Whole Wheat, cornmeal and raisin ~ Vegan bread

I have not been posting bread recipes of late. This time around I wanted to try using the bread flour (I avoid using refined flour in general).

This experiment was to see if bread flour would make any difference in density and texture of the loaf. 100% whole wheat baking at home results in a slightly denser loaf. I avoid gluten in the flour and gluten helps in making the bread fluffier. I do not eat store bought baked goods so its difficult for me to assess the difference in home made and store ones. 

You need: 1 regular loaf
Bread flour - 1 1/2 cup
Whole wheat (king arthur or similar) - 1 cup
corn meal - 3 tbsp
Active dry yeast - 2 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 3/4 cup (Warm) (includes 1/2 cup for activating yeast)
Raw / unrefined / Turbinado sugar - 2 tbsp
maple syrup or honey - 1 tbsp
salt - 1/4 tsp
Raisins - 4 tsp or 1/4 cup
Rolled (cooking ) oats - 2 tsp (to sprinkle on top) (optional)
Olive oil - 1 1/2 tsp
Indian Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Bread loaf tin - 1

Procedure:
Flour mix - Mix in the bread flour, whole wheat, corn meal, sugar, salt, garam masala and raisins
Divide the oil and pour in 1 tsp into the flour mix
Use 1/2 cup lukewarm water and mix honey or maple syrup
Add yeast and leave it to froth for ten minutes
Pour in the activated yeast and fold in the flour mix. Keep adding the rest of the water in small quantities and knead the dough to a (roti or a pizza dough consistency)
Let it rest for five minutes and knead it gently (This is to activate the gluten in the bread flour)
Grease the loaf pan and dust it with a little flour and transfer the well kneaded dough
Let it rise for 3 to 3 1/2 hours
Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes
Let it cool. Slice and serve with some fruit butter or jam. it yummy as is !

yummily sliced by DH :)

Serving suggestions: with pasta, salads or soup, great with mixed veg gravy sabzi


Trivia

• Bread flour is a mix of regular refined wheat flour (maida) and is enriched with bromine and  barley
• I intend to make whole wheat bread with out the bread flour 
• This experiment was to prove to dear hubby that the store bought 100%whole wheat is not entirely whole wheat but had only 1/3or a little more of whole grain flour and the rest is refined flour.

Anniversary special ~ Vegan Lauki Chocolate Whole Wheat Quick Bread /cake

As mentioned in my earlier post about zucchini quick bread, I love veggies in cakes and breads. I use whole wheat King Arthur flour for my baking and love the wholesome and a slightly dense texture it lends to my cakes and loaves.

You need: for 1 small loaf
whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Bottle gourd - (grated) - 1 cup
Olive oil /sunflower oil - 1/3 cup
vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp ( upto 1 tsp is fine)
Cane Sugar - 1 cup (if using light brown sugar - 3/4 cup)
baking powder- 1/2 tsp
baking soda - 3/4 - 1 tsp
milk  or warm water - 3/4 cup
raisins - 1/4 cup (optional)
unsweetened chocolate powder - 3 tbsp

Procedure:
Mix in all the ingredients, grease a loaf pan
pour in the mixture and bake at 365 F for 35-40 minutes in the middle rack
Do the fork / tooth pick test and if it comes out clear take the pan out
cool for an hour before trying to take the loaf out of the pan
Serve with vanilla ice cream or as is!!

Whole Wheat Pizza - all home made :-)

Yes guys, this has been made from scratch. I am trying to use up my stock of yeast. hence the bread making and pizza making spree for the last few weeks. This was not the first pizza I made, however, lazy me!...I couldnt get to post pictures on the blog!!

I love home made stuff cos I can add a truck load of veggies to the dish and make it as yummy as I can...lol..(what else do u expect from a foodie.). The dough is made from scratch at home. And keeping in tune with my promise to be as sustainable as I could, I bough locally grown vegetables and cheese for the topping. It turned out yum!!

