Golden Onion Pie: Fiesta Friday Challenge #1
Golden Onion Pie
I did it!!! I made something with yeast (and herbs)!! I have honestly never tried to make a yeast recipe before, because it has totally freaked me out! So when this Fiesta Friday Challenge came up, I gave myself a serious talking to, and decided it was time to get over this phobia. So, where did I turn? Well Youtube, of course. I watched a whole bunch of people making breads and pizza doughs and after a few hours, felt like it was something that I could do! And yeah! I am so happy with the results! I made this pie for some friends and it was unanimous, I should make it again.
Very proud of my first yeast dough!
I searched around a lot before deciding on the dish. I hummed and hawed and tossed about many ideas, but then I found this recipe on Epicurious. It just looked like a good starting point for someone who had never baked with yeast before. Also, I just happen to love onion pie, so that sealed the deal. Apparently it is inspired by a dish called Zwiebelkuchen (onion cake), a southern German specialty that came to America with European settlers and became a staple in Pennsylvania Dutch homes, where it is known as Zwiwwelkuche. The original recipe called for ¼ pound of bacon to be combined with the onions. I really wanted to eat something less rich, and one of my guests was a vegetarian, so I decided to leave the bacon out. I thought that the addition of some fresh thyme would give the pie a lovely flavour without the richness of bacon. I think it really worked.
I have to admit that I had a few nail-biting moments, like when I added the yeast to the warm milk and it immediately formed a little ball! Ah, what to do now? I tried to separate it with a spoon, but with little luck. Finally, I just decided to leave it alone and eventually the little foamy bubbles started to appear like they were supposed to. The best part was when I lifted the towel after the resting period and discovered that the dough had actually risen! I felt a little like a magician and was already dreaming about the other yeast recipes that I would like to try! The other thing that I really enjoyed was that wonderful rich, yeasty fragrance that wafted through my kitchen as the pie was baking. Really, there is not other fragrance like it.
The crust of the pie is a bit crunchy on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside and all of this is perfect against the rich creaminess of the onion filling. Since I have made this pie, I have been dreaming up all sorts of other fillings. I am so thankful for the challenge because it has opened up a whole bunch of doors and given me tons of new ideas! So thanks to you Angie ( The NoviceGardener) and Catherine ( at Catherine Cuisine) for organizing this fun challenge! Sometimes we need a little nudge to make us grow and I feel that has definitely happened for me.
I served this as a first course, but it is really so rich that I would serve it as a main course accompanied by a fresh green salad.
Ready for the yeast and herb challenge!
Golden Onion Pie
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm whole milk (105 – 115° F)
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Filling:
3 ½ pounds onions, thinly sliced
½ stick unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 large egg yolks
1 ½ tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
Method:
Dough:
Stir together yeast, milk and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in a bowl to mix by hand) and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)
Add flour, salt, egg and butter and mix at low speed (or stir) until a dough forms. Increase speed to medium high and beat for 3 minutes (or knead by hand for 5 minutes.)
Sprinkle dough lightly with flour and cover bowl with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth.) Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 ½ – 2 hours.
Make filling while dough rises:
Sauté onions in butter with salt and pepper in a large, heavy skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 20 minutes.
Remove lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions turn a golden colour, about 20 – 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Whisk together sour cream, egg yolks and thyme and stir into onions.
Bake pie:
Preheat oven to 375° with rack in middle.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, into a 14 – inch round. Fit dough into a 9 – inch springform pan, stretching dough to hang over the edge.
Spread filling in the pan. Fold edges of dough over the filling, leaving some of the filling exposed in the centre. Let pie stand 20 minutes at room temperature.
Bake until crust is golden-brown and filling is bubbling, about 1 ¼ hours. Cool slightly before serving.
Notes:
Dough can be allowed to rise slowly, in bowl covered with plastic wrap, in refrigerator for 8 – 12 hours. Bring to room temperature before using.
Onion mixture can by made 3 days ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before adding sour cream and egg yolks.
Pie can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat uncovered, at 350° oven for 30 minutes.
Golden Onion Pie
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85 Responses to “Golden Onion Pie: Fiesta Friday Challenge #1”
Looks so inviting!
Thanks so much, Aruna! I am pretty proud of my first yeast attempt! 😀
Julianna this bread is gorgeous “un petit chef-d’oeuvre”, it looks so tempting and so delicious too 🙂
Ah, you are too sweet, Linda! 😀
That looks AMAZING!!!! How fabulous, and a first try?? Wow! There’s no stopping you now….:D
Thanks Elaine! LOL – yes look out, my kitchen is going to be full of yeast recipes for the next while!
Cool!! We will all be eagerly awaiting the outcomes…:)
Wow!!! Well done!! Looks so good! I would not have the courage! 😊
Oh, If I can do it, anybody can – trust me 😀
Hmm…I’m not so sure. Never tried cooking with yeast ever! I’m too scared haha! 😄
Oh my goodness. I’m so glad that others have encouraged me and not I’m going to encourage you! Just watch a bit of youtube and you will get the feel for it and then just dig in! Have fun too! 😀
Onion pie looks delicious..
