Cheesy Onion Bread

I’m making more quick breads. My friend Julie asked me to make a savory bread because she isn’t a fan of the sweet ones. So, here is my recipe for Cheesy Onion Bread.

This was wonderful. Mildly sweet from the caramelized onions, cheesy, and soft, this bread would be perfect as a gift or served at Christmas dinner.

Caramelize the onions ahead of time. I actually did it the day before because it takes so long.You can cook and crumble bacon or do what I do, buy it already prepared in the salad dressing aisle. If you want, you can omit the bacon altogether. Also, grate the cheese yourself. Grated cheese has a caking agent in it and that will mess up your bread.

Servings:  1 loaf

Time:  Prep: 1 hour (this includes the onions), cooking: 50-60 minutes
Hardware:  Measuring cups and spoons, a mixer, 2 mixing bowls, a microwavable bowl (for the butter)a nonstick pan, 2 wooden spoons, a silicone spatula and a 9”x 5” loaf pan, wire cooling rack

 

 Ingredients

• Butter and flour for the pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾  teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons dried, crushed rosemary
• 2 tablespoons cooked, crumbled bacon
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar (the best you can afford)
• 2 large eggs 
• ½ cup milk
• 2 cups caramelized onions (2 pounds of onions)
• ½ cup of melted butter (1 stick)

 

 

 

1. Caramelize the onions. I used 2 pounds of Vidalia or sweet onions. I also used a mandoline to slice them so they would be the same thickness. To caramelize onions, mix equal parts butter and olive oil and toss the onions in a single layer. Cook them in a nonstick pan, on medium low, stirring  often. Don’t add salt or sugar or water, no matter what you’ve been told. If the onions are crisping up, turn them down. Then just stir and wait. Don’t walk away or they will get mushy. This takes about 45 minutes. When they have cooled, roughly chop them.
2. Grease and flour the loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees°.
3. Melt the butter.
4. In one mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, rosemary and bacon. Slowly stir in the cheese. If you add a little at the time, it will be coated in flour and won’t be one big lump in the middle of your bread.
5. In the other bowl beat the eggs and milk together. Using the wooden spoon, stir in the onions.
6. Add the onion mixture to the flour mixture. Pour in the melted butter . Stir until the flour is just moistened. I don’t really stir; I sort of fold the dry into the wet. Do not over mix; it will make the bread tough. 
7. Scrape batter into the loaf pan.
8. Bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Then turn it out onto a wire rack. Store in an airtight container or plastic wrap for 3 days.

 

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

For Christmas gifts this year I am giving out quick breads. Quick breads are easy and lend themselves to endless varieties. Unlike most ‘breads’ quick breads use baking powder or baking
soda as a leavening agent rather than using yeast. They also require little to no kneading.

Today I am giving you a recipe for Pumpkin Bread. The addition of chopped candied ginger and chocolate chips give this bread an interesting texture and help it stay moist. Find candied ginger in an Asian food store or the ethnic aisle of your grocery store.

The secret to making quick breads moist is to keep the dry and wet ingredients separate until it is absolutely necessary. After you combine the wet and dry ingredients, don’t over stir. If there are a few streaks of flour, it doesn’t matter, they will cook out.

 

If you wait to cool this completely and wrap it up very tightly in plastic wrap, it will stay good for a week.

I cooked ALLLL day today. Writing up these recipes (and photographing them) is a great deal of work, so I am doling them out throughout the week. I am going to share a Lemon Blueberry Bread, an Onion Cheddar Bread and an Orange Cranberry Bread with you, one per day, starting on Tuesday.

Servings:  2 loaves
Time:  Prep: 10 minutes, cooking: 55-60 minutes, cooling time one hour
Hardware:  Measuring cups and spoons, 2 mixing bowls, a mixer, a large wooden spoon, a silicone spatula, a can opener and 2- 9x 5 loaf pans, a wire cooling rack

 Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¼ cup chopped candied ginger
• 1½  teaspoons cinnamon
• ¾  teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼  teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½  teaspoons salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup apple juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Butter and or Crisco and flour for the pans

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour the loaf pans. It is always better to over grease and flour than under.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, chocolate chips, chopped candied ginger, spices, baking soda and salt in one of the mixing bowls. Set aside.
3. Beat the eggs in the other mixing bowl. Add in the pumpkin, oil, apple juice and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
4. With the wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture. Only stir until just moistened.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 20 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

This bread is delicious butter and toasted a little in the oven. My husband is pretty picky, and he loved it.