soft dough.

6) Take a few drops of oil and smear it on the top of the dough and cover it with a wet cloth and keep in a warm place for about an hour till it rises to double it's size.

7) After an hour, take the dough out knead it again - then make 2 portions and shape it in the form of a log and flatten it a bit.

8) Grease a baking pan, put the 2 logs on it - cover with the damp cloth and keep for about 45 minutes.

9) After 45 minutes, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Take out the pan with the log - the dough would have risen again - brush the top with milk - sprinkle sesame seeds on the top - and with a knife make even lines on the top. 

10) Bake for 25-30 minutes - check after 25 minutes - as each oven is different - so when the bread browns on the top - you can check for doneness.

11) Once done - cool for about 10 minutes - then cut & serve.

Enjoy !!!

This is a light flavoured bread - so can be used in very diverse ways - with soup, as a snack - for breakfast with butter...it is quite dense but soft.
As I said I plan to try it once more with a little more onion in it - but this was great too...and I have found it is quite addictive - after having a slice - feel like having more..:-)
So hopefully you will try it out too....