It’s been a week and a half since I last baked any bread. I’m slipping!

Bread is pretty much my most favorite thing to make. It just boggles the mind how many different things you can create using just a few basic ingredients. Flour, water, salt, and yeast. Switch a few things out here and there, and another gastronomic goody is born.

Besides, there’s no such thing as a bad loaf of homemade bread. And it’s easy.

Today’s bread came straight out of my Mom’s Cook Book. It came from a magazine – although I have no idea which one. As I’ve been going through every single recipe and getting them on their own site, the one recurring theme is where did this come from?!? Some are definitely the now-defunct San Francisco News Call Bulletin or the shadow-of-its-former-self San Francisco Examiner, but the magazines?!? She read too many of them to ever be able to pin down a source.

But source isn’t as important as taste. And this is one tasty bread! It makes a large loaf, so make sure you have plenty of folks over to share it with.

Onion Poppy Seed Bread

Bread

• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, me;ted
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg

Filling

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten – for glaze

In large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 2 cups flour, melted butter, milk, sugar, salt, and 1 egg. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. With wooden spoon, stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough – about 2 cups. Spoon onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: In small bowl, combine onion, melted butter or margarine, poppy seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

Punch dough down. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 20×8-inch rectangle. Cut in half from 8-inch side, forming two 20×4-inch rectangles.  Spread onion filling onto each to within 1/2 inch of edges. Pinch seams to seal forming a long rope. Repeat with remaining dough. Twist the ropes together. On lightly greased baking sheet, form dough into a ring. Cover and let rise, in warm place, free from draft, until double in bulkm about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush dough ring with the remaining egg. Sprinkle with additional poppy seeds and chopped onion, if desired. Bake for 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped with fingers. Cool slightly on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf, about 28 1-inch slices. About 150 calories per slice.

I had more than one slice.

Here are a few photos of the making. I usually forget to do these. This is the two 20″ by 4″ pieces before folding.

Here we have the ring formed and getting ready for the second rise.

Brushed with egg and sprinkled with poppy seeds, it’s ready to go into the oven.

And then we have the finished product.

This really was good. It’s like a stuffed Challah bread. It’s another bread I shall be making again. And again.

Here’s the recipe from Mom’s Cookbook!