Sourdough Onion Pockets (2024)

Ingredients

Dough

• 192 grams water
• 77 grams eggs (about 1 1/2 eggs)
• 50 grams vegetable oil
• 560 grams bread flour
• 77 grams sugar
• 2 grams (1/2 tsp) instant yeast (optional)
• 112 grams levain/sourdough starter
• 11 (2 tsp) grams salt

Filling

• 45 grams (1/2 cup) dehydrated chopped onions
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 14 grams (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil
• 10 grams (1 1/2 tsp) black poppy seeds
• 4 grams (1/4 tsp) salt

Instructions

1. Feed your levain/sourdough starter about 8 to 10 hours before mixing the final dough.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg and the oil lightly into the water. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together (by hand) the flour, sugar, and optional yeast.
3. Add the liquids and the starter and mix with the dough hook for about 2 minutes on low. Add the salt, and continue to mix for about 10 minutes. Knead the dough by hand for about a minute. Form it into a ball and place it into an oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat lightly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap.
4. Let the dough rise for approximately 2 to 4 hours, until doubled.
5. While the dough is rising, assemble the onion mixture.
6. Add the boiling water to the onions, stir, and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain the onions with a strainer and spread them out on a paper towel to remove any additional moisture.
7. Mix the onions, oil, poppy seeds, and salt, and divide into three equal parts. Set aside.
8. When the dough is ready, degas it and gently knead it. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll each into two equal logs, about 12 inches long. Cover and let rest for about 20 minutes.
9. Place the first log onto your work surface, wide side facing you. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough lengthwise, until it reaches about 18 inches. Next, roll the dough away and toward you to widen it. You should eventually have a 10 inch by 18 inch rectangle, and the long side should face you.
10. Brush the top (to you) 2/3 of the dough with vegetable oil, and spread 1 portion of the filling (1/3) over the oil. Fold the bottom third of the dough over the filling, and fold the top 1/3 of the dough over the folded dough. You should end up with three layers. Seal the edges of the top layer onto the the dough over which it is folded. Set this strip of dough aside and repeat with the second log of dough.
11. Spread the final third of filling over a piece of parchment and press each dough strip onto the filling to coat with filling. Place each strip onto a parchment lined baking sheet, filling side up. Press any extra filling onto the strips.
12. Using a bench scraper, cut each strip into 6 pieces, and evenly space on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours, until it passes the "finger poke" test.
13. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a baking stone, if you have one. When the rolls are ready, you can either bake them on the baking sheet, or slide the parchment onto the stone.
14. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the rolls are mottled brown. Serve warm.
15. Wrap leftovers individually in plastic wrap and freeze. After thawing, reheat in a toaster oven by toasting (ideally), or reheat in a 350 degree oven.

Recipe from my friend David, adapted with permission from Inside the Jewish Bakery. P.S. Stanley Ginsberg has a new book out, The Rye Baker. It is amazing.

Yield: 12 Rolls

Here are the rest of the Bread Bakers' root vegetable breads: