Onion Asiago Sourdough: The Loaf My Kids Were Mad I Gave Away
I gave half the loaf to my uncle.
My kids have not fully forgiven me for this and honestly I understand their position. This loaf was that good. The kind of good where you slice into it and everyone appears in the kitchen from wherever they were in the house, drawn in by the smell alone. Onion and asiago in a sourdough pan loaf sounds simple because it is simple. And sometimes simple is exactly the right answer.
My uncle loved it. My kids loved it. And the half that stayed home didn’t last long enough to see the next morning. That’s the whole review right there.
The asiago strategy.
This is the detail that makes this loaf special and it takes about thirty extra seconds of effort. Chop some of your asiago into small chunks and grate the rest. The grated asiago melts completely into the dough during baking and gives you this deep, salty, cheesy flavour threaded through every single bite. The chopped pieces stay more intact and create these little molten cheese pockets — a gentle pull when you tear a slice that is completely unreasonable in the best possible way. Two textures, one cheese, one very good decision.
The onion.
No chopping, no crying, no standing over a pan for forty five minutes. The onion in this loaf is about as easy as it gets and it works beautifully. It rehydrates during the long bulk fermentation and distributes evenly through the dough giving you that sweet savoury onion flavour in every bite without any of the fuss of fresh onion. This is a weeknight loaf. A throw it together and walk away loaf. The kind of recipe that makes you look like you put in a lot more effort than you actually did.
The Recipe
Onion Asiago Sourdough
9×5 pan loaf — straight starter method
The Dough
300g bread flour
100g whole wheat flour
315g water
80g active starter
20g olive oil
9g salt
The Inclusions (added at lamination)
3 tbsp minced onion
100g asiago — half grated, half chopped into small chunks
The Method
Mix all dough ingredients until no dry flour remains
Rest covered with a damp towel for 45 minutes
4 x stretch & fold every 30 minutes
Cover with damp towel and bulk on the counter for 12 hours or until 50% risen
Laminate — stretch dough flat, scatter minced onion and both asiago textures evenly across the surface, letter fold
Shape into a tight cylinder and place seam side down in a greased 9×5 pan
Cover and cold proof in the fridge for 12 hours
Preheat oven to 425°F
Pull dough straight from the fridge and score
Cover and bake 40 minutes
Uncover and bake a further 10-20 minutes until deep golden
Pull at internal temp 200°F
Cool at least 1.5 hours before slicing
A few things worth knowing.
The 12 hour counter bulk plus 12 hour cold proof gives this loaf serious flavour depth. The long slow fermentation develops the tang and the cold proof firms everything up so it holds its shape beautifully in the pan. Don’t rush either stage — the time is doing the work for you.
Score confidently straight from the fridge — cold dough scores cleanly and the contrast between the cold dough and the hot oven is what gives you that beautiful oven spring.
Cool it properly before slicing. The cheese needs time to set inside the crumb or you’ll lose those pockets on the cut and end up with a gummy middle. An hour and a half minimum. The loaf will still be warm. It will be worth the wait.
The honest review.
This is one of those loaves that doesn’t need much explaining. Onion and asiago in a long fermented sourdough pan loaf — the flavours are familiar and the result is deeply satisfying. My kids ate their half in one sitting and were genuinely annoyed that generosity existed as a concept when there was good bread involved.
Make this on a day when you have time to let it do its thing. It will reward the patience.
Just maybe make two loaves if you plan on sharing. Learn from my mistakes. 🧅🧀🍞
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