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Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello

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Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello is a soft and dreamy adaption of an Italian Brioche. This loaf is loaded with flavor from bits of caramelized onion and gouda cheese.

Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello

One of the great things about this time of year is with the cooler weather I just love firing up my oven. I love to bake, and I especially love to bake bread. So when this month’s BreadBaker Host blog:  Karen’s Kitchen Stories stated the theme was root vegetables, I had a heck of a time deciding what to make. This Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello was a great choice!

Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello

I’ve never heard of Casatiello. I read that it is an Italian version of a Brioche. It traditionally contains meats such as salami and flavorful cheeses and baked in paper bags or a Panettone mold.

Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello

The last time I shopped at one of the large membership stores I bought a big bag of onions that I couldn’t finish so decided to caramelize them…in the crockpot! I had those caramelized onions in my freezer and this bread was the perfect time to use them.

Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello

I baked this bread in a tall-sided 8-inch cake pan. The recipe said I could use a 9×5 loaf pan or brown paper bags put in large enough coffee cans to hold it.

My bread had such a beautiful rise that I could have probably put it in a 9-inch cake pan. There is no way it would have worked in a 9×5 loaf pan. This baby rose like it was on steroids.

Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello

The second raise said to let it rise until it reached the top of off the pan, about 90 minutes. I think it took only 45 minutes and she was peaking over the top. Do you get as excited about dough performance as I do? Sorry folks, I’m a self-proclaimed bread nerd.

Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello

This bread tasted so warm, savory and delicious. My biggest problem was cutting this slice before my bread was cooled so I mutilated it a bit but I just couldn’t wait to dive in.

Don’t have time to make it now? Pin it for later!

A loaf of Onion Gouda bread sitting on a cake stand over a blue striped napkin.
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5 from 1 vote

Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello

Caramelized Onion Gouda Casatiello is a soft and dreamy adaption of an Italian Brioche. This loaf is loaded with flavor with bits of caramelized onion and gouda cheese.
Prep Time 4 hrs
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 4 hrs 40 mins
Servings 16 people
Author Julie Menghini

Ingredients

Sponge

  • 1/2 cup bread flour I used unbleached
  • 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature (you can also use warm water)
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast

Dough

  • 3-1/2 cups unbleached bread flour plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs slightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 3/4 cup Gouda cheese roughly grated
  • 1/2 cup caramelized onion roughly chopped

Instructions

Sponge

  • Stir together the sponge ingredients in a 1 quart sized bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature for 1 hour. The sponge will foam and collapse on itself when you tap the bowl. If it doesn’t foam you will need new yeast and repeat the process.
  • While the sponge is fermenting, grate your cheese and chop your caramelized onion.

Dough**

  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fit with the paddle attachment, add flour, salt, and sugar. Mix or whisk to combine. Add eggs and sponge and mix together on low speed until the ingredients form a coarse ball. If you have loose flour in the bottom drizzle a small amount of water or milt to gather it into the ball. Mix for 1 minute and then let the dough rest for 10 minutes to allow the gluten to develop.
  • Divide the butter into 4 pieces. On medium speed, mix the butter into the dough one piece at a time. The dough will be soft but not like a batter. Continue mixing until the dough is a smooth tacky mass, about 8 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl down occasionally if necessary. Replace paddle attachment with a dough hook attachment and continue mixing on a medium speed for 4 minutes or until dough comes off the sides of the bowl. If it doesn’t do this add a small amount of flour.
  • Add the cheese and onions and mix on low until just combined. If the dough is sticky, add another small amount of flour until dough is tacky but not sticky. Transfer dough to a large well oiled bowl, rolling to coat all sides with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until dough increases at least 1-1/2 times, 90 minutes.
  • Leave dough in one piece for a large loaf or divide in half for two smaller loaves. Place dough in an 8-inch round cake pan or 2-8″ loaf pans that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel. Let rise until dough just reaches the top of the pan(s), 60-90 minutes.
  • With the oven rack set in the lower 1/3 of the oven, preheat to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes and then turn the pan. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until bread reaches an internal temperature of 185°-190°F.
  • Remove the bread from the pan(s) onto a cooling rack. Allow the bread to cool for one hour before serving.

