The rolled brioche with onions is perfect as an appetizer or as a main course. Soft and fragrant with a balanced, rich and tasty filling. Its golden and slightly glossy crust hides inside a heart of onions, slowly cooked until they reach a caramelized sweetness, combined with olives that add a salty and fragrant note. Toasted, crunchy pine nuts provide a delightful contrast alongside the enveloping flavor of grated cheeses. For the final decoration? Capers. Scattered here and there over the surface, they enrich the brioche in every respect. With simple ingredients and a few careful steps you can prepare a masterpiece of flavor that will win over even the most demanding palates. Below, let’s see together how to make this special onion brioche:
Other recipes for savory brioches :
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg
- 3 1/4 tbsp sugar
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 12 g fresh yeast (or 4 g active dry yeast)
- an egg yolk (for brushing)
- 2.2 lbs onions (preferably sweet)
- 3 or 4 anchovy fillets in oil
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup grated cheese (half Parmesan and half Pecorino)
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- to taste salt and pepper
- to taste desalted capers (for decoration)
Steps
Prepare the brioche dough. Place the sifted flour in a bowl and add in the center the yeast dissolved in the water, the sugar, the beaten egg and start mixing.
Also add the milk, the oil and, only at the end, the salt. Work the dough for a few minutes until you obtain an elastic and smooth mixture. If it becomes too sticky, add a little more flour.
Shape into a loaf and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in volume.
In the meantime, peel and slice the onions finely. Put them in a saucepan, let them wilt until they release all their water, then drain them well.
Heat the oil with the anchovies in the same pan. Once the anchovies have completely dissolved, add the wilted onions and season with pepper and salt if necessary. Let cook for another 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Raise the heat slightly and pour in the white wine. Let it evaporate for about 5 minutes, until the wine is practically gone and the mixture becomes creamy.
Add the olives cut into pieces or rounds and the toasted pine nuts and mix well, continuing to cook for another 3–4 minutes. Let cool and set aside until ready to use.
After the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface to form a rectangle of about 15 3/4 x 23 5/8 in. Sprinkle the dough with the grated cheeses and evenly distribute the onion filling, leaving a border of about 3/8 inch free on all sides of the rectangle.
Start rolling the dough from the longest side, creating a tight roll, sealing the edges well by pressing with your fingers (I made 8 small rolls side by side which I then formed into a spiral).
Place the roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Coil it onto itself to form a spiral (alternatively, if you prefer, you can close it into a ring).
Let the brioche rise for 1–2 hours at room temperature, or until doubled. Before baking, brush the surface with the beaten egg yolk and, if you like, decorate with desalted capers.
Transfer to a preheated conventional oven at 374°F and bake for 25–30 minutes, until evenly golden. Remove from the oven and serve the rolled onion brioche hot, warm or at room temperature.
Bon appétit and… see you next recipe!
If you try this recipe, make sure to tag #ipasticcinidinina on Instagram so I can see it and share it with the community.
