Caramelized Onion Buns

Submitted by Miraklegirl

"From the Toronto Star. I haven't made these yet but they sound amazing! Let me know what you think."

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photo by Bonnie G #2

Ready In:: 1hr 15mins
Ingredients:: 16
Yields:: 10 large buns

ingredients

Dough
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
7 ¹⁄₄ cups bread flour (preferably unbleached)
1 ³⁄₄ cups warm water
4 eggs, beaten
¹⁄₂ cup butter, melted
Onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Glaze
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

directions

For dough, put yeast, sugar, salt, 3 cups flour, water, eggs and butter in mixing bowl.
Beat on high for 3 to 5 minutes, until very smooth.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in 3 cups flour.
Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough becomes too stiff to stir.
Turn out onto work surface and continue to add remaining flour, kneading, until dough is smooth, 7 to 10 minutes.
(Use last 1/4 cup flour only if needed to prevent sticking.) Grease large bowl.
Add dough, turning to coat.
Cover and leave in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
For onions, melt butter in skillet over low heat.
Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook, stirring often, 10 to 12 minutes or until very soft.
Sprinkle in sugar.
Increase heat to medium-low.
Stir until onions are very brown but not scorched (2-3 minutes).
Add Worcestershire, scrape up browned bits and simmer, stirring until juices evaporate.
Cool.
To make buns, punch down dough and knead in onions until evenly distributed.
Divide and roll into 10 smooth round buns.
Place on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
For glaze, whisk egg whites with water and brush over each bun.
Bake buns in two batches in the centre of a preheated 375°F oven for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden brown and tops start to sound hollow when tapped.

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Reviews

In my 4+ years of making homemade buns, these are undoubtedly the best. I actually caught DH (who is a self-proclaimed MEAT ONLY kinda guy) eating the buns by themselves. Since there was only two of us, I halved the recipe and did get five HUGE buns! I used Smart Balance butter and halved the amount called for in the dough. Everything worked fine. Since I loved the smell of the onions, I actually saved some of them to sprinkle ontop of the buns before baking too. Great touch. Finally, because I like softer bun tops, I skipped the egg and water step and would do the same again. FANTASIC recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AKillian24
Very nice sandwich roll, like the onion flavor, but I should have added more. That's not the recipe fault as I did not use the full amount listed as I was afraid that the moist onions might ruin my dough - which is probably not the case. Slice well, with a nice soft inside that will hold up well for sandwiches no matter what kind. These have been enjoyed by everyone that tried them. The dough was lovely to work with and had a nice rise to it.

Bonnie G #2
Too sweet for my taste, but my husband liked them. I agree with the person who doubled the onion and garlic amounts -- next time I would do the same, and maybe cut down on the sugar. Plus try adding some dried herbs like thyme and sage.

clyonsking
Oopsie, I forgot to post my review for this bun recipe I made for Thanksgiving. It was easier to make these because I used an ABM to prep the dough. The buns were a huge hit at Thanksgiving and potlucks a few days later. The buns also froze well. I garnered about 6-7 *huge* 7" diameter buns. Thanks for posting!

COOKGIRl
I had to change my reviews after tasting these. They were very yummy. I did have a time with mixing the dough once I tried to add the onions but found that a dough scraper helped with getting it up and cutting. I made rolls in muffin pans and 6 large rolls and trust me they are huge. Don't make these the day of something important. Do it the day or night before so your not stressed.

Diana in KS