Braided Caramelized Onion Bread

Savory egg bread filled with caramelized onions.

Split the dough into 6 balls.

Flatten each ball into a long, thin rectangle and spread the onion filling.

Line up all of the strands to braid them.

Braid the dough then let it rise.

Let cool before slicing.

Ingredients

Dough

• 227g (1 cup) starter

• 2 tsp yeast, optional

• 420g (3 1/2 cups) bread flour

• 120g (1/2 cup) water

• 15g (2 tsp) salt

• 60g (1/3 cup) sugar

• 50g (1/4 cup) vegetable oil

• 3 eggs (reserve 1 egg white for the glaze when baking)

• Food coloring, optional

Filling

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion or 1 bunch white parts of scallions, diced

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• Salt

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients except for the eggs in a large bowl. Add in two eggs and one egg yolk. Reserve the remaining egg white for later.

2. Knead the dough until a cohesive dough forms. Split it into 6 pieces, 150g each.

3. If using food coloring, dye each piece at this stage. Otherwise, roll each piece of dough into a ball. Place the dough balls in a covered greased bowl to rise for 1.5 hours.

4. While the dough rises, heat up the olive oil in a large pan. Add in the onions, baking soda, and salt. The baking soda will speed up the caramelization process. Cook until the onions are caramelized.

5. At the end of the first rise, roll each ball into a long long. Flatten each log into a very long, thin rectangle. Spread the onion filling in the middle of each piece.

6. Fold the rectangles over, press the edges to seal them, and roll them back into logs.

7. Place the logs on a baking sheet. Make a 6-stranded braid by weaving one strand over another then under the next one. Tuck the ends under the bread. Cover the bread and let rise for an hour.

8. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool before slicing.