Caramelized Onion and Cheese Bread is gently crisp on the outside and very soft, cheesy and fluffy inside. The bread is so good, it needs no accompaniment to be enjoyed. It is a treat in itself




It is already the advent of spring. Silk cotton (Semal) trees scattered in the valley have grown juicy leaves. The branches have been nursing swollen buds all over. Some buds have already split revealing the sleeping fiery red flowers within. Some trees are already in bloom. Silk cotton flowers are huge and leathery. 


A tree in bloom is a haven for drongoes, black bulbuls and a host of other birds that throng it in multitudes.



Yesterday we saw a kite perched for a very long time on the branch of a Semal tree on the bank of the river. 


Green beaters are back. Early morning, they can be seen flying around the branches of the tree.


They are often spotted in the semal tree preying  on the insects that are attracted by the big flowers.


Warm days are a boon for the bread bakers. And we planned to bake a loaf of Caramelized Onion and Cheese Bread for dinner. The bread is slightly crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy inside.
Fluffy, cheesy and oniony bread is a treat in itself. It is addictive. 


Caramelized onions make the loaf sweet and flavourful. Cheese gives softness and to die for cheesiness. It is a melt in the mouth loaf that pairs really well with a soup for light simple dinner.


Caramelized Onion and Cheese Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion
  • 4 tablespoons butter/oil
  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon instant dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¾ cup of warm water
  • 1/3 cup warm milk

 Instructions

  1. Chop the onion finely.
  2. Heat a wok. Add butter/oil and add onions. On medium to low flame, fry the onions until transparent. Fry further stirring continuously until golden. Leave to cool.
  3. In another large bowl, take flour, salt, cheese, and yeast. Add caramelized onions. Mix well.
  4. Add mix ½ cup water and milk. Add sugar. This mixture should be warm.
  5. Add to dry ingredients and knead for 7-8 minutes. Add more warm water while kneading.
  6. Knead till you get a very smooth and slightly tacky dough.
  7. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Turn around once so that the dough is oiled all over. Cover and keep in a warm place to rise until double.
  8. In the meantime, grease one 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan. Sprinkle some cornmeal or coarse flour to coat the sides and bottom (this ensures that the bread does not stick to the sides and bottom)
  9. Punch the risen dough. Divide into three equal size pieces.
  10. Roll each piece into a 13 cm long rope.
  11. Keep the three ropes together. Bring the ends together, pinch and tuck in. Now braid the ropes tightly. Pinch the ends and tuck in. Place the braid in the prepared pan. Cover and keep in a warm place for one hour or till it doubles in size.
  12. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 25 -30 minutes or till the loaf turns golden from the top and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Tent with a foil if the top turns brown early. Remove from oven. Remove from pan after 5 to 7 minutes.
  13. Brush some butter on the warm loaf.
  14. Cool in the rack.  

  


Linking to #BreadBakers
BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page
This month's theme is from Palatable Pastime, with extra help from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to 
[email protected].

This month, the Bread Bakers are baking breads with cheese mixed into the dough. Check out the rest of the breads made with cheese! 




 Healthy, wholesome and delicious Wholegrain Oat and Berry Cookies make a great snacking option for in- between hunger pangs. 

  

This season has been of the unanticipated and out of occasion rains. Rains have ensured that the cold stays on for some more time. We woke up to a sky crammed with moisture-laden gray clouds. The late morning felt like early morning. Warm winds blew, spreading the clouds evenly in the sky that looked scary with dark clouds looming low over the hills. The rain came down in big drops that soon turned into a heavy downpour. Small puddles formed in the fields that merged into each other forming a larger water body, muddy and murky.


Later in the evening, as the rain stopped, there were bulbuls huddled together in the branches of bougainvillea. 


A Brahminy Starling pecked some grains of millet from our veranda and joined the bulbuls.  

Kids have been working hard for their annual exams. In between their study hours, they took a small break and joined us in baking Wholegrain Oats Cookies.


The cookies are wholesome and filling. It makes a healthy snack option. We used clarified butter (ghee from cow’s milk) and mixed dry berries. Dried figs, cranberries and any candied dehydrated fruit would also make a good option. Keep sweetness on the lower side to get the right flavour and taste of the ingredients.


Wholegrain Oats and Berry Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup wholewheat flour
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch rock salt
  • 3/4  cup unrefined cane Sugar (khandsari or boora Sugar)
  • 1/2 cup Ghee (preferably from cow’s milk)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4-6 tablespoons warm milk
  • 1/4 cup mixed candied berries (cranberries, raspberries) or black currants

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together first four ingredients.
  2. In another deep bowl, beat ghee with sugar.
  3. Add vanilla extract.
  4. Now add dry flour mix. Mix well. Add berries.
  5. Now add 2 tablespoons of warm milk. Mix. If the mixture feels dry, add 2 tablespoons of milk again. Mix with hands. The mixture should come together like a dough. It should be a little dry, but not overly wet and sticky.
  6. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line one baking tray with parchment paper.
  7. Take walnut size balls of dough and flatten them. If you want cookies with clean edges, use a cookie cutter or a lid of the bottle. Press firmly on the flattened dough.
  8. Arrange cookies on the baking tray about 1 ½ inch apart. The cookies will expand while baking.
  9. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The cookies will bloat and then flatten while baking. The cookies should brown uniformly.
  10. Turn off the heat and transfer the cookies to the rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

My Tip 
The dough should be soft and pliable. It should not be sticky. Add more milk only if the dough feels dry. Use berries or dry fruit of your choice.


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