How to Make Easy Onion Bread

Let me just put it out there... I LOVE this bread! It may very well be my favorite bread. It is just that good. But the real reason I absolutely love this bread so much is because it is super easy to make and gives you a professional bakery quality bread every time. I first started making this bread after my mom came home from the farmers market last year with an onion bread that cost $8. It was delicious but I knew I could make something just as good and for half the price. The following week my onion bread recipe was born. Enjoy!

Dough Ingredients (makes 2 loaves)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet or 1 tbsp dry active yeast
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
1 cup warm milk
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) melted
2 eggs

Onion Filling Ingredients
2 medium size onions chopped
1/3 cup oil
2 tsp course sea salt or to taste
2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
3 tbsp tomato paste

Directions:
For the dough: combine sugar, salt, yeast and warm (not hot!) milk in a large mixing bowl. Let yeast proof for 5 minutes. The mixture should look frothy after the 5 minutes. Mix in 2 cups of the flour. Then mix in the melted butter (let it cool so it is warm to the touch but not hot). Add in 1 egg. Now slowly start adding in the rest of the flour. The dough should be soft and supple. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Put the dough in a bowl and cover it with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap. Let it rest for about an hour till it has doubled in size. While it is rising make the filling.
For the filling: add oil, onion and salt to a skillet. Saute over medium low heat until onion is soft.

Mix in the tomato paste and continue sauteing for another minute or two. Mix in the red pepper flakes if you are using it. Shut off the heat.
Once the dough has risen, divide it into two equal loaves. Roll each loaf out into a rectangle on a floured surface.

Spread half the filling over the dough leaving an inch around. Do the same for the other loaf too.

Roll the dough up jelly roll style starting at the long end.

Arrange dough into a flat coil on a baking sheet. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise until it doubles in size about an hour and a half. Brush the top of the loaves with a beaten egg.

Bake in a preheat oven at 350° for 30 minutes.