richard Hmm, onions, hmm, bread, hmm, onion bread, hmm, onion bread in individual portions, hmm, lovely lunch.
Preparation time: 3½ hours (well it is a Dan Lepard recipe)
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Skill level: Medium
Makes: 16 rolls
Ingredients
- onions – sliced thinly – 400g
- strong wholemeal flour – 100g
- strong white flour – 500g (plus extra for shaping)
- sunflower oil – 50ml (plus a little extra for kneading)
- cold milk – 75ml
- warm water – 200ml
- 2 large eggs
- quick action yeast – 1½ tsp
- black onion (kalonji) or fennel seeds – 2 tsp
- fine sea salt – 1½ tsp
Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onions over a gentle heat for 10-15 minutes until they are soft, golden brown and have lost most of their moisture.
Allow to cool a little and them scrape into a bowl. Mix in the seeds, milk, one egg, salt and warm water followed by the yeast and flours.
Mix to a sticky dough, adding more water if needed, then leave for 10 minutes.
Oil both your hands and work area and knead the dough for 10 seconds, leave for 10 minutes, then repeat twice more at 10-minute intervals.
Return the dough to the bowl and leave for an hour.
Divide the dough into sixteen, roll into balls and place on a nonstick paper-lined tray.
Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave for an hour and a half to rise
Brush with beaten egg and bake at 200C (gas mark 6) for 25 minutes.
Tap to check they are cooked and then leave on a wire rack to cool.
Verdict: It’s all about letting them sit and rise and do their thing so that when you do come to eat them they are soft and fluffy and light and airy AND they have onion in. Delicious.
Drink: Water of London
Entertainment: A quick rendition of ‘My old man’s a dustman’ and then back to work.
Halved the recipe and set about making 8 rolls today. Underestimated their rising potential and placed them too close together on the round baking tray. Result: one circular loaf of delicious oniony-ness. Mmm.