Scallions are more than just a Garnish. You'll be Surprised by these Delicious Scallion Bread Swirls!

There is something about cleaning out your refrigerator that is such a stress reliever, seeing a clean and almost empty fridge is just so calming. I always find that my fridge gets over loaded when we have company over, usually I’m left with a lot of garnishes and condiments. While cleaning out my fridge, I found 6 bunches of scallions hidden behind a mountain of tomatoes. I knew that they were going to start wilting soon and didn’t want them to go to waste, so I needed a recipe that would use a large amount of scallions… what to make… what to make… While I pondered that question, I looked up common ways of using scallions other than just sautéing them.

Scallions also known as green onions, or spring onions, they are commonly associated with Asian foods. They are milder than most onions, and can be used both fresh and in cooking. Chopped scallions can be sautéed in stir fries, braised in stews, used as garnish in soups and mixed into a filling for buns and breads.

The most common way of using scallions is to sauté them with another main ingredient to add more flavor. It’s not often the star of a dish, which is unfortunate because it has such great flavor on it’s own. One of my favorite dishes that showcase scallions is the Chinese scallion steamed buns. It’s essentially chopped scallions, rolled into little dough balls and steamed to airy perfection. So I thought, wouldn’t it be even better if they were baked into individual bread rolls.

Luckily, I remembered that I recently found a Cilantro-Scallion Bread Recipe in the Summer Grilling Issue of Bon Appétit Magazine. I used this recipe as a foundation; I omitted the cilantro, doubled the amount of scallions and added toasted sesame seeds. These spiral swirls are super easy to make. Essentially after the first rise of the dough, you roll the dough into a large rectangle, spread the chopped scallion and toasted sesame seed mixture onto the dough, roll the dough into a cylinder, cut cylinder into 3/4″ dough swirls and bake for 30 minutes.

Scallion Bread
adapted Bon Appétit Magazine- July Grilling Issue
12 Serves

2 teasp            active dry yeast
2 teasp            kosher salt , divided
2 teasp            sugar, divided
1 3/4 cups      plus 3 tablespoons All purpose flour
4 tbsp             unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
1 large            egg plus 1 yolk
2 1/2 cups     coarsely chopped scallions
3/4  cup         sesame seeds
1 teasp            freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp             olive oil plus more for bowl and brushing

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silo pad. Pour 1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F) into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. sugar over; let stand until mixture bubbles and doubles in size, about 10 minutes.

2. Place flour, butter, remaining 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat in egg, yolk, and yeast mixture, scraping down the sides.

3. Knead on medium speed until dough is soft and smooth, about 5 minutes (do not over knead). The dough will still seem a bit soft. Form dough into a small ball; transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a food processor add the scallions and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; stir in toasted sesame seeds, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and 3 Tbsp. oil and set aside.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll dough into a 18×9 inch rectangle. Spoon scallion mixture onto the center and spread mixture evenly to the corners of dough.

6. Working from one short edge, roll dough rectangle into a cylinder.

7. Cut cylinder into 3/4″ dough swirls. Transfer dough swirls to prepared baking sheet; brush lightly with oil.

8. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Printable Recipe

I think the swirl shape actually helps add layers of flavor and texture to the bread. While most of the chopped scallions are slowly baked and infused into the dough, there is a layer of scallions exposed at the top of the bread which is roasted and adds a crispy bite to the bread. The sesame seeds just takes it over the top, the nuttiness and crunch is perfect with the mildness of the scallions. It is incredibly fragrant right out of the oven, and it’s best served warm. You really don’t need anything else to go with this bread, it’s perfect on its own.

Cheers & until next time,
Happy August!

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