And now I've got rolls...

And after all that travelling and delicious holidays where I ate more than I should have, I now have rolls. Yes the kind you are thinking of, but also these nice whole wheat ones, stuffed with caramelized onions & raisins.

I don't like onions at all, but everybody else arround me seems to love them so I do caramelized onions & raisins as a side dish sometimes. The raisins addition is something I saw once done in a restaurante and apparently it works really well. I had some leftover and decided to use them to stuff some bread rolls.

This is a very simple whole wheat bread recipe, I use it often to do rolls or small loafs. It works as well with white flour or a misture of white and whole wheat. But of course you can use this idea with your favourite bread recipe.

STUFFED WHOLE WHEAT BREAD ROLLS

• 250 gr (9 oz) whole wheat flour
• 1 package instant yeast
• 1/2 tbps salt
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• About 1/2 cup skim milk (warm)
• 1/2 cup caramelized onion & raisins*
• Sesame seeds to sprinkle

*Recipe below or use other stuffing you migh have on hand.

Dump the flour in a bowl, add the yeast, sugar, salt and butter. Mix with your hands or the hock of a stand mixer. Add enough milk to have a playable dough that doesn't stick to the bowl but that it's not too hart either. Adjust the quantity of milk as you go, adding flour if you think the dough is too sticky. Knead by hand until you have a smoth dough or about 2 minutes in a stand mixer. Let it rise in a warm place until it doubles volume.

Punch the dough and divide it in 10 pieces. Flat each piece with your hand (use flour to help you not stick if you need). Put about 1 tsp of the caramelized onion and close the dough arround it, pinching the top to "glue it" and roll it on the table or with your hands. Place it in a tray (pinched part down) and sprinkle sesame seeds. Let it proof one more time until they double volume (about 30-40m). Bake for 10-12m in a pre-heated 200ºC (400ºF) oven.

Not really the most photogenic stuff, but for those who love onions they're a real treat! Use it to stuff bread, as a side dish, to mix with pasta, as pizza topping or do as my mom and eat them just with a spoon.

CARAMELIZED ONIONS & RAISINS

• 4 onions (I've used red)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sal & pepper to taste

Peel and cut the onions in half and then cut each half in very thin slices. In a pan or skillet add the oil and onions and mix frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula so they don't burn. They'll first become translucent and then start to caramelize. When you're happy with their color start adding the vegetable stock little by little until it's absorbed, quind of like you would do when making a risoto. When you have used about half the stock add the raisins and salt and pepper to taste. Carry on with the stock until you finish it. Take out of the stove and you can use it right away or store it in the fridge for about 4 days.

My friend Leslie does her caramelized onions in a dutch oven without stiring, so maybe you prefer her way of doing it.

Ok, now that I took care of these rolls and off to the gym, to take care of the others!