Gramma’s Onion Bread

When I was in junior high, one of my favourite sandwiches was cheddar and dill pickles on onion bread. Yes, it was odorous, but also delicious! These days I prefer my onion bread sliced thick and toasted with plenty of margarine. Or just sliced hot out of the oven – the loaf in the picture here was still warm when I ate my first slice – yum!

This recipe is altered from one my Gramma made to be used in a bread machine. If you want to use it in your bread machine, reduce the yeast to 2 tsp and add it in last, according to the directions in your machine’s manual.

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp very warm water
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tsp rapid baker’s yeast
• 1 packet of onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp melted margarine or butter
• 3.5 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Combine warm water with sugar and baker’s yeast in your mixing bowl.
2. Allow to sit at room temperature until fully dissolved and bubbly, about 10 minutes
3. Stir in onion soup mix, milk, nutritional yeast, and melted margarine.
4. Let mixture sit 5 minutes to allow the soup mix to rehydrate.
5. Stir in 3/4 of the flour into the liquid mixture.
6. Start mixing the dough with the hook of your machine, or vigorously with a wooden spoon.
7. Gradually add in all of the flour.
   Dough should be soft and stretchy – not too sticky, but not too dry, either. Add more flour if needed.
8. Knead for about 10 minutes until silky smooth.
9. Place the ball of dough into clean, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
10. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size.
11. Punch down dough, knead on the counter with a small amount of flour about five times, and return to the oiled bowl.
12. Rise for another hour or so.
13. Roll out the dough on a floured counter into a 12×16-inch rectangle, and roll up the long end to make a 12-inch long cylinder.
14. Pinch seam closed and orient at bottom of loaf. Pinch each end of the roll and tuck under. Place in the loaf pan, and cover with a damp towel.
15. Heat oven to 400F.
16. Meanwhile, let loaf rise until the top of dough rises about 1 inch higher than the top of the pan, 10-30 minutes.
17. Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife and immediately place in oven.
    Optional: toss a few ice cubes on the floor of the oven to steam it up and give the loaf a nice crust.
18. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 375F.
19. Bake for 30 or so more minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped with a fingernail.