From Adriana Baking

I love onions.

I love onion bread. Really, really love it.

And so when I saw this recipe on this wonderful blog, I just knew I had to try them.

And I’m so glad I did.

The bread was so good. It was surprisingly moist, soft, and so buttery. The onions were caramelized and spread out onto the dough before rolling them up.

I was planning on serving the rolls with the chili we were having for dinner, but unfortunately they took just a bit longer to make than I thought they would.

I would say about 2 and a half hours, including the rising time.

For all onion bread lovers, here’s the recipe, with my notes in red, and step by step pictures.

From http://www.bakingobsession.com

Makes about 12 rolls

For the dough:

• 1 stick + 1 tbsp (9 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened + 2 tbsp, melted
• 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp warm water (105 to 110 F)
• ¾ cup buttermilk I had some yogurt that needed to be used, so I used that and diluted it with some milk.
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 ¾ cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting a surface.
• 1 ½ tsp salt

For the filling:

• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter I also used a bit of olive oil for frying the onions in, just so that they wouldn’t burn.
• 2 lb onions (about 6 medium), 1 ½ lb cut into ¼ – inch slices, ½ lb finely chopped
• About ½ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg  I really can’t stand the taste of nutmeg, so I didn’t add it, and I don’t think the onions lacked any flavor. But if you like nutmeg, by all means, add it in!

Make the filling:

Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, sprinkle them with some salt, and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

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Stir in the nutmeg, add more salt to your taste. Let cool.

Make the dough:

Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (use a spring form if you have it) with 1 tbsp softened butter. Set aside.

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Put the measured 2 ¾ cups flour and salt into a bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the center.

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In a small bowl, stir together the yeast, sugar, and water; let the mixture stand in a warm place until foamy, about 5 minutes.

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In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Stir in the yeast mixture.

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Pour the buttermilk-yeast mixture into the flour. Add 6 tbsp of the softened butter and mix with a wooden spoon to combine.

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Instead of mixing in the softened butter, I kneaded it into the dough. It worked very well.

Attach the mixer bowl to the mixer base, and knead on medium-high speed with the dough hook until a soft dough forms, about 8 minutes.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp of flour. Knead the dough briefly until smooth. Transfer to a lightly sprayed large bowl. Cover with oiled plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 17-by 10-inch rectangle, and smear with 3 tbsp softened butter.

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Spread the onions evenly over the dough leaving a 1-inch margin on one long side.

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Moisten the margin with water. Starting at the long side opposite the 1-inch unfilled margin, roll the dough into a log.

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Press to seal the seam.

Cut the log into 11 or 12 slices, about 1 ¼-inch thick each.

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Arrange the slices, cut sides up, touching, in the buttered pan, and brush with 2 tbsp melted butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Immediately unmold the rolls onto a wire rack. Serve warm.