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                                                       Photo: Judy Stern

by Judy Stern
Grand Prize Winner
Red Star PLATINUM Yeast Sampling/Baking Competition

We are delighted to share the Grand Prize winning recipe from the Red Star PLATINUM Yeast Sampling/Baking Competition, Soft Onion Rolls*. Read Judy's comments on her experience on baking with Red Star PLATINUM Yeast below.

Ingredients:

Dough:
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast

Topping/Filling:
1/2 cup dehydrated minced onions
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Glaze:
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Manual/Mixer Method: In a large bowl, combine the water, milk, butter or margarine, vegetable oil and egg; beat to combine. Stir in the salt, sugar, flour and yeast. Mix till well-combined, then knead -- 8 to 12 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes in an electric mixer equipped with the dough hook(s) -- until the dough is smooth and supple, soft but not tacky. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 1 hour; it'll appear puffy, though not necessarily doubled in bulk. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. When the machine has completed its cycle, gently transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface.

Topping: Place the dehydrated onions in a small bowl, cover them with water by about 2 inches, and allow them to soak for 1 to 2 hours. Drain the onions, then squeeze them as dry as you can in a piece of cheesecloth, or a double thickness of paper towels. Mix the onions with the vegetable oil and poppy seeds, stir to combine, and set aside.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Let the dough pieces rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Flatten each piece into a 5-inch circle, using your fingers to pull the dough outward from the center, then giving each piece a swipe with a rolling pin, if you want the tops to be perfectly smooth. Transfer the circles to parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheets.

Top half of each circle with about 2 teaspoons filling, leaving a border around the edge, then brush the border with some of the egg wash. Fold the circle in half, and press the edges together to seal. Gently flatten and shape the rolls into ovals. Brush the top of each roll with the egg wash, and top with 1 teaspoon of the filling, spreading it over the surface of the roll. Let the rolls rise, uncovered (or very loosely covered with greased plastic wrap) for 1 hour, or until they're puffy; they won't have doubled in size.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 350