Notes

Recipe adapted from the book “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart *Prep time includes rising time. **For the dough, I recommend using an electric stand mixer. This dough is tacky and somewhat difficult to knead by hand.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 58mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 0.2mg
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
Tried this recipe? That’s awesome!Mention @hostessatheart or tag #hostessatheart!

The right supplies will make your bread baking success a surer thing. In this recipe. I used 8″x3″ round cake pan and my favorite instant-read thermometer.

One of the things that I love is looking at all of the wonderful recipes that all of the other #BreadBaker participants bring!

BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to [email protected].

I love this Bread Bakers Group. Here are a few of my other Recipes!

Hungarian Egg Twist Bread

Hungarian Egg Twist | Hostess At Heart

Cherry Almond Kugelhopf Bread Recipe

A loaf of Cherry Almond Kugelhopf Bread that\'s been baked and shaped in a bundt pan sprinkled with powdered sugar and sitting on a silver platter over a cutting board.

Spiced Apple Star Bread Recipe

Top-down view of a star-shaped bread filled with diced bread that sits on a wood cutting board.

Pin it now!

Two photo collage for Pinterest. The top photo is a mushroom-shaped loaf of bread called a Caramelized Onion Couda Casatiello. The bottom photo is a slice of the bread with fresh gouda sitting in the background. The title runs through the center.

Comments

  2. Pavani says

    Wow, what an amazing bread. LOVE the caramelized onions and gouda in there.
    Ya, I do a happy dance when I see my bread starts to rise like that 🙂

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you, Mimi. It did remind me a bit of a Brioche when I made it. It was a lot of fun to follow it’s progress and it tastes great.

      Reply

  4. Jennifer A Stewart says

    This is gorgeous bread and I can’t wait to make it! I’m thinking about making a savory french toast with it too!

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Michaela! It was really good and you’re right that there isn’t anything better than the smell of baking bread. Well maybe eating it warm with some good all butter.

      Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      I didn’t use that method Andrea but if you wanted to you would spray the insides of a brown or white lunch-sized paper bag with non-stick cooking spray and then place the bag into a can just large enough to hold them such as a coffee can. Fold the top of the bag a couple of inches over the can and let them rise until they reach the top of the bag. After baking for 20 minutes, turn and reduce oven temp to 325. Bake an additional 40 minutes. When you remove it from the oven take it out of the can and slit the bag to vent and let it cool for 1 hr. It should have the same shape as mine because it will be circular at the base and dome over the top. If you do this, PLEASE send me a picture and let me know your opinion! Thanks for stopping Andrea and let me know if you have any more questions.

      Reply

  10. Judi Graber says

    Beautiful bread Julie, inside and out… Besides the onions and cheese I like the buttermilk in the sponge. I don’t think I’ve used it much in a yeast bread.

    Reply

  11. Platter Talk says

    This is such an interesting recipe and I have to confess that your photos literally took my bread away; this Casatiello looks simply amazing.

    Reply

  12. Michelle says

    Sounds like “Gouda” bread! Maybe that was funnier in my head!?!?
    I wouldn’t have been able to wait either!
    I wish I was a bread nerd – I would love to make a loaf like this!
    Thanks
    Michelle

    Reply

  14. Jenny | Honey and Birch says

    This loaf makes me want to bake my own bread so badly! And caramelized onions and gouda – you can’t go wrong!

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you, Jenny! You aren’t a bread baker? This one would be an easy one to try. Feel free to let me know if you have questions.

      Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you! You could sure do it. It was a fun one to follow. I was worried that it was going to go over at times but it behaved the whole time.

