The Grampy Bread

There's something really satisfying about making things with your hands - breads, pastas, doughs.
My grandfather passed away two years ago today and I named this bread after him. The weekend of his funeral was quite tough - knowing that my whole family was there in Michigan and I wasn't.  I found solace in cooking and baking... but for some reason, I only wanted to make things that I had never made before and I chose fairly time-consuming recipes.
One recipe I tried that I have now made many times over is a Carmelised Onion and Thyme Plait, featured in one of Waitrose's free seasonal magazines (back when they had them).

It's actually quite easy to make - it just takes time given that it needs to rise twice.
I make it as an accompaniment to soups or stews, but it would also be nice served up with some cheese.
This bread is now my favourite bread to make, and lovingly renamed after my grandfather: the Grampy bread.

Caramelised Onion and Thyme Plait

Rediscover the pleasure and satisfaction of baking your own bread. Our crisp, crusty plait is simple to make and delicious to eat – especially when served with a hunk of cheese.

• Nut Free

Preparation time:

40 minutes, plus proving

Cooking time:

40 minutes

Total time:

1 hour 20 minutes, plus proving  

Serves:

 8 - 10

Ingredients

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
• 1 ½ tsp celery salt
• 75g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 750g red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1/3 pack lemon thyme, plus extra to sprinkle
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Maldon sea salt

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, celery salt and cheese in a bowl. Add 3 tbsp of the oil and about 325ml of hand-hot water. Mix to a soft, but not too sticky, dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
2. To make the filling, heat another 3 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan and stir in the onions and caster sugar. Fry for about 15 minutes, turning frequently, until they’re soft and lightly caramelised. Chop the thyme and add to the pan with the garlic and plenty of black pepper. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Spread over a baking sheet to cool.
3. Grease a large baking sheet. Punch the risen dough to deflate it and turn out onto a floured surface. Divide into three. Roll each piece into a long, thin strip, measuring about 35 x 10cm. Spoon the filling down each strip to within 1cm of the edges. Lightly dampen one long side of each strip and bring the sides up over the filling, pinching the dough firmly together. Turn the strips over so the joins are underneath.
4. Starting from the centre, braid the three strips loosely together, working towards one end. Pinch the ends together firmly. Braid the other half in the same way. Lift onto the baking sheet, tucking the ends underneath. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 40-50 minutes until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7.
5. Drizzle the dough with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and scatter generously with salt. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Scatter with plenty of thyme sprigs and bake for a further 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.