This no-knead caramelized onion bread is stuffed full of caramelized onions, green olives, and gruyere cheese. It's an impressive and easy bread to make packed full of flavor! Serve it up with butter topped with flaky sea salt and fresh thyme for a rustic flavor-packed side dish!
If you're a fan of making bread at home but don't like the hassle of kneading dough, then this recipe is for you. Onions are caramelized and then added to flour with olives, gruyere, salt, water, and yeast. Then it's mixed together and set aside to rise before baking, so simple!
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Equipment You'll Need
- 8-inch cast iron pan
- medium mixing bowl
- rubber spatula
- plastic wrap and clean kitchen towel
- measuring cups and spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- cheese grater
- pastry brush
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the bread:
- all-purpose flour
- yellow onions: You can also use white or sweet onions.
- green olives: I used castrovenelo olives for their light flavor and buttery texture but you can use whatever olives you love to eat.
- Gruyere cheese: You can substitute with Swiss or sharp cheddar cheese if you can't find Gruyere.
- active dry yeast
- Kosher salt
- water
- olive oil
For serving:
- butter
- flaky sea salt
- fresh thyme
- good quality olive oil
Tips + Tricks
- Measure accurately: For consistent results, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level with a knife.
- Adjust hydration: No-knead bread recipes typically have a high hydration level, but you may need to adjust it slightly depending on factors like humidity and the type of flour you're using. The dough should be sticky but still manageable.
- Be patient with rise/fermentation: The key to developing flavor in no-knead bread is allowing the dough to ferment slowly over a long period. Four hours is the shortest amount of time needed for this dough to rise, however, the fermentation period can range from 4 to 24 hours or even longer.
- Experiment with rising/fermentation time and temperature: You can adjust the fermentation time and temperature to suit your schedule and preferences. A longer fermentation at cooler temperatures (such as in the refrigerator) develops more complex flavors, while a shorter fermentation at warmer temperatures speeds up the process.
- Handle the dough gently: Since you're not kneading the dough, it's important to handle it gently to avoid deflating it too much. Use a light touch when transferring it to the cast iron skillet.
- Let it cool: Allow the bread to cool in the skillet for a few minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps prevent the crust from becoming soggy.
Step by Step Instructions
Slice and caramelize the onions. (1-2)
In a medium mixing bowl, combine salt with flour and mix. (3)
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. (4-5)
Add water and stir until combined, being careful not to over-mix. (6)
Cover and set in a warm place to rise/ferment for 4-6 hours. (7)
Coat a cast iron pan in olive oil, transfer the dough to the pan, and bake. (8)
Cool and serve with butter topped with flaky sea salt and thyme.
Reheating, Storing + Freezing
Reheating: This bread is wonderful grilled 2-3 mins per side over medium heat)or air-fried (4 mins @ 370F) with a little olive oil.
Storing: Store this bread in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Freeze this bread in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. When ready to use, remove from the freezer and allow to defrost for 2-4 hours.
More Bread Recipes You May Enjoy
Try my no-knead rosemary bread and no-knead focaccia bread if you are a fresh-baked bread lover.
Recipe
Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Olive Bread (no knead)
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*Easily adjust serving size to your liking by clicking the number under servings or with the boxes below in the ingredients section.
Equipment
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 medium Yellow onions
- ⅓ cup Castelvetrano Olives or your favorite green olives, pitted, roughly chopped
- 2 cups Gruyere Cheese shreaded, divided
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil for brushing the cast iron skillet
For serving:
- Butter, Sea Salt, Fresh Thyme, Olive Oil
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Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, add sliced onions and cook, stirring every few minutes until golden and caramelized but not mushy (15-20 mins). See more tips for caramelizing onions. Set aside and cool. Makes about 1 cup of caramelized onions depending on the onion's size.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour and salt and gently mix. (See note 1 below.) Add ¾ cup of the cooled onions, chopped olives, half of the gruyere cheese, and yeast. Gently mix until well combined. Slowly stir in the water a little at a time until a firm, but sticky dough forms. (See note 2 below, and the photos in the step-by-step above for reference.) Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a paper towel and set in a warm place for 4 hours or until doubled in size. (See notes 3 and 4.)
- Preheat your oven to 425℉ and position a rack in the center
- Using a pastry brush, brush the inside of the cast iron skillet with a thin coat of olive oil. Using a rubber spatula, gently transfer the dough to the cast iron skillet (see note 5).
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining gruyere cheese. Bake another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and let the bread sit in the cast iron skillet for 5 minutes, then remove from the skillet, transfer to a wire rack, and cool for another 25-30 minutes (note 6).
- Slice and serve with butter topped with fresh thyme, flaky seas salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Tips + Tricks
-
- Measure accurately: For consistent results, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level with a knife.
- Adjust hydration: No-knead bread recipes typically have a high hydration level, but you may need to adjust it slightly depending on factors like humidity and the type of flour you're using. The dough should be sticky but still manageable.
- Be patient with rise/fermentation: The key to developing flavor in no-knead bread is allowing the dough to ferment slowly over a long period. Four hours is the shortest amount of time needed for this dough to rise, however, the fermentation period can range from 4 to 24 hours or even longer.
- Experiment with rising/fermentation time and temperature: You can adjust the fermentation time and temperature to suit your schedule and preferences. A longer fermentation at cooler temperatures (such as in the refrigerator) develops more complex flavors, while a shorter fermentation at warmer temperatures speeds up the process.
- Handle the dough gently: Since you're not kneading the dough, it's important to handle it gently to avoid deflating it too much. Use a light touch when transferring it to the cast iron skillet.
- Let it cool: Allow the bread to cool in the skillet for a few minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps prevent the crust from becoming soggy.
Reheating, Storing + Freezing
Reheating: This bread is wonderful grilled 2-3 mins per side over medium heat)or air-fried (4 mins @ 370F) with a little olive oil. Storing: Store this bread in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freezing: Freeze this bread in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. When ready to use, remove from the freezer and allow to defrost for 2-4 hours.Nutrition
If you tried this Caramelized Onion Bread or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe Inspiration
This recipe is inspired by a bread I had at a little restaurant in Glen Ellen California, Glen Ellen Star. A cozy, rustic little place serving up homegrown produce and wood-fired dishes.
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