Onion sourdough bread
( Pane integrale alle cipolle con lievito madre )

Recipe for wholemeal sourdough bread with onions

Preparation and cooking

• - Weigh 200 grams (7 ounces) of sourdough and 600 grams (1 1/3 pounds) of whole wheat flour.
• - Heat at least 400ml (13 1/2 fluid ounces - 1 2/3 cups) of plain water without chlorine.
  Your water must be lukewarm.
  Add needed flour and water to remaining sourdough to feed it according to your habits.
  I have the habit to keep this sourdough at room temperature, a couple of hours. Then I chill it, covered.
• - Mix flour, sourdough and enough water to a soft dough.
• - At this point add olive oil, salt and chopped onion.
• - Knead your dough for a long time until you feel it changing under your hands. Add other water or flour, if necessary. Unable to tell you the precise doses. I learned that bread is "meteoropathic." It is sensitive to changes in temperature and absorbs more or less flour depending on the weather ;)
• - Give your favorite shape to your bread. Generally I prepare 8 long rolls from my dough. Every halved long roll is a serving.
• - Line enough baking sheets with oven paper and sprinkle with flour.
  Arrange your buns or long rolls well-separated and put all in a repaired place to leaven.
  Necessary time is very variable. It sometimes takes less than 10 hours or many more. In any case, your bread must at least double its volume.
• - Cooking.
  Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
  Bake, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  Time depends on bread size.
  Turn upside down your freshly baked bread

Just before serving

• - I usually prepare bread for a week and then freeze it.
  An hour before eating, I take it off from the freezer, let it thaw and warm it a few minutes at 90°C (190°F) in the oven before serving.

Note

Tips

• - Choose always organic, stone-ground, whole wheat flour. It has the advantage that starch granules are larger and therefore this feature reduces its glycemic peak.
• - It is important water too. Chlorine tends to retard the growth of microorganisms if not to oppose it.

Menu planning

• - Onion bread has a rustic flavor and then if you serve it when you have guests, it is better to make an assortment of different kind of bread. It is not said that everyone likes it. Remember it is made with whole wheat flour and most people are accustomed to white flour.
  I find it extraordinary with assorted cold cuts, meat and fish stew but even with cooked seasonal vegetables.

Healthy eating

• - I've already highlighted some features of this bread. As you have just read, my bread is made with organic and natural products. Making bread  with sourdough is exceptional. It makes your bread tastier but surely it is even healthier.
• - Fiber per serving: 4.0 grams

Loretta