Kevin Dundon's Caramelised onion bread

Method

• Place the yeast and water in a medium-sized bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Allow the mixture to stand for about 3 minutes.
• Place the flour and salt in a bowl and add the yeast mixture. Mix for 2–3 minutes – knead with your fingers to incorporate the flour, scrape the sides of the bowl and fold the dough over itself – until the mixture gathers into a rough mass.
• Move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until it becomes supple and somewhat elastic. The dough will be very sticky at first; keep your hands and the work surface lightly floured and use a dough scraper, if necessary, to prevent the dough from sticking and building up on the work surface.
• As you continue kneading, the dough will become more elastic and easier to handle.
• Shape the dough into a loose ball, return it to the bowl and cover it with clingfilm (plastic wrap). Leave it in a warm place for about 50 minutes to rise.
• Knead the dough again on the lightly floured surface for 2–3 minutes or until it becomes very smooth and springy. Shape the dough into a round loaf or divide the dough into 10–12 pieces and roll each piece into a round shape. Place the dough onto a greased baking sheet, brush with egg wash and spoon the onion marmalade on top. Leave the dough to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or until it looks slightly puffy.
• Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/gas mark 4.
• Bake for about 20 minutes for a loaf or 15 minutes for rolls, until the bread is a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottoms.
• Remove the bread from the oven and allow cooling on a wire rack before serving.
• This bread will keep fresh for a day.