Caramelized Onion Bread

MMMMM---------------------------BREAD-------------------------------- 2 tb Olive oil 2 tb Firmly packed brown sugar 2 Sweet onions Sliced into 1/4-inch rings 1 c Lukewarm water 2 ts Active dry yeast 2 1/4 c Bread flour 1/2 c Whole wheat flour 2 1/4 ts Salt 1/2 ts Freshly ground black pepper 2 LOAVES (20 SLICES ) DAIRY-FREE The best type of onions for caramelizing are the sweet varieties, such as Vidalia, Maui and Walla Walla. If none of these are available, use yellow onions. This bread requires advance planning and preparation. Letting the yeast mixture or "sponge", sit overnight enhances the breads wheat flavor. SPONGE: Place 1 cup water in mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water and stir in. Let sir for 2 minutes. Mix in 1 cup bread flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sir overnight or for 14 to 16 hours. Heat oil and sugar in heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add onions and saute, stirring occasionally until browned and caramelized, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside. Place water in bowl of electric mixer or in mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water and stir in. Let sit for 2 minutes. Add sponge, both flours, salt and pepper. Mix with dough hook until ingredients are combined, about 2 minutes. Or beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 8 to 10 minutes. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Add caramelized onions and resume mixing, until dough is silky and elastic and pulls away from sides of bowl. Dough should be very wet and sticky but still elastic. Transfer dough to lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn over a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal or flour. Place dough on a well-floured work surface, handling it gently to preserve as much volume as possible; cut into 2 equal pieces. Gently pull and stretch each piece of dough into a flat round, about 1 A inches thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour. Preheat oven to 450 F. Using a spray bottle, sprirz oven walls with water. Work quickly so oven does nor lose heat. Bake until bread browns, about 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer flatbreads to a rack to cool. PER SLICE: 113 CAL.; 3G PROT.; 2G TOTAL FAT (00 SAT. FAT); 21G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 263MG SOD.; 1G FIBER. Reprinted with permission from Flavored Breads by Mark Miller and Andrew MacLauchlan. Copyright 1996. Ten Speed Press, P.O. Box 7123 Berkeley, CA 94707. Recipe by: Vegetarian Times, October, 1998, page 62