Italian Onion Herb Bread

When I first made this recipe, I think we ate about half of the loaf right off the bat. Warm and right out of the oven (or bread machine) is best. Or dip it into your Italian Vegetable Soup - yum!

Italian Onion Herb Bread

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup milk

1 to 2 tablespoons dried Italian herb seasoning

2 packages active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoons brown sugar, divided

2 teaspoons salt

5-1/2 to 6 cups white flour, divided

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet Add onion; cook and stir until onion is translucent but not browned. Remove skillet from heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, milk and Italian herb seasoning; stir to mix. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Combine yeast, warm water and a pinch of the brown sugar in a small bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand 10 minutes, or until foamy.

Combine milk-onion-herb mixture and salt in a large mixing bowl;; stir to mix. Stir in yeast mixture and the remaining brown sugar. Add 2 cups of the flour; mix thoroughly. Add 3 cups of the flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add as much of the remaining 1/2 to 1 cup flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, as needed to make a moderately stiff dough.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 6 to 8 minutes, or until dough is smooth, shiny and slightly sticky. Lightly oil the surface of the dough and place in the rinsed mixing bowl. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Punch down dough. Knead about 1 minute. Form dough into 2 long loaves and place on greased baking sheet or in greased “W” baking pan. Let rise 30 to 45 minutes, or until nearly doubled.

About 15 minutes before end of rising time, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake bread 45 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans and let cool on wire racks.

Italian Onion Herb Bread (Bread Machine Version)

3 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

2-3/4 cup bread flour

1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning

1-1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

Heat 1-1/2 teaspoons of the oil in a small skillet. Add onion; cook and stir until onion is translucent.

Add water, milk, remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons oil, the onion mixture, salt, flour, brown sugar, Italian herb seasoning and yeast to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Select basic cycle; medium/normal color setting.

Recipe from Breaking Bread with Father Dominic