French Onion Bread

Submitted by Elises Kitchen

"The idea for this loaf was born because I had an extra packet of dry french onion soup mix in my pantry that needed to be used. It was left over from a pot roast recipe I put together a few months ago. The idea is simple. Take the packet of soup mix and dump it into a standard bread dough. The soup mix really adds a great taste to the bread. I have to admit, I did feel a bit silly putting soup mix in a bread recipe. Adding soup mixes to recipes is a very Minnesotan thing to do. I'm not sure what I was going for with the shape of the loaf. I just felt like playing with my food. I wish I hadn't cut the cross in the top. My knife wasn't sharp enough to do it right. Replicating this look is simple. Use a third of the dough to make braids and shape the rest into a ball. Then ring the braids around the outside of the ball. I cut up the bread and served it with the Slow-Roasted Cumin and Garlic Pork that I made last night. The onion flavor in the bread worked so well with the pork. Major drool factor!"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Yields: 1 loaf

ingredients

• 3 1⁄2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 (1/4 ounce) packet dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package French onion soup mix
• 1 teaspoon salt

• egg wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

directions

1. Add Sugar and Yeast to one of the cups of Warm Water. Stir gently and set aside for five minutes, allowing yeast to get foamy and bubbly.
2. In a large bowl, combine Flour, Soup Mix, Salt, and mix together to combine.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour and add Yeast mixture, the other cup of Warm Water, and Olive Oil. Bring together with hands until dough begins to form.
4. Turn out dough onto floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with saran wrap, and set a side to rest for an hour and a half or until doubled in size.
5. When dough has rested, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Remove dough from bowl and work into desired shape. Place on baking sheet, cover, and let rest for another 45 minutes to an hour.
7. Uncover dough and brush top with egg wash. Put in oven.
8. Let loaf bake at 400 degrees for the first 15 minutes, then turn down oven to 350 degrees for the last fifteen minutes.
9. Remove bread and let cool on rack before eating.