How its made?
Pizza base
Whole wheat flour - 2 1/4 cup
active dry yeast - 1 tbsp
milk or water to activate the yeast - 3/4
honey - 1tsp
salt- a pinch
herbs (optional)- 1 tsp (includes - oregano, basil and curry leaves (it lends a south indian flavour to the dough..but it works for me!!)
olive oil (extra virgin) - 1 tbsp

Sauce- I follow a recipe I learnt from a chef friend..it is the yummiest!
Tomatoes (Chopped) - 3/4 cup
Onion (pref red- chopped) - 1/2 cup
garlic - 1 clove
dry red chillies - 2
dry herbs - basil, dill and oregano - 1 tsp (all together)
salt to taste
olive oil - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - a pinch (optional) but works well!
Brown sugar or honey - 1 tsp (flavour enhancer) (optional)
Cilantro leaves - chopped - 1 tbsp
Parmesan cheese (grated) - 2 tbsp
almonds (roasted) (optional) - 5

Toppings (just go crazy!!)

Capsicum / bell peppers - 1/4 cup
Red and yellow bell peppers / capsicum - 1/4 cup
Onion (pref red) (i had white ones)- (long slices) - 1/4 cup
tomato - (long slices) - 1/4 cup
olives - 10 (green pr black) (chopped)
Jalapeños - 1/2 (cut into rings :)

Cheese
Mozzarella - 1 cup or lesser (grated)
Fontina (optional) - 1/4 cup (grated)
Parmesan - 1 tbsp

Process
The base

• In a cup of warm water/milk (should be luke warm not hot! ), put in yeast and honey and mix well.  Leave for around 5 minutes for the yeast to get active...you will know it is done when you see it all frothy
• In a bowl, mix the wheat flour, salt, and olive oil and create a small well in between!!fun isnt it!...pour in the yeast mixture and fold in the flour mix slowly.
• I do not have a machine/kneader so I use my hands to gently knead the flour for about 5 to 8 minutes
• Once you are done kneading, cover the bowl with a moist cloth and put in a warm and dry place to let the yeast do its work.
• An hour later, you will find the dough risen and double its initial volume
• Punch it down lightly and let it sit for another 45 minutes
•  And then lay it out on a lightly floured surface and gently punch it with your palm...into the shape of your choice while assembling the pizza...(it need not necessarily be round!!)
• Moving on to the next step - the sauce 

The Sauce

Take a tsp of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, saute chopped garlic and add chopped onions

Snip red chillies and add it along with salt, and dry herbs.

Saute for a whole minute and add in chopped tomato(es)

When the tomatoes look half done, add sugar, turmeric(optional),almonds and cilantro/coriander leaves

saute for a minute and take it off the stove and let it cool, shower the mix with parmesan cheese

Grind and you have the yummiest pasta/pizza sauce ready

The Assembly

• Take the pizza dough out and drizzle a little flour on the rolling surface (kitchen platform in my case)
• use a rolling pin or your hand and roll out the pizza base (be gentle)
• Shift the base on to the tray or the sheet you plan to bake it on (I use my cookie trays)
• And now start arranging the veggie goodness - 
• spread the pizza sauce evenly, making sure you leave an inch off the edge
• lay out the veggies in the order you love, (you could alternate them based on colour...fun project with your kids? maybe!)
• Finally, arrange the cheese and give a final drizzle of olive oil (a little pepper and oregano would be good as well)

Cook it!
Preheat the oven at 375F and put in the pizza tray and bake for 25- 20 minutes
(lower temperatures will leave the crust soggy and higher temp will burn the toppings so be sure of your oven before you expect a well done pizza- All ovens arent created the same, hence the tip)

Ok enough of talking...lets dig in....care for a slice?

And a few snippets before I leave....

1. Using whole wheat flour makes the crust a bit denser than the maida/allpurpose /unbleached flour crust, so you could choose to put in equal portions of whole wheat and maida flour
2. Try stretching the base as much as you can if you use whole wheat, but make sure you dont puncture the dough (to avoid a flat pizza :-)
3. Always layer the vegetables over the cheese so that they grill well and the cheese melts over the crust and as the crust rises, vegetables embed themselves into the cheese layer...YUM!

