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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Onion Baguettes = Happy Days

There is no debating the fact that I need a new oven.  One that I don't have to set to 300° when I need the temperature to be 350°.  One that has more than one rack.  One that has a six-burner stove-top.  One with a window on the door.  Oh, better yet, two new ovens!  For ease on holidays.  One that has a hood with the sucking power of a bleep!, yet doesn't make a sound.  One that is wide enough to make a true baguette.  Or better yet, wide enough and deep enough and tall enough to bake six baguettes at the same time.  Oh, and while I'm building the perfect oven, how about one that can be transformed from convection to convention with the flip of a switch.  Oh!  How 'bout the second oven is wood-burning!  With a big, hot stone floor...for pizza and bread.  Working in restaurant kitchens definitely spoils you for a "regular person with limited funds" kitchen.  But I can dream with the best of 'em...so don't worry about me.  

I'm sorry.  Where was I?  I need a new oven.  And I'm reminded of that fact whenever I try to bake more than one loaf of bread at a time or something particularly big in one way or another.  While these baguettes may not be long and thin and svelte as the ones you're accustomed to, they definitely bring a smile to your lips and your belly.  The scent of warm bread and earthy onions floating on the air is enough to make me forget my dreams and live in the now.  For a few minutes, at least.
Onion Baguettes
adapted pretty liberally from Happy Days with the Naked Chef
makes 3 baguettes


for the dough:
just over 1 lb. white bread flour
~11 grams instant yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. fine sea salt
just over 1 c. tepid water
ladleful of sourdough starter (optional)*

for onion topping:
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
small handful fresh thyme, leaves stripped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
white wine vinegar

Whisk together flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center and add sourdough starter and water.  Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, then turn out onto a work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, ~3-5 minutes.  Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, ~45 minutes to an hour.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently poke all around with your fingertips.  Divide into three equal portions.  Form each into a baguette and transfer to a lightly floured pizza peel (if baking on a stone) or sheet tray (if baking directly on tray)You can make long, skinny baguettes if they will fit in your oven...unfortunately my oven isn't the one of my dreams, so mine have to be a bit shorter and fatter than an ideal baguette.  Cover and let rise until doubled in size again, ~45 minutes to an hour.  Preheat oven to 350° F. during last 15 minutes of rise time.

In the meantime, heat a big glug of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add garlic, onions, and thyme and cook, stirring from time to time until everything is soft and onions are translucent (without browning), ~5-7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and a splash of the vinegar.  Stir and set aside until baguettes have risen.
Divide onion mixture evenly amongst the risen dough and slide into the preheated oven (either onto preheated stone or the whole tray).  Bake for ~35-40 minutes*, or until baguettes are golden and onions have started to get dark and crisp up in spots.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

*If you are making this without the ladleful of sourdough starter...and/or your baguettes are longer & skinnier than mine...your baguettes could be done in as little as 15 minutes, so start checking them earlier, if you've made either of those changes.
Split lengthwise, this made some fantastic sandwiches...spread generously with some beautifully stinky Garlic-Herb Boursin and some falling-apart-thin smoked ham.  Happy Days.
IHCCJamieOliver
 What brings you Happy Days (...other than Nick at Nite)?
Also sharing this post with:
*Yeastspotting!
BYOB-badge fridaypotluck FCFButton freshfriday-1 foodfriday Let's Break Bread Together

Would you like to comment?

  1. This bread looks sooo delicious! Wonderful photos also!

    xx,
    Tammy

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  2. love the photos! i wish i can take a bite...lol.

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  3. Bread baking has always seemed intimidating, this is very impressive and I would love to try it! Feel your pain on the oven/stove/non-suctioning hood front. It is very frustrating to work with inaccurate and/or uneven heating but it looks like you've figured out how to work around it.

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  4. Sorry you have to get a new oven - these breadsticks are awesome!! Love the flavors!

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  5. Heather,

    Your onion baguette looks delicious. nice crumb. Love the caramelized onion there.

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  6. Happy Days indeed! I'm loving all the oniony goodness on top. I would have a happy time eating a whole baguette plain, but can only imagine how great it is in a sandwich.

    P.S. I'm with you on this oven business. There are so many times when a second oven would come in handy. Maybe one day.

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  7. I'd love one of those ovens too. That bread though, looks amazing. You put onions like that on it and it calls my name. Size does not matter here.:)

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  8. My oven has taken to "humming" on random baking occasions. It sounds like the whole thing might explode! Here's to new ovens for both of us! Thank you for sharing yourself and your creative eats with me week after week. This is a place where I come to feel love and inspiration. You are a blessing. Have a wonderful Friday!

