Buckwheat-Onion Bread
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound (16 ounces) white onion, diced
4-1/2 teaspoons yeast
1-1/2 cup water, at 90 degrees
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh, finely chopped
5 teaspoons sea salt
6-1/2 cups flour, unbleached, white bread
1/2 cup flour, buckwheat
3 ounces Gouda or cheddar cheese
as needed flour, unbleached, white bread for kneading
4 tablespoons poppy seeds or nigella seeds (onion seeds) for top of loaves
Directions
Sauté onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until just browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Combine yeast with water, let sit 10 minutes until creamy. Add milk, and stir to combine.
To yeast mixture, slowly add rosemary, salt, white flour, buckwheat flour and cooled sautéed onions. When mixture is well combined, add cheese and blend in. The dough will be slightly sticky. Knead dough about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Add additional flour as needed if dough is too soft to work with.
Lightly oil a clean bowl. Place dough in bowl; cover, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Gently punch down dough and place on lightly floured surface. Cut dough in half and shape into a round ball. Spritz top of each loaf with water, and press into poppy seeds. Place on lightly floured baking sheet; cover and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Slash top of loves with razor, and place in oven. Add steam for first 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake and additional 35 to 40 minutes. Cool loaves completely on rack.
Yields two 10-inch round loaves.
Special notes
Recipe and image provided by the National Onion Association