Home made Two Cheese Bread - Yummy!!!

I ate this two cheese bread while in Cyprus and fell in love with it. Two things, one because it is savory and second because it was so rustic and yummy, made from whole wheat. Is there anything not to love?...The recipe is fairly simple and needs a little time and patience (like any other bread!)..

All you need...

Whole Wheat flour - 3 1/2 cups
Active Dry yeast - 1 1/4 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Feta cheese - 1 cup
Cheddar cheese - 1 cup
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Honey - 1 tbsp
Oregano or basil (dry) - 1 tsp
Milk- 1/2 cup
Water (luke warm) - 2 cups (as needed )

Process:

• Microwave a cup of water + milk for a minute (until lukewarm)
• Make sure its luke warm and add honey and mix well
• Add dry yeast and set aside for ten minutes - to activate the yeast (froth appears) (takes ten minutes or less)
• In the meanwhile, add salt, cheeses, oil and oregano to the flour and mix well
• Add the active yeast to the flour and knead the dough. Use the luke warm water if requried.
• Leave the dough to rise and cover the container with a moist cloth (for thirty minutes or so)
• After the first rise, take the dough onto a flat surface and punch it with your index finger
• Put the moist cloth back and leave it in a warm, dry place for the second rise (take around 40 minutes)
• Line the container ( you wish to bake your bread in ) with a little flour
• Transfer the dough to the container and leave it covered with the cloth for another 10 minutes
• Brush a mixture of milk and water onto the set dough for a beautiful crust
• Preheat your oven at 375 F and bake the bread for 20-25 minutes. (keep checking cos each oven is different)
• Pat lightly to check if its done.( A hollow sound means the bread is all set and done)
• Let it cool for a few minutes before you slice

Ah! life cant get any better!!

Look at the lovely crust, and do u see the yummy cheese in every slice...Bake it and let me know how it turned out..:)

Serving Suggestion
You have a wonderful Savory bread to devor with a bowl of hot soup and roasted potatoes or plantain

Trivia:

• Cheddar alone could be used for this bread
• You could rub in a piece of garlic and sprinkle some mozzarella and drizzle some olive oil on top and leave it in the microwave for a minute or two for a yummy batch of home made garlic bread

Zucchini Quick Bread

I love incorporating vegetables and fruits into baked goods. Zucchini (yellow or green), a refrigerator staple, turns into zucchini bread among other yummy dishes and features among the "oft-baked" desserts. Possibilities are endless. so there is never a dull moment in the kitchen.

 

source: heymominfo.com

This time around, I baked a simple zucchini bread. Here is the recipe, a slice with evening tea goes a long way :)

All you need:
Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Zucchini (grated) - 1 cup
Apple (grated) - 1 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup or lesser 
Sugar (I used light brown)- 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda- 1 tsp
Garam masala powder (Indian all spice powder ) - 1/2  tsp
Elaichi powder (cardamom powder) - 1 tsp
Milk/water - 1 1/2 cups or lesser
apple cider vinegar or Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

Process:

• Mix grated Zucchini, grated apple, sugar, oil, spice powder, elaichi powder, and lemon juice - mix well
• Add the baking powder and baking soda to your whole wheat flour and mix well
• Fold the mixed flour into the zucchini mix with milk or water
• Grease a bread pan or a baking pan of your choice and pour in the mixture 
• Bake the mixture at 350 F for 45 -50 minutes  (or until done - smaller ovens may require lesser baking time)Do the toothpick/fork test to check if the loaf is done
• Take it out of the oven and let it cool 
• Ease out the loaf from the sides of the pan and slide it out. 
• Slice and serve with sugar dust (Optional)

There are a few other variation to baking a zucchini bread. I plan to do a post on every variety. In the meanwhile, do try this simple bread and let me know....