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  9. I absolutely admire how detailed you have made this dish without cutting any corners- perfect bake, loved the idea of onion topping- will bookmark it..

    US Masala

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  10. Totally understand! I am haggling with a lame old oven in the apartment we are renting. Mine world work better if I actually cleaned it. The smoke detector goes off every time it gets above 400.

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  11. In my last apartment I never enjoyed baking .. two reason: first, i was not into cooking craziness and second, the oven was tiny and i hated it. in this apartment, the oven is just perfect :) and yet i hardly bake :P
    I love your clicks! it's so beautifully captured.

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  12. Hello Heather,
    Absolutely loved your onion baguettes!You are an original:)And lovely photos too!Thanks so much for linking up!

    Cheers,
    Wit,wok&wisdom

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  13. Que baguettes más ricas, la verdad es que se ve fantastica.

    Saludos

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  14. The caramelized onions look so good in those baguettes. I do hope you can get a new oven soon.:)

    Mely

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  15. yum, yum, yum....or spread them with some good brie! Oh my!

    Heather, I had to laugh about the new oven, because I am right there with you. I have to set mine 25 -50 degrees higher than the recipe calls for lately and then hope for the best. such a major pain. We both need Vikings! haha we can dream right??

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  16. You do enchant with bread. That opening photo filled my kitchen with onion-bread aroma. And I'm dreaming of the same stove.

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  17. Right on target! There is nothing better than warm homemade bread?

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  18. caramelized onions n bread-yum ! i love jamie oliver and this recipe is lovely

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  19. Heather,
    My oven is over 15 years... You cant imagine, really...

    Such a nice recips today, lovely onions, I can almost feel the smell and flavor of that bread.

    BTW - have you checked BBD this month? Have you ever baked that kind of bread? Any recipes? Im so lost...

    hugs

    Have a great weekend

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  20. Oh, do those look amazing! I am an onion fiend - love them - especially all sweet and caramelized...drooling onto the keyboard...

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  21. I keep thinking about making bread...then don't...but I want to...it's a conundrum. Nice looking loaves there. I hear ya about the oven. When I win the lottery....my kitchen will be different!

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  22. I got a new oven this summer and I still have to turn the heat up higher to get it to be the temperature I want it to be....so even new ovens are not godsends all the time. These baguettes look delicious though! Love that onion topping!

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  23. wow...bread looks just so good...very delicious !

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  24. I bet these are great with those onions on top!

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  25. Oooh, those sandwiches sound awesome! I have only had moderate success with baguettes but these look fantastic - I love that onion topping!

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  26. Mmm...these would make me happy too--especially with the Boursin spread all over them. Great pick!
    ;-)

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  27. Your bread looks soooo delicious! Love warm homemade bread!

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  28. oh girlfriend, i hear you! our oven is extra hot too, it makes baking a bit tricky. LOVE the onion baguette. onion is so good in baked goods.

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  29. An oven with SIX burners on the stove? Now you are dreaming big. I can't believe your oven gets that hot! These are pretty baguettes. It looks to me like your oven works really well.

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  30. I saw you on Seasonal Saturday. This recipe looks fantastic! I can't wait to try it. Thank you.

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  31. The breads look so scrumptious and lovely! Onions make me drool more.

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  32. I just want an oven that my largest baking sheet fits in!

    This bread looks great.

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  33. And you DESERVE a new oven--or two. Your loaves must smell intoxicating.

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  34. This looks lovely. I'd be tempted to add a bit of cheese on the top too.

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  35. absolutely lovely baguettes! gloria

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  36. Ciao ! I need an oven or two too ! (what about steam ?) The baguettes are what I'm craving right now !

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  37. I can't complain my oven works fine, but I do want a gas stove instead he he I have not made bread sticks in a while, and I love love love onion on bread, so I know these are to die for! Well maybe I would hop a fence, but only die if I took them all from you :)

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  38. Great idea to add the sourdough starter for extra complexity. Love the baguettes!!
    (also, add to my dream oven - steam injection and a warming drawer) ☺

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  39. Well done.

    Try to see the bright side. If your oven makes small baguettes, you can eat more than one. ;)

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  40. Fantastic bread! That onion topping is so amazingly attractive.

    I wouldn't mind a new oven, either, but I am stumped with all the choices out there, as well as not willing to invest beau coup bucks. There are so many conflicting reviews among consumers.

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  41. Heather, Thanks for sharing this great post for your yummy onion baguettes last week on Fresh Clean andn Pure Friday! MMMMmmmmm! Hope you can stop by again someday and share another of your infamous recipes!

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  42. Hi dear,
    I have an award waiting for you at my place!Please do come over and accept it:)Thanks so much!

    Cheers,
    Wit,wok&wisdom

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