Blue Cheese and Onion Flatbread

Pretty much four of my favorite things on Earth.  Red onions, blue cheese, rosemary, and bread.  This my friends, is snack heaven.  I made these forever ago for my my friend Tania, and she has been asking me about them ever since.  I was rummaging through my beloved recipe binder and found this recipe all crumbled up and sad looking.  I smoothed it out and made it right then and there.  I was so very happy that I did.  I actually made these awhile ago and they have been sitting in my “to be blogged” folder on my computer for far too long.  But as I look at these pictures again, I remember the day that I made them.  Everyone in my house was taking a nap.  It was either a Saturday or Sunday and the house was quiet and I poured myself a glass of wine (which I very rarely do these days, I would rather chew my calories) and sat outside with a trashy magazine and ate some of these delicious little flatbreads.  Sometimes life is just that good.

If you are afraid of making anything involving yeast (which I used to be in that group, but I got over my fear) this is great recipe to play around with.  This dough is really easy to work with and the semolina flour makes it even more forgiving for some reason.  This flatbread can be a base for just about anything.  I topped mine the way that the recipe calls for, but I can think of about a million things that would taste amazing on top of these.  The first that comes to mind is a sauteed red pepper with capers.  And maybe some good Parmesan.  Or a cheddar with some thinly sliced Granny Smith apples and some caramelized onions.  I need to stop myself.

** adapted from Sunset **

For the flatbread:

1 package active dry yeast
2 cups flour
1 cup semolina flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoons salt

For the topping:

1 medium red onion
1 Tablespoons fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1 cup of lukewarm water (about 100 degrees).

After about 5 minutes, it should look like this.  It should look foamy.

Add the oil, salt, and flours.

Stir until the dough comes together.  You might have to knead it in the bowl a few times.  This dough will be pretty stiff.

See, it comes together.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place until one and a half times its original size, about 1 hour.

Totally not scary.

While the dough is rising, slice your onions and mince some of the rosemary.  Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, balsamic, salt, and chile flakes.

Cover the mixture and set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Knead until smooth.  Cut the dough into 32 balls.  Roll out as thinly as possible.

Put the dough on a semolina lined baking sheet.

Top with about 1 Tablespoon of the onion mixture and top with some crumbled blue cheese.

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven until brown and the cheese has melted, about 12 minutes.

Grab yourself a glass of wine, a trashy magazine and enjoy life for awhile.

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