Fränkischer Zwiebelkuchen - Franconian Onion Cake

Franconian Onion Cake (Fränkischer Zwiebelkuchen) is a savory yeast dough cake made with plenty of onions, seasoned with herbs and served best warm right from the oven with Franconian white wine. In September Zwiebelkuchen is sometimes served with Federweißerwhich is a fermenting new wine made from freshly harvested grapes. Zwiebelkuchen is great as appetizer or meal with a fresh salad. Most Franconian house wives will know how to make the onion cake. You can buy it fresh at the local bakery or winery.

Fränkischer Zwiebelkuchen - Franconian Onion Cake

Ingredients:

Medium yeast textured dough*****SEE BELOW FOR THIS RECIPE 

 prepared with 375 g flour (no sugar)

1/4 L / 1 cup warm milk

50 g / 1.7 oz butter (room temperature)

1 package of dry east (7 g)

Topping ingredients:

30 g / 1 oz butter or olive oil

1/2 - 3/4 kg / 1.1 - 1.6 lbs onions

50 - 80 g / 1.7 - 2.8 oz bacon (Räucherspeck) or ham

3-4 tablespoons sour cream

2 eggs

Pinch salt, ground cumin, pepper

Preparation

Prepare a medium textured yeast dough according to the basic recipe method but with modified ingredients (see ingredients window), dough should be soft and light in texture. If preparing dough in a bread machine, resolve the yeast in the warm milk first for about 10-15 minutes in a separate cup. Add the flour to the bread machine container then the in small pieces cut soft butter and finally pour the warm milk with the yeast on top of the flour. The bread machine will do the rest. Dough can be prepared the day before. Store risen dough in the fridge covered with tin foil until ready to use the next day.

Grease a deap baking dish and sprinkle some flour on the bottom of the dish, shake dish horizontally so the flour spreads evenly. Dump the dough directly into the baking dish, dough may seem sticky at this point, sprinkle little bit flour on the dough and work into the dish forming an edge on all sides. Let dough rest and rise some more in a warm room while preparing the filling.

Cut onions in thin stripes and sautée in some butter or olive oil on low heat until glossy and golden in color. Add plenty of cumin, pinch salt and pepper to taste. Cut the bacon in small cubes and fry until crispy. Drain bacon and set aside. Let cooked onions and bacon cool. In a bowl whisk the eggs with the sour cream, add the cooled onions and bacon to the eggs and fold into the dough. Preheat oven to 390° - 410° F (200°-210° C), oven temperatures may vary. On my old oven I had to bake it at 380°F. Spread onion mixture evenly on the dough and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm with a fresh salad on the side and a good Franconian white wine"Bocksbeutel" (if you can find it) or any other good white wine.

Foto Credit: Bavarian Kitchen

Medium Textured Yeast Dough Recipe

This medium textured yeast dough basic recipe is used to make traditional Bavarian Buchteln, Dampfnudeln (steamed dumplings), Rohrnudeln, Apfelnudeln (apple noodles), Kirschennudeln (cherry noodles), Zwetschgennudeln (plum noodles), Zimtnudeln (cinnamon noodles), Wuchteln, Dukatennudeln, Schneckennudeln (snail noodles), Rosenkuchen, Hefemaultaschen, Hefekloß (yeast dumplings), Hefepudding (yeast pudding), Hefekleingebäck (yeast bakery), Hefezopf (yeast braided cake), Wickelkuchen, Nußkranz (nut wreath), Gugelhupf, Obstkuchen (fruit cake), Käse-(Quark)kuchen (cheese cake), Butterkuchen (butter cake), Zuckerkuchen (sugar cake), Streuselkuchen, Bienenstich (honey cake), Speckkuchen (bacon cake), Zwiebelkuchen (onion cake) Stollen (Christmas cake).

Ingredients:

500 g (17.6 oz) flour,

 pinch of salt

1/8 - 1/4 L (1/2 - 1 cup) warm milk (depending on egg size and fat amount)

20 g fresh yeast (or 1 packet dry yeast 7g)

50 - 100 g (1.7 - 3.5 oz) melted butter or vegetable oil

50 - 80 g (1.7 - 2.8 oz) sugar

1 - 2 eggs, zest of 1 untreated lemon

Optional depending on bakery type:

raisins, sultana raisins or almonds can be added to above recipe.

Preparation (using a hand mixer or bread machine)

1. Add the lukewarm milk, melted butter or lukewarm vegetable oil, sugar, salt and sieved flour in a tall bowl. Sprinkle the zest of one untreated lemon on top of the mixture, add the crumbled fresh or dry yeast and one or two (if small) eggs. 

2. Mix all ingredients first on the lowest setting using a hand mixer (might need a dough attachment) or you can use the dough setting using a bread machine. Switch to highest setting on the hand mixer and mix until dough separates from bowl and has a consistent and even texture.

3. Cover the yeast dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it raise in a warm room. If you are using a bread machine let the dough rise inside the bread machine. 

4. To make the dough texture fine(r) you can knead it once while it raises (the bread machine usually kneads it once during the raising period).

5. If you let the dough rise in a colder environment it will make the doughtexture very fine but it will take longer for it to rise. Therefore this can be accomplished over night. If there is not enough time for the dough to rise dumplings can be formed first using a minimal amount of flour (unrisen dough is sticky) and after they've been formed they still have to rise especially well.

6. Form the risen dough depending on what you are making using as little flour as possible. Make sure you don't disturb the risen dough and form your bakery very carefully (don't knead). Small bakery items should not be formed to large because the dough will still rise after it's been formed and it will rise more during baking/cooking.

Place formed bakery on a greased cookie sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise just a bit more.

Bake/cook risen bakery according to the recipe, some may have to be brushed with egg or butter before baking.