Caramelized onions can be a bit polarizing. But I think they are amazing stirred into a fresh loaf of sourdough bread!
There's nothing like a fresh loaf of sourdough! Does it take time to ferment? Sure - but it's super hands-off and the reward is so worth it!
I've also loved making Sourdough Cheese Bread for when you want to use up those ends of cheese in the fridge. Needing a sweet treat with your coffee? Sourdough Chocolate Bread is the ticket!
Key Ingredients
Levain - This is a great way to begin your long fermentation. It ensures you get that great yeast and lift to your bread as well as get the true fermentation started.
Onion - Use a sweet onion if you have, otherwise yellow is fine or even white.
Flour - We will be using fresh ground wheat but you can also reach for all-purpose or bread flour, whatever you have.
How to Make Onion Sourdough Bread
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Mix up a levain to hang out.
Step 2: Dice onions and add over low heat with oil.
Step 3: Allow to cool, then mix onions into dough.
Step 4: Gently knead onions in and allow to proof.
Step 5: Proof in a banneton if desired.
Step 6: Place in a lined Dutch oven to bake until golden.
FAQs
For this recipe, yes. Sometimes I think it truly is easy to just pull out that scale and weight everything out. You can get super accurate results this way - though you also need some knowledge of the feeling of dough since you might not need all the water that's called for. That's why I also recommend learning Intuitive Sourdough because those techniques serve you well even with weighed ingredients.
It's not required as long as you have very happy starter. I recommend feeding it the night before you want to bake so you can get started right away. Even without a levain you will autolyse your flour/dough. Especially when using fresh ground grains you need to allow the wheat to hydrate properly before proceeding.
I like to use an instant read thermometer in the bottom center of my loaves. It should be around 190-200°F. This is the best way as sometimes you can't just tell by looking. I have figured out mostly how "regular" bread looks (and the hollow sound when tapped!) to know when it is done. Sourdough is a little trickier and I recommend a thermometer so you don't slice into an undercooked loaf!
Photos by Dante from Shire by the Sea
More Sourdough Recipes
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Caramelized Onion Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
Levain:
- 20 grams bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 20 grams freshly milled whole wheat flour
- 40 grams water
- 20 grams active sourdough starter
Dough:
- 550 grams bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 43 grams whole wheat flour
- 500 grams water
- 12 grams salt
- 100 grams levain from above or active sourdough culture
- 1 large yellow or sweet onion
- ¼ cup olive oil for onion
Instructions
- Make sure your starter is fed and bubbly; feed the night before so you are ready to start in the morning.
- If using levain, mill wheat berries, and mix levain ingredients in a small container, leaving for 5 hours at 77ish F, or longer if cooler.
- Mix fresh wheat flour (43 g), bread flour (550 g) and 400 grams of water (100 grams set aside) mixing with hands until no dry bits are left. Cover for 2 hours with plastic or wet towel to autolyse.
- Peel and dice onion. Heat olive oil over medium low heat and add onion.
- Stir occasionally over low heat, for 15-20 minutes. You want them well caramelized and soft but make sure not to burn! Set aside to cool.
- When levain is ready, or after dough has autolysed, add salt, cooled onions and levain or sourdough starter/levain. Add remaining water (about 100 g) but slowly as it may not all be needed.
- Mix all ingredients together by hand, pinching and folding, until well incorporated. Cover.
- During bulk fermentation (4 hours) give the dough 6 sets of stretch and folds, the first 3 in 15 minute intervals and the last 3 in 30 minute intervals.
- Lightly flour your working surface and pour out the dough.
- Shape into a rough round shape and leave for half an hour uncovered.
- Shape dough into round or oval shape and put into floured proofing basket or banneton.
- Cover with large plastic bag or tea towel and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning take out your loaves and set oven to 450°F.
- Line Dutch oven with parchment paper and carefully transfer loaf over into it.
- Bake for 20 minutes with lid on, then remove lid for another 30 minutes until loaf is a golden hue.
- Cool on rack for 30 minutes.
Notes
- You can use a levain or just very happy, healthy starter.
- You can cook the onions the night before when you start the levain and just stash in the fridge.
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