Cheese & Caramelised Onion Couronne

I never got around to making a Couronne (crown) during week 6 of The Great Bloggers Bake Off but they looked so tempting, with all that filling oozing out. A combination of the weather turning very cold suddenly and an abundance of carrots in the fridge I decided I would make a soup, and of course a soup is best served with freshly baked bread. I also seem to have an abundance of onions ready for more chutney making that I haven't got around to yet so I decided to caramelise some and add it to the bread.

Cheese & Caramelised Onion Couronne

For the dough
500g white bread flour
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
7g yeast
50g butter, softened

225-250ml milk

Filling
4 small onions
2 tbsp olive oil
140g Cheddar cheese, grated

• Add the flour, salt, sugar & yeast to a bowl
• Add the softened butter and approx 225ml of milk & mix well until it all comes together, adding more milk as required
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for approx 10 minutes until you have a smooth & stretchy dough
• Place in a greased bowl & cover with clingfilm & place in a warm spot for approx 1hour until doubled in size
• Meanwhile peel & thinly slice the onions
• Heat the olive oil in a pan & add the onions
• Fry over a medium/high heat for 2-3 minutes
• Turn the heat down & cook until the onions are soft & caramel brown in colour, leave to cool
• Turn the proved dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knock back
• Roll the dough out into a large rectangle
• Spread the onion & grated cheese (reserving a little cheese for the top) evenly over the dough and roll up tightly
• Slice the rolled up dough lengthways so you have 2 long pieces
• Twist these pieces together and then form them into a crown
• Place on a baking sheet and cover with clingfilm & leave to prove for another hour or so
• Sprinkle over the remaining cheese
• Bake in a preheated 200 C oven for approx 25 minutes, until golden brown

Lentil & Brown Bread Bolognaise

Yep, you read that right, brown bread bolognaise. A great staple food in a house with a very very hungry [almost] teenage boy. Breadcrumbs can bulk out a meat or meat free bolognaise and if it's a meaty one chances are no-one would even notice the bread.

Here I made a midweek lentil and bread bolognaise which can be served with pasta, or spiced up with chilli and served with rice. I chose to make it into a lasagne with a home-made white sauce, dried pasta sheets and topped with lots of grated cheddar cheese.

Lentil & Brown Bread Bolognaise - serves 4

1tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 slices of wholemeal bread, blended into crumbs
150g red lentils
600 - 750ml Vegetable stock or water
400g can of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp paprika

• Heat the oil in a pan
• Add the onion & garlic & fry on a low heat for 3-4 minutes until softened
• Add the breadcrumbs, lentils 500ml of stock, tomatoes, herbs & paprika to the pan & mix well
• Put the lid on, bring to the boil and simmer for approx 10 minutes
• Add more liquid as necessary and simmer for another 20-30 minutes until the onions and lentils are fully cooked

Serve with pasta or layer up with lasagne sheets & white sauce & top with grated cheese & bake in the oven for approx 40 minutes