#TwelveLoaves May: OnionsThe best part about being in food "challenge" groups (and also working with sponsors) is that it often motivates me to make things I might not otherwise think of.
Case in point is this loaf of bread. I mean, I've put onions in bread before. I've put onions in rye bread before.
But since this wasn't just for me, I decided that I'd better twist it a little bit. For some reason, fennel sprang to mind. At first I considered adding the vegetable version of fennel, but then decided to use fennel seeds, in place of the more usual caraway.
The onions I used were the slow-cooker version, so I just grabbed some from the freezer. If you don't happen to have any on hand, you can start with this recipe, or just caramelize some onions on the stove until they're brown and soft.
This bread is soft and very aromatic. It's a little sweet from the onions, with that whiff of licorice-y fennel seed. You want this. You really do.
Onion and Fennel Rye
1 cup water2 1/4 teaspoons Red Star active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups bread flour
1 cup dark rye flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup darkly caramelized onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead until smooth and elastic. (You can also knead by hand, if you like). The dough should be a little wet and sticky, but not sloppy. Depending on how wet your onions were, you might need a tad more flour. But don't get carried away - it's shouldn't be stiff.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm location until doubled in size, about an hour.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Form the dough into your preferred shape - I suggest a log or an oval. Place the loaf on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
When the loaf has doubled, slash as desired. Bake at 350 degrees until the loaf is nicely browned and it has reached an interior temperature of 200 degrees.
Let the loaf cool completely on a rack before slicing.
About #TwelveLoaves
The month of April was filled with gorgeous orange breads from #TwelveLoaves, and now for May, we chose onions.Here are the rules: Choose a recipe including onions (red, white, yellow), scallions (green onions, spring onions); leeks, shallots, garlic, pearl onion, cipollini, chives. Whatever you bake, (yeasted, quick bread, crackers, muffins, braids, flatbreads, etc.) have fun and let’s have a delicious month of bread with onions. Let’s get baking!
If you’d like to add your bread to the collection with the Linky Tool this month, here’s what you need to do!
- When you post your Twelve Loaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the Twelve Loaves challenge in your blog post; this helps us to get more members as well as share everyone's posts. Please make sure that your bread is inspired by the theme!
- Please link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of my blog. It must be a bread baked to the Twelve Loaves theme.
- Have your Twelve Loaves bread that you baked this May, 2014, and posted on your blog by May 31, 2014.
You can find more onion-inspired goodness at these wonderful blogs:
- Caramelized Leek and Onion Focaccia by Renee at Kudos Kitchen By Renee
- Caramelized Onions Muffins by Kathya at Basic N Delicious
- Caramelized Vidalia Onion Rolls by Lora at Cake Duchess
- Crusty Cheese and Onion Bread by Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Leek Bread with Red Curry by Rossella at Ma che ti sei mangiato
- Onion and Fennel Rye by Donna at Cookistry
- Onion Cheddar Bread by Dionne at Try Anything Once Culinary
- Onion Rolls by Holly at A Baker's House
- Rustic French Onion Focaccia by Felice at All That's Left Are The Crumbs
- Sausage, Onion and Cheese Muffins by Renee at Magnolia Days
- Spicy Onion Paratha by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
- Spinach Onion Braid by Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
