Fall’s arrival always finds me wanting to bake bread. Bread just seems to go with leaves changing color, warm days with cooler night temperatures and fall meals. I want to eat bread during all the other seasons, (except for maybe summer. Bread seems too heavy to be consumed in summer, I want something lighter then), but the time I want to bake bread starts with the onset of autumn and lasts through the winter.

I got hooked on the notion of an onion rye bread earlier this year, back in the last stages of winter. I tried out a recipe that didn’t quite do it for us, but winter ended & I moved on to making other items and dishes. With fall approaching, I had a yearning to start baking bread again, and that onion rye bread was at the top of the list. I tried a different version from the one I had attempted at the end of winter, but I still came out with a squat, dense, slightly dry loaf. I altered the recipe a bit for the 3rd loaf. It was definitely better. This is still a dense, flatter loaf of bread than store-bought versions, but it is all-natural & flavorful and not at all dry.  We’ve got a new rye bread to enjoy this fall in soups and stews! Stick to the lesser amount of caraway seeds if you want a milder flavor.

Onion Rye Bread

Onion-Rye Bread (adapted from southernliving.com) Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup minced onion, about 3 ounces
• 1 tablespoon + 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose or bread flour, divided
• 3/4 cup rye flour, divided
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope (1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
• 2 – 3 teaspoons caraway seeds

Preparation:

Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat, for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are golden. Set them aside.

If using a bread maker for the dough: Add the ingredients in the order required by the manufacturer and choose the dough setting. When the dough is done, continuing with the baking the bread section of the recipe.

If making the dough by hand: Combine the 1/4 cup of oil with the milk in a saucepan and heat it to 120°F.

Stir together 3/4 cup bread flour, 1/4 cup rye flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir in the milk mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup rye flour, sautéed onions, and caraway seeds. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining bread flour to make a stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth (about 8 minutes). Place the dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease the top.

Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 1 hour.

Baking the bread: Punch the dough down, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Shape it into a loaf and place in a greased 9- x 5-inch loaf pan or shape it into a 7-inch round loaf and place it on a greased baking sheet.

Cover the loaf and let it rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 45 minutes.

Bake the bread at 375°F for 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when it is tapped. Cool it in the pan for 10 minutes then remove it from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

Hearty bread to go along with a savory bowl of soup or stew is a wonderful fall meal!  ~Linda

Onion-Rye Bread (adapted from southernliving.com) Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup minced onion, about 3 ounces
• 1 tablespoon + 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose or bread flour, divided
• 3/4 cup rye flour, divided
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope (1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
• 2 – 3 teaspoons caraway seeds

Preparation:

Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat, for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are golden. Set them aside.

If using a bread maker for the dough: Add the ingredients in the order required by the manufacturer and choose the dough setting. When the dough is done, continuing with the baking the bread section of the recipe.

If making the dough by hand: Combine the 1/4 cup of oil with the milk in a saucepan and heat it to 120°F.

Stir together 3/4 cup bread flour, 1/4 cup rye flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir in the milk mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup rye flour, sautéed onions, and caraway seeds. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining bread flour to make a stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth (about 8 minutes). Place the dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease the top.

Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 1 hour.

Baking the bread: Punch the dough down, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Shape it into a loaf and place in a greased 9- x 5-inch loaf pan or shape it into a 7-inch round loaf and place it on a greased baking sheet.

Cover the loaf and let it rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 45 minutes.

Bake the bread at 375°F for 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when it is tapped. Cool it in the pan for 10 minutes then remove it from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.