Zwiebelkuchen: German Onion Pie
Recipe GLPR99c9601b297c35
A traditional German savory pie featuring a soft yeast-based crust filled with caramelized bacon, golden onions, and a creamy sour cream custard enriched with eggs and caraway seeds. This rustic dish is baked until golden and served warm or at room temperature.
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Ingredients
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
¾ cup warm milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, divided (4 tablespoons at room temperature and cut into cubes, plus 2 tablespoons)
Vegetable or olive oil for coating bowl
6 strips bacon
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
1½ cups full-fat sour cream
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Butter for greasing springform pan
Directions
Stir the yeast into the warm milk and let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy. In a food processor, combine the flour and salt, then make a well in the center. Add the 4 tablespoons of cubed butter and pour the yeast mixture over top. Using the dough hook attachment on the bread setting, knead for about 6 minutes, adding more milk or flour as needed to form a smooth, elastic dough. Shape the dough into a ball.
Lightly oil a bowl with vegetable or olive oil. Place the dough ball in the oiled bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place (such as a warmed but turned-off oven) until it nearly doubles in volume, about 1 to 1½ hours.
While the dough rises, cook the bacon strips in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon, chop it into bite-sized pieces, and set aside. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the rendered bacon fat, then add the sliced onions. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deeply caramelized and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons salt, caraway seeds, and freshly ground black pepper until well combined. Fold in the cooled caramelized onion mixture and chopped bacon, stirring until evenly incorporated.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Once the dough has risen, transfer it to the prepared pan and gently stretch it to cover the bottom and sides, leaving about ½ inch of space from the top edge. Work quickly as the dough will tend to retract. Immediately pour the onion and sour cream filling into the dough-lined pan; the weight of the filling will help hold the dough in place.
Place the springform pan on the middle oven rack and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is light golden brown and the center feels fairly firm to the touch when gently pressed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. The pie can be served warm or at room temperature.
