Cheese and Onion Bread

I first road tested this recipe during Christmas 2011 when I made it for a wine & cheese evening at a friend's house. I decided to cook it especially for this blog today having had my memory refreshed by the same friend about the recipe at an Italian Themed Birthday Party the previous night.

The album of choice for cooking the bread was Neil Young's 1987 effort 'Life' which was his last record with the Geffen label and first for the best part of a decade with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse. The album was his first step back onto a positive path and mixed songs packed with atmospheric drum machines and synthesizers and expansive acoustic numbers.

I poured 12 ounces of white bread flour into a bowl together with a sachet of yeast, an ounce of margarine and a beaten egg. I mixed the ingredients together with a metal spoon while periodically adding a quarter of a pint of milk. The mixture soon became sticky and then dried like wet cement so I added small amounts of white bread flour to it and tested my limited upper body strength by stirring hard at it until it formed a large ball of dough.

I left the dough on an upstairs window sill in the full gaze of the late summer sun and after an hour it had risen considerably. While the dough rose I cut up a red onion and fried it in a shallow frying pan for twenty minutes until it was golden brown. I then left the contents of the pan on the side as the dough continued to rise.

Once the dough had risen I rolled it out until it covered the surface area of a medium sized dinner plate. I then spread the onions evenly on top together with a hint of black pepper and some grated Red Leicester cheese. I then pulled the edges together so they formed a parcel. After this I cut six slits at equal points apart in the top of the bread and brushed the dough with milk.

Rolled out with the filling on top. 

On this occasion I cooked the bread on a deep baking tray at 170 degrees in a fan oven for forty-five minutes, as I was cooking my birthday cake at the same time. Normally however I would recommend cooking this bread on about 200 degrees ( in a fan oven or 210 for a non-fan oven) for twenty five minutes.

Folded up and ready for the oven. 

The trick in ensuring that the bread is cooked properly is to check that the edges are a golden brown. If you can push a skewer through it that comes out clean this also means that it is ready.

This is one of my favourite breads as the cheese and onion filling is not too overpowering a taste and it complements the thick spongy bread. This was certainly the opinion of the friends I cooked it for at the wine & cheese night judging by the positive feedback I received on Facebook after the event last Christmas.

Ready to eat: on this occasion with home made vegetarian chili