      Reply

  16. Petra says

    I have never heard of Casatiello but it looks amazing. The gouda cheese and onions sounds delicious in addition. I might have to dust off my baking phobia (it is not quite that bad but almost) and give it a go! 🙂

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Petra the way you filet a fish I wouldn’t think you would be afraid of anything. I’d love to help you get over those fears. Here are a couple very easy ones to make: https://hostessatheart.com/almost-no-knead-bread/ or https://hostessatheart.com/english-muffin-bread/.

      Reply

  17. Angela says

    This is a VERY impressive bread my friend! I love the pairing of the caramelized onion and gouda. Really wonderful recipe.

    Reply

  19. Debi at Life Currents says

    This is beautiful. I’m a big fan of savory treats, so I’m excited to read that it’s not a dessert bread. I can’t wait to try this one!

    Reply

  20. [email protected]'s Dinnertime Dish says

    This bread is absolutely gorgeous! I love baking bread, too. I find it so satisfying to pull a loaf out of the oven that I’ve made myself and the house always smells amazing! I’m definitely going to have to give this a try soon!

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      It was easy to make Lisa and I agree that there’s nothing like homemade bread and the smell of it baking. I find kneading very therapeutic too. Thank you and have a wonderful day!

      Reply

  21. Loretta says

    I’m always intrigued by some of your bread challenges Julie. It’s amazing how much one learns and shares via this platform. I was also wanting to try caramelized onions in a slow cooker as I had seen another blogger try that method. Freezing them too? A win-win! For me those onions and gouda drew me into the recipe. Love the “holey” texture, slathered in butter and I’d be in bread heaven. Well done!

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you so much Loretta. I’m kind of worried that some of these bread challenges are disappearing. They are a great way to motivate me to try different thing. Those onions were so easy to make in the crockpot. What I didn’t use in the bread I threw in some soup that I had cooking. I made your roasted veggie quinoa recipe this week and we loved it!

      Reply

      • Loretta says

        How long did you cook the onions in the crock pot? Did you add anything else in with the onions? Wonderful to hear that you had made the roasted veggie quinoa recipe. I too made it last week with Israeli couscous when I had my girlfriends around for a Moroccan night 🙂

        Reply

        • Julie Menghini says

          My onions cooked overnight Loretta on low. I filled the crockpot with onions and then put about 3 to 4 tablespoons of melted butter over them. John would love that recipe with couscous!

          Reply

  22. Jeff says

    What beautiful photographs! Is bread looks so delicious I can hardly contain myself. Plus, I love any kind of bread that can be sliced like a cake.

    Reply

  25. Namita says

    Hello Julie, I loved the shape of the bread. It was a genius idea to bake in a round pan. The flavours of the bread are amazing. Gouda cheese and onions – YUM!

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Namita! We really enjoyed this bread. Thank you for stopping by and leaving such sweet comments.

      Reply

  26. Heather Gallagher says

    Home made bread is just the best – and it’s not as hard as everyone thinks – this looks amazing I’m going to have to try it out!

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Heather! It was really easy to put together. I hope you will let me know if you put it together.

      Reply

  27. Mayuri Patel says

    The charming thing about group challenges is that I get to learn so much. When I saw the photo of the bread, I thought that the shape reminds me of something but couldn’t remember what! When I read panettone and the light bulb lit up bright. Lovely bread and now I know what a casatiello is.

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Mayuri! I’d never heard the term casatiello either and I’m married to an Italian. It was a fun one to put together. I like trying new shapes.

      Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Hezzi! I have a great 5 yr gouda that worked really well here. Next time I’ll try it with meat as is common.

      Reply

  30. Kalyani says

    I loved everything about this Julie 🙂 what a beautiful rise, even the crumb looks perfect !
    PS : I love when the dough rises too :p

    Reply

  34. Celebrating Sunshine says

    Your bread looks amazing, Julie! It’s such an interesting and unique combination of caramelized onion and gouda cheese. I’m sure it was delicious.

    Reply

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