The truth about "Miami onion rolls"

[Fat Guy]

Onion pockets aka "Miami onion rolls" are wonderfully addictive little rolls that always used to come in the bread basket at Jewish deli and dairy restaurants like Wolfie's in Miami and Ratner's in New York City. These restaurants are gone, but the Miami onion roll persists as a bakery and supermarket item, and it pops up at other places here and there.

What is it? What makes the Miami onion roll so great? Eggs, butter, oil, sugar, what?

[Kerry Beal]

Sounds almost like a brioche dough with onions - lots of oil, eggs and some sugar. You could probably start with the same dough you use for sticky buns.

[Lisa Shock]

Good question! I live in the west and have never seen one. A quick search online finds a lot of wholesalers and commercial producers, but no formulas.

My guess would be that they are made with egg and oil, like many challah recipes, so they would be pareve if made in a kosher facility. I can ask around, but won't be at a big baking conference for a few months.

If I had one to try, I could probably give a good estimate of a formula.

(edited for clarity)

Edited January 24, 2010 by Lisa Shock (log)

[Fat Guy]

Sounds almost like a brioche dough with onions - lots of oil, eggs and some sugar. You could probably start with the same dough you use for sticky buns.

I'm sure the product is in the enriched-bread family, but the Miami onion rolls seem to be significantly moister and squishier than any brioche I've had, and also moister and squishier than any challah I've had. It may just be a question of ratios. I'm not sure.

[Kerry Beal]

Sounds almost like a brioche dough with onions - lots of oil, eggs and some sugar. You could probably start with the same dough you use for sticky buns.

I'm sure the product is in the enriched-bread family, but the Miami onion rolls seem to be significantly moister and squishier than any brioche I've had, and also moister and squishier than any challah I've had. It may just be a question of ratios. I'm not sure.

I wonder how much moisture the onions themselves contribute?

Check out recipe here. Whoops - that's for sweet onion rolls, not the miami version.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Secrets of a Jewish Baker has a recipe for Miami Rolls. It starts with a Vienna Roll (Kaiser roll) dough which has eggs, oil, malt syrup and sugar.

He states that they become soft centered from the onions and are crisp on the outside.

The prepared onions are laid on a greased cooking sheet, ropes of dough are placed on top and allowed to rest for 10 minutes. The dough is then pulled and folded into thirds, enclosing the onions. The dough envelopes are placed seam side up back on top of the remaining onion filling until they are all completed. They are then allowed to rise onion side up until ready to bake.

[Fat Guy]

Sheesh. I have that book but never thought to look in it.

[Chris Amirault]

Kaiser roll dough? That seems insufficiently moist to me -- but perhaps there are more and less moist kaisers out there.

[Kerry Beal]

Sheesh. I have that book but never thought to look in it.

One of my favorite cookbooks - the one I'd save if there were a fire!