This looks fab!
well, thanks, Sophie! 😀
This is stunning!
Hi Mimi! Thanks so much! I really appreciate your encouragement! 😀
Well as first experiment I’d say that it looks amazing! I already know that the onion with crust tasted amazing!
Beginner’s luck, maybe? We’ll have to see on the next attempt!
That looks delicious. Nothing like wrapping up a good meal in a tasty bread.
Thanks so much, Hilda! Fun challenge, huh?
First yeast attempt, Julianna? Wow! Beautiful results. 🙂 It looks delicious!
Thanks Nancy! I was really encouraged! And so were my guests 🙂
Looks really tasty! I just want to cut a piece:)
I wish I could just send you over a big piece! 😀
You really did do it and it’s wonderful, I love this tart, first of all I LOVE onions and that filling sounds so good. Fantastic recipe and perfectly executed. Congratulations!!
Oh wow, you are so kind! If you love onion pie, then this is a beauty! Hope you get to try it sometime! 🙂
I’m sure your pie was delicious! even without a bacon! 😀
Hey Mila! But I will try it sometime with the bacon. I’m sure it would be delicious too! 🙂
That pie looks so yummy!!! Wow, great contribution to the challenge! I need some of that onion filling 😀
Thanks so much Naina! Coming from you, I take that as a real compliment! 🙂
Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
[…] Julianna […]
Wow Julianna! You outdid yourself on this one! Looks gorgeous and sounds so good! Such a creative idea for the challenge!!
Hey Lori! Glad you like it! I am just so impressed by what the other participants have been submitting! Now I just need enough time to try all of these beautiful recipes!! 😀
I am hoping to be a part of the next challenge….well, I probably shouldn’t say that until I know what it is! Hahaha. Didn’t have a chance to do this one.
You really did such a great job on this! I know the others are going to love it!
Haha! Yes, Lori, be very careful, it might end up being something like “Caviar and chicken bones” or “Parsley and Peanut Butter”…who knows, huh? But too bad you didn’t get to do this one! And I am looking forward to seeing your entry for the next one too! 😀 Have a great week!
Hahaha….wow, those would be quite interesting combinations….hahahaha! Laughing so hard right now! 🙂
Hello Julianna! Thank you for your participation to the Challenge and for all the hard work you did to get the perfect recipe! Now that you are not afraid of yeast anymore, you will soon realize how fun it is to use 🙂 I love onion pie too, and that is what I baked for this challenge! (a very different pizza-type pie ;)) Bravo!
Well, thanks so much Catherine! I really am looking forward to trying many more recipes with yeast! And I want to thank you for co-hosting this challenge!! I think it gives us all a chance to spread our wings a bit and try something new with a bunch of other adventurous bloggers! You are awesome!! 😀
Beautiful, and well-done! I love your idea for the addition of thyme, it must really complement the onions. The filling looks so inviting wrapped in crust and peeking through the top 🙂
Thanks Laura! I really liked the thyme in the pie and so did my friends, but I will try it with bacon some time. 🙂
Gosh, this looks so delicious – I can hardly believe that it’s your first attempt – you have pulled it off like a pro! My son always tells me that ‘youtube is your friend’ whenever I ask him about something techie and I guess that the same goes for recipes and techniques! Fab choice for FFC#1!
Ah thanks, Selma! I loved looking at the outcome and then of course, devouring it! Yah, I have learned so many things from youtube! It’s the best resource. But you could spend hours and hours on it, simply getting lost in “yeast land” or whatever land you are exploring! 😀
What a fabulous pie Julianna – I bet it tasted amazing! I’d really need to get a hurry on and finish my yeasty/herby entry… only a few days left to go!
Yes, hurry! Time is ticking away! I’m looking forward to seeing your entry! 😀
Looks like you definitely conquered the yeast phobia, sounds delicious!
LOL! Thank goodness, after all of these years of cooking! 😀
I love onion pie and your version looks great! Good job for your first time working with yeast – it is fun 🙂
It is fun, isn’t it? I can’t wait to do some more!! Look out blogosphere! 😀
Julianna this looks like a little bag of goodness! I hope you made enough for all of us 🙂
Oh I made tons for everyone… and I may just have another one hiding in the back of the fridge 😉
Love your onion pie Julianna. I love the rustic look about it with folding the edges over, it’s beautiful! Sounds like a great experience. Another notch on your chef belt! 🙂
Yes, I love the thought of it being a notch on my chef belt! Thanks so much for your lovely comments! 😀
Gasp!
