Crispy Baked Onion Rings Sallys Baking Addiction Recipes

CRISPY BAKED ONION RINGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Slice the onions into 1/2-inch wide rings then place the rings in a bowl of water.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites and the mayonnaise. Add the breadcrumbs to a third medium bowl.
• Remove each onion ring from the water, shaking off any excess and then placing it immediately into the flour, tossing until it's thoroughly coated, then dip the onion ring into the egg white mixture until it's thoroughly coated and then into the breadcrumbs, pressing them firmly onto all sides of the onion ring. Place the onion ring on the prepared baking sheet and repeat the coating process with the remaining onion rings.
• Throughly spray the onion rings with cooking spray (this is optional, but it helps them brown more evenly). Bake the onion rings for 10 minutes then flip them once and bake an additional 5 minutes until they're golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

CRISPY BAKED ONION RINGS

Steps:

• At least 4 hours ahead of time, place the sliced onion rings into a large dish and pour buttermilk overtop. You don't have to drown the onions, just make sure they are somewhat submerged. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. In this step, you are soaking the onions, which will tenderize them. I strongly suggest soaking them for at least 12 hours for the best taste. I soaked mine overnight.
• Once the onions have soaked, remove from the refrigerator. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites. Set aside. In a large shallow dish (I used a pie dish), mix the whole wheat flour, cornmeal, bread crumbs, and the seasonings together until combined.
• Remove each ring from the buttermilk and dip in egg whites. Immediately submerge in the bread crumb mixture, mixing around to coat the onion well. If the bread crumbs won't adhere, dip in egg whites and then the breading again. If you find you need more breading, make more.
• Lay each breaded ring on the baking sheets in a single layer. You'll have two batches if your onions were quite large like mine. When all the rings are breaded, spray each with nonstick spray to "seal" the breading, which will prevent the breading from staying raw and allows it to bake onto the onion rings.
• Bake each batch for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and flip each ring using tongs. Spray the other side with nonstick spray. Then bake for 15 more minutes. A note about bake time: all ovens are different! And everyone likes a different level of crispiness. I baked my onion rings in my oven for 30 minutes, rotating and flipping once, and they were perfectly brown and crisp. Just bake the rings until they reach your desired level of brownness.
• Allow the onion rings to sit out for 10 minutes before digging in. Enjoy immediately.