Caramelised Onions and Cheese Pull Apart Bread

The sight of a pull apart bread loaf on various blogs is so so so appetising. I couldn't resist making one myself,  for too long. So I found this absolutely yummy recipe. Mine came out a little different from my recipe source but scrumptious all the same.

It's perfect for a day when all you crave is carbs. A dip on the side or a soup and nothing else is needed. I could have a full meal with just that.


We had this loaf with our pasta dinner, with a cuppa chai in my office and just warmed with some beetroot pesto and loved it in all its avatars !!

Caramelised Onion and Cheese Pull Apart Bread

Adapted from Cooksjoy.com

Prep Time: 02h 50min

Cook time: 01h 15min

Ingredients:

Garlic - 3 cloves

Red chillies - 1

All purpose  flour - 3 cups

Dry Active Yeast - 2 tsp

Sugar – ½ tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 2 tbsp (butter can be used instead)

Milk – 1 ¼ cup (luke warm)

For Filling

Oil - 1 tbsp

Onion - 2 cups - chopped

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Cheese - 1/2 cup (Any cheese - I used cheddar) 

Direction:

1. Pound (in a pestle and mortar) red chilly and garlic, and keep aside. 

2. Take the luke warm milk, add yeast and sugar and let it culture for not more than 10 minutes.

3. Take flour and salt in a bowl and mix. Add the chilly-garlic paste and olive oil. Crumble together.

4. Add the now foamy yeast mixture and form a dough. Knead for around 10 minutes to get a smooth dough. Keep aside, covered with a wet kitchen towel or cling wrap,  in a warm place to rise and double in volume.

5. Meanwhile, for the filling, heat oil and add onions, salt and pepper. Saute` until the onions are caramelised  It took around 30 minutes for me. If the onions start catching a bit at the bottom, just add a table spoon or two of water and continue browning them.

6. When the dough doubles in volume, punch it down and place on a lightly floured surface. Shape into a loaf and roll into a 12 x 12 inch square. Brush butter over it and spread the caramelised onions and cheese. Use as much as needed.

7. Cut into 6 strips. Stack the strips  (one on top of the other) with the topping facing upward. Next cut through gently using a sharp knife into 6 equal square stacks.

8. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan (i didn't do that since i was using a non stick load pan). Keep it vertical if possible and place the stacks. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cover and allow it to rise for another hour.

9. After an hour, brush the top with milk and bake in a preheated 180C oven for 30 - 40 minutes until the top is golden brown.

10. Serve with a dip or soup or just like that !

Happy Baking !!