Onion Rolls are soft rolls with onions baked inside as well as sprinkled on top of the rolls. The onions give these rolls a moderate onion flavor more so than most onion rolls I have had in the past. The bulk of the onions inside the rolls disintegrate during baking.
I was craving onion rolls, so I did some searching and found this recipe on the Cooked by Julie site. They looked good, so I thought I would give them a try. Jeff and I both like them a lot.
The original recipe calls for one yellow onion and one red onion. I had yellow and purple onions on hand, so those are the onions that I used. The onions were about 3-inches in diameter.
When making these rolls, first start by chopping the onions then frying them in a little oil. Once caramelized, remove the onions from the skillet and set them aside while you prepare the dough. This will give the onions a little time to cool before they are added to the bread dough. I mix bread dough by hand, so allowing the onions to cool a little saves my hands from hot onions. 😉 You can use an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment if you don't want to mix by hand.
Three quarters of the caramelized onions and the granulated onion are added to the dough last. The dough will be a little sticky before adding the onions. After adding the onions, the dough will be a little wet.
Allow the dough to rise until doubled. Then, shape the dough into twelve rolls and place in the baking pan. Next, allow the dough to rise until doubled a second time then brush with an egg wash. Top with the remaining caramelized onions then bake and enjoy!
The original recipe instructs you to brush with melted butter after removing the rolls from the oven, but I skip that step. The rolls are tasty enough without the added butter. You can brush the rolls with melted butter, if you prefer.
If you like homemade rolls, check out my Refrigerator Rolls or Potato Rolls recipes. Refrigerator Rolls dough is made then placed in the refrigerator overnight. Potato Rolls are made with leftover mashed potatoes. Both are good dinner rolls.
I hope you enjoy the Onion Rolls!
Onion Rolls
Ingredients
Onion Rolls
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 1 yellow onion I use an onion about 3-inches in diameter.
- 1 red or purple onion I use an onion about 3-inches in diameter.
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar Plus a little more to test the yeast.
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted I melt the butter in the microwave.
- 1 teaspoon salt Plus more to season the onions.
- 1 jumbo egg
- 1 cup milk, hot I use whole milk, but you can use the milk you prefer. I warm the milk in the microwave.
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
Egg Wash
- 1 jumbo egg
Instructions
- Place the warm water in a small container then stir in the yeast. Sprinkle about one-half teaspoon of sugar on top of the yeast then stir to combine. Let rest for 10-15 minutes. The yeast should grow and get bubbly. If the yeast does not grow and get bubbly, start over with fresh yeast.
- Chop the onions.
- Heat a tablespoon or two of vegetable or olive oil in a skillet over medium-heat.
- Add the onions to the skillet then season them with salt.
- Stir the onions and cook until they are soft and begin to caramelize.
- Remove the onions from the skillet then set them aside.
- In a large container, combine the hot milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. You can use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients, if you prefer. I always make breads and rolls by hand.
- Add the yeast to the milk mixture and stir to combine.
- Gradually add the flour then stir to combine.
- Continue to add the flour, stirring after each addition. The dough will be a little tacky.
- Add about 3/4's of the fried onions and the granulated onions. Stir to combine. The dough will be a little wet now.
- Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or so.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl then cover with wax paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Place the dough in a warm place then let rise until doubled. It takes about an hour for the dough to rise for me.
- Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. You can butter the baking dish, if you prefer.
- After the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 12-equal pieces. You can do this in your bowl or on a floured surface.
- Shape the pieces into balls with the edges on the bottom.
- Place the balls of dough in the prepared baking dish with space between each roll.
- Cover the baking dish with lightly sprayed wax paper then set in a warm place until the rolls have doubled in size. It takes about one hour for me.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Prepare the egg wash by beating the egg.
- After the rolls have doubled in size, lightly brush the rolls with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle the top of each roll with the remaining onions.
- Place the rolls in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the rolls are browned.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 or so minutes.
- Remove from the pan and let cool completely before serving.
- You can brush the rolls with melted butter if you want buttery rolls.