The Surprise Ingredient You Should Be Adding To Your Bread

If you've ever made bread from scratch before, you know that it's a labor of love. From getting your flour to yeast ratio just right to deciding whether or not to preferment your dough, there are a lot of factors to consider. That's why it's best to choose easy, no-fuss ingredients when flavoring your dough that won't overcomplicate the process. Food Republic spoke to Martin from DadWhatCooks for his take on breadmaking, and he suggested one unique ingredient: onion soup mix. According to Martin, "The inclusion of the onion soup mix offers a simpler way to introduce onion to a dough. You don't have to deal with slicing and dicing onions (not to mention the tears!) and it's a convenient way to add some seasoning [and] [flavor] to the bread."

To incorporate onion soup mix, Martin explained, "The easiest way is to add 1 tablespoon of onion mix and remove 1 tablespoon of flour assuming you are using 500 [grams of] flour to bake one loaf. This will add a slight hint of onion without affecting the balance." If you're looking for more of the onion flavor, Martin also suggested turning the onion soup into a liquid and replacing a quarter of the water for the bread with the soup.

The delicious, savoriness of onion soup mix lends perfectly to warm, fluffy bread — although not every type of bread is the perfect match. When asked which breads the onion flavor would work best in, Martin explained that "[savory] breads such as a sourdough or wholemeal loaf" are ideal. "Think of something you are going to dip into a soup," he said. As such, he noted that you should avoid sweeter breads, such as brioche or challah.

To highlight the spices and herbs in onion soup mix (onion flakes, celery seed, black pepper, beef bouillon, etc.), try incorporating similar ingredients in your bread dough, such as rosemary and thyme, or even whole garlic cloves, caramelized onions, and shredded cheese.

Once your bread is baked to golden perfection, you can dip it in soup (why not make some onion soup with your leftover mix?), use it as the bread of a crispy grilled cheese sandwich, or even eat the loaf on its own with butter and salt. If onions aren't your thing, don't worry — you can easily switch things up by using your favorite soup mix instead, such as a hearty veggie blend or creamy cheddar broccoli mix.