Onion Bread

With this onion flatbread, a bewitching scent wafts through the kitchen while baking and will make anyone’s mouth water. Regardless of whether this bread is served for grilling or as a side dish to salads, the shape is an eye-catcher and will attract many admirers.

To make the spelt lovers happy, I chose to use spelt flour – the recipe is simple and works every time.

Since fried onions are required to make the dough, here are brief instructions on how to make them.

500gOnions
50gOlive oil
10gSalt
80gSpelt/ Wheat flour
optionalSpices (Paprika, Curry) to taste
  1. Peel the onions, slice into thin rings and then separate them.
  2. Heat the olive oil in the pan, add the onion rings, salt, and spices then sweat over a medium heat.
  3. As soon as most of the moisture has released from the onions, add the flour and stir to cook briefly. 
  4. Then lay out the onion rings on a baking tray lined with baking paper and dry them in the oven at 90-95°C (convection heat) /c. 2-3 hours.
  5. After they are dry, allow the fried onions to cool on the pan and then store them in an air-tight container.

Recipe

Total Recipe

495gSpelt flour Type 63096%
20gRye flour Type 960 / 9974%
335gWater65%
30gFried onions5,8%
11gSalt2,1%
10gHoney1,9%
8gYeast1,6%

Pre-cooked flour

20gRye flour Type 960 / 997
80gWater 35°C

Stir together the water and rye flour and heat while constantly stirring. Then cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Spelt sourdough

10gStarter
45gSpelt flour Type 630
45gWater ca. 40°C

Dissolve the starter in water and then mix in the flour until lump-free. Subsequent maturity time is 8 hours at room temperature. 

Main dough

450gSpelt flour Type 630
100gPre-cooker flour (cooled)
100gMature spelt sourdough
200gWater 10°C
11gSalt
10gHoney (improved crust browning)
8gYeast
30gFried onions

Production

  • Briefly mix the spelt four, water, spelt sourdough, and pre-cooked flour in the mixer, then cover and let stand for 30 minutes to autolyse. 
  • Then add the salt, honey, and yeast.
  • Mix on a slow speed until the dough has completely released from the side of the mixing bowl. Then knead an additional 2-3 minutes on a fast speed. CAREFUL: Spelt dough can quickly become over kneaded – therefore, don’t knead it for too long. Likewise, the fried onions are only mixed in when the dough has been well kneaded. Since the fried onions remove moisture from the dough, the dough should be made soft.
  • Now to finish, the fried onions are gently and slowly mixed in.
  • After making the dough, place it in an oiled tub and let it mature for 60 minutes.
  • After the dough matures, turn it out onto a floured work surface and divide it into three equal-sized pieces. Carefully form these into rounds, dust with flour and cover with plastic or a linen cloth and allow to relax. 
  • Dough rest, about 30-45 minutes
  • To bring them into their final shape, dust the dough with flour and then use a small round stick or the handle of a cooking spoon to press the pattern shown (press the dough all the way through!!).
  • Then place them on a baking tray, true up their shape and allow them to cold proof. Final proof: about 45 minutes at room temperature or about 12-18 hours at (6°C). 
  • Before baking, spritz with water and coat as desired. 
  • The flatbreads are baked in the oven preheated to 250°C with strong steam.
  • After a brief intal baking phase of 3-4 minutes, reduce the baking temperature to 220°C.
  • Total baking time, about 22 minutes.