LOL! But I will admit that that was how I felt when it came out of the oven! It was one of those “Honey!! Look what I made!!” moments 😀
Holy you-know-what Julianna!!!!! The dough turned out beautiful and that looks like the most deliciously filling, savory, “dig in” bread onion pie-thing I have ever seen!
LOL! Yes, I do know what!! It is a bit odd looking, but in a delicious sort of way!
Ah, I felt the same way. I’ve never used yeast before the Fiesta Friday Challenge. I loved your description of the nail biting moments as well. But, you’re bread bowl came out beautifully!! Looks very filling to me, a delightful entrée. 🙂
Yes! And don’t you think we should give Angie and Catherine a big round of applause for pushing all of newbies to get out of our comfort zones?? Applause, applause!! I’m sure I will still bite nails for awhile, but I know that there is something tasty in store afterwards…hopefully! 😀
Yes! A HUGE round of applause. They’re such inviting hosts as well. 🙂
Caramelised onions are one of my favourites, so I’m sure to really, really like this. Oddly, I’ve never had them in a pie before. And well done for getting over your yeast thing. Making hot cross buns for Easter changed my opinion completely. Still haven’t made anything else as yet.
Thanks Johnny. Well, this is so amazing with the caramelized onions being mixed with the sour cream and eggs – intensely rich, but wow, what a treat. I would like to try hot cross buns next year too; maybe by then I will be an old pro with the yeast! Who knows… 🙂
Onion and thyme are a match made in heaven. This pie looks quite delicious, I’d love a slice for my lunch today 🙂 This challenge was so much fun, and there are so many great blogs like yours out there that I need to discover!
Thanks so much Darya! You are very kind! I agree about the challenge. Honestly I wish I had had more time to create other recipes, because it has been so much fun to participate! But we have other challenges to look forward to. 😀
Good for you for taking up the challenge…your onion pie looks terrific. I love zwiebelkuchen and if you decide to make it you don’t need to use a 1/4 lb. of bacon, a few slices chopped thin will give it plenty of flavor.
Well, thanks so much for the great feedback! I never thought of just a few slice and I will certainly try it the next time that I make it! 🙂
What a beautiful presentation– looks absolutely delicious as well. Onions are a favorite food in my house! I may have to try it with the few slices of bacon, although I am sure that it would be wonderful without it as well. Thanks for sharing this dish! 🙂
Yes, me too! I will certainly try it with a bit of bacon! I am so happy to share it! 😀
You did a very good job on your first yeast experience, Chef Julianna! I am envious! 😀 I feel the need to watch YouTube on the next coming days! This is really awesome and great entry for FFC#1.
Thanks Jhuls! Glad you like the entry and I highly recommend the youtube videos! Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
I will make sure to watch a ton! 😀
How beautiful. It reminds me a bit of an inside out French onion soup, minus the Gruyere. Such a creative and unique dish. 🙂
Well thank-you! I never thought of it that way, but yes, it is true! What a great analogy! 😀
Julianna, you did such a beautiful job on the challenge, and I would never know it was your first time cooking with yeast by looking at this gorgeous onion pie. I am salivating just thinking about the smells that probably came from your kitchen when you made this. I love that you left out the bacon and made it vegetarian. I cannot wait to try this! Btw, I had the same thing happened to me with the yeast clumping up in the milk. Apparently, clumps are not “proof” of failure, lol! Have a great week!
Hi Ngan. Thanks so much for the very lovely comment! It really was yummy and I highly recommend that you try making it! So about the lumps…do you know if we are just supposed to leave them alone? They really had a mind of their own and really resisted my efforts to schmoosh them with a spoon. Maybe we should just sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquid? I didn’t see anyone address this in the youtube videos (LOL!) Hmmm, who can we ask?
I can relate to being afraid of yeast and also your elation at a successful creation. I recently made pizza crust for the first time and was so excited when it turned out. Congratulations on your accomplishment! It looks amazing!
Funny you should mention pizza dough! That is my next yeast project and I can’t wait to find a bit of time to actually do it. So glad that yours turned out! 🙂
This is one tasty looking onion pie! I’m still going through the Fiesta Friday Challenge entries, so many good yeast recipes!! 🙂
I know, I found so much inspiration in those posts!! I could bake from them for the next year and still be finding new and delicious recipes! 😀
Maybe we should have a FF Challenge rewind, or something similar? I really like the idea of making dishes from each others’ blogs. I’ve been doing it recently, though not always remembering to photograph the results.
That would be a hoot! 😀
Too complicated for me but it looks amazing. 😀
Oh my..I don’t know how this happened that I have not seen this one before, but it’s definitively on my list of things to do for the next few days!It looks delicious, so rustic and exactly the way I like 🙂
Well, thanks so much for your comment! I really hope you like it as much as we did and please let me know your thoughts once you have made it! Have fun!
[…] that many of the participants, me included, got the yeast bug! After our challenge, (see my entry here) I vowed that I would learn how to make bread, and since then I have been busily experimenting with […]