{Milk Bar Monday} Cheesy Caramelized Onion Volcanoes
It’s Milk Bar Monday! In case you are new to these parts, MBM is a project I started last year with a few other bloggers to bake our way through the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook by Christina Tosi. So far, it’s proven to be one of the most rewarding and challenging projects I’ve taken on- I really love these Mondays so!
The majority of the recipes in the cookbook are sugary sweet, so I always get a little excited when we make something savory. Last time we made Bagel Bombs which I loved, and today I’m sharing a recipe I loved even more. (if that’s possible.)
It begins with the same basic dough with Christina Tosi calls “Mother Dough” as it used in every bread-based recipe in her book. Flattened out dough rounds are filled with a scoop of caramelized onions, and a slab of scalloped potatoes with bacon. The whole thing is sealed up and rolled into a ball, which we cut a small opening into before stuffing it with cheese. I mean I don’t need to describe much more to convey how delicious these are right?
We stretched the dough so thin, that I assumed it would explode while baking making it even more “volacno”- like. But everything stayed put- the potatoes getting soft and creamy, the cheese melting and getting crisp and caramelized on top. We enjoyed these for a mid-Saturday snack and couldn’t get over how great they were. The dough is thin and crispy, letting the ingredients inside really shine. The sweetness of the onions was a great contrast to the salty bacon and rich potatoes. This is definitely a concept I’ll be trying again. What else can I stuff inside these babies?
It’s just Erin and I posting today- but make sure to check out her gorgeous Volcanoes here
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{Milk Bar Monday} Cheesy Caramelized Onion Volcanoes
From the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook by Christina Tosi
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Mother Dough, see below, risen
- 1 recipe Caramelized Onions, see below
- 1 recipe Scalloped Potatoes, see below
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon water
- 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese, I used white cheddar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375.
- Punch down and flatten the dough on a clean, dry surface. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Use your fingers to gently stretch each piece of dough out into a mini pizza about 6 inches wide.
- Divide the onions equally among the rounds, scooping them in the center. Grab the scalloped potatoes from the fridge and cut into four 3-inch squares. Use an offset spatula to wrestle each square of potato gratin out of the baking tray and onto a dough round, directly on top of the onions.
- Take the edges of each dough round and pinch together to seal so that there is no speck of onion or potato in sight, then gently roll the ball between the palms of your hands to ensure the volcano has a nice, round, dinner roll–y shape. Arrange the volcanoes, seam side down, 5 inches apart on a parchment- or silicone-lined baking tray.
- Whisk the egg and water together and brush a generous coat of egg wash on the buns. Use a paring knife to cut a 1 inch-long X in the top of each volcano. Divide the cheese evenly among the volcanoes, stuffing it into the X in each one.
- Bake the volcanoes for 25-30 minutes, or until the dough is a deep, golden brown and the cheese on top is caramelized. (It took me a bit longer for mine to turn golden, and I ended up sticking them under the broiler to help toast the tops) They are best served warm; allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before digging in. Leftover volcanoes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge once cool. Heat up before eating.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
This is pretty much all of my favorite foods stuffed into one awesome, savory treat! All bets would be off with a pan of these freshly baked sitting in my kitchen :)
This is so incredible. They look amazing, Audra!
These look soo delicious, Audra! My husband would go nuts for ’em! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Also, I shared your crusty bread recipe this morning!
Holy wow!! These look amazing! And difficult! And oh man, what couldn’t you stuff in there?! There are so many possibilities!! Love MBM!
The French Government should give you an honorary citizenship.
You’re cooking French from the heart!
Wow, these look fantastic and ridiculously good!! I LOVE how much you can stuff in there. It must be so satisfying to dig in!
Holy carbs! I love it! I personally am impressed that you managed to keep moving on in the recipe after making the potatoes. I might have been tempted to just call off the rest and take a spoon to that potato+bacon lovefest.
Man, your Mondays are way more delicious than mine!!! These onion volcanoes are friggin’ genius!!!
Your Milk Bar Mondays are always sooo interesting! I love savory recipes like this one and these little babies are stuffed of all my favorite ingredients: onions, potatoes and bacon, yummy! I bet a vegetables and cheese version will be great, as well!
xo, Elisa
Wow I could make a whole meal of these!! Although, they would also be the perfect appetizer. I’m thinking they need to happen at the housewarming the.boy and I will be throwing once we’re done moving!
Can I please start coming over to your place when you bake for MBM?!?!
PLEASE.
I LOVE the mother dough recipe. These are def on my “to make” list. the looks o warm and #comforting
Woah. I’m not much of a fan of bacon, but these look really awesome. And I’m sure I would probably eat more than one in a sitting, which my pants will probably not appreciate. :P
Audra this looks incredible! Making it for my hubby- he will love it!