Trivia

• Different versions and types of breads have been baked since the neolithic age and the preparations have evolved over the years.  
• Quick breads are loaves baked with chemical leavening agents(baking powder / baking soda) unlike traditional breads which require yeast and a sufficient amount of time to rise.
• Did you know that cakes, muffins, scones etc are all considered to be different varieties of quick bread.
• An interesting fact about Zucchini bread is that it is called a bread because the Early American cuisine (18th century) had a quick bread recipe which was not leavened using yeast but with a chemical called "pearlash" - a refined compound of potash.
• This simple bread is a vegetarian version which could go vegan by replacing brown sugar wiht raw sugar or jaggery and the milk with water.
• Grated apple helps in keeping the cake moist and allows for reducing oil or butter in the dish
• you could use lauki/ bottle gourd instead of zucchini. Make sure you adjust the water or milk quantity as zucchini and bottle gourd ooze a lot of water when grated.
• As always, I would like to mention that each oven settings and timing requirements are different. It is better to try out temp settings and timing before you go full fledged with your baking
• The brand of baking powder or soda matters and makes a difference in your rise...so quantity used to should be suit your requirement

Cinnamon Swirl Whole Wheat bread

I love Cinnamon and even boil a small piece in water and drink it with honey..(It is said to be good for orthopedic issues). Thanks to my love for cinnamon, every time I am in a baked goods aisle (in a super market), I am tempted to bring home a Cinnamon Swirl loaf. A few months back, I tried my hand at baking this bread too. All I did was to follow a simple whole wheat bread recipe, and include a step before the second rise and the baking.

We hand toss or roll out the dough after the first rise. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar powder onto the rolled out dough. Then fold it /roll it up to get that swirl...its that simple....Leave it for the second rise (covered with a damp cloth) and then bake for 25 minutes at 350F.

  .

Trivia:

• I generally bake a small loaf to allow even baking and easy slicing.
• Know your oven and adjust your baking time and temperature settings to suit your oven. For example, smaller the oven , quicker it is heat it, and so is the cooking time. Mine is a 27" whirlpool oven and teh temperature and time settings are to suit similar ovens.
• Sprinkle a little water on the dough before putting it into the oven..this ensures a perfect crust!
  

Home made whole wheat bread

I started baking bread at home to break away from the routine South Indian food for breakfast menu. I am scared of eating a store bought loaf cos of all the high fructose corn syrup and the additives in the bread to increase its shelf life.

I tried my hand at baking breads in Cyrpus..i thgt i was ok!

I then saw one chef bake a white bread (on FOOD NETWORK) and decided to bake a whole wheat bread at home. I was rather surprised to see that I was quite good with my bread making skills (surprised, cos I seem to remember what I learnt in a fleeting conversation from a chef friend in cyrpus).

I have tried Spiced Italian multi grain, whole wheat and Parmesan cheese, cinnamon swirl and this savory bread stuffed with a squash, tomatoes and capsicum. I plan to bake the hyderabadi dil kush...ooh! I used to love it as a child. Appa used to bring it home for me and my little brother while coming back from work..Ah! I miss those days.

As a start to the bread series, I am jotting down a simple whole wheat bread recipe. Most bread making recipes follow a common process, we just need to vary the base ingredients to get a different bread each time :). One thing worth mentioning here is the amount of sugar or honey that goes into a home made bread to give it that store bought bread's sweetness levels. Believe me its scary...The first time I baked the usual whole wheat bread and I swore never to bake a sweet bread again! I have been making savoury bread ever since. My hubby is happy so am I. :). My apologies for not posting stage wise pictures for this recipe...I haven't baked a simple bread for a long time and I had no idea that I would write about recipes in my blog :-).

Whole wheat bread is generally a bit denser compared to white (maida - all purpose flour) bread. This because whole wheat or any other whole grain flour has less gluten when compared to all purpose flour. This means your whole wheat bread does not rise as much as white flour bread would, making it look denser. The best test for knowing if u are really eating whole wheat rotis is to bake a break and check ;).

Baking this bread (or any other bread for that matter) is all about being patient with the rise and bake time. Total time close to 2 hrs - (prep and bake time)

Whole Wheat and oats bread
Ingredients: makes a single loaf

1. whole wheat flour  - 3 cups
2. Oat meal - traditional cooking (rolled) oats - 1/2 cup
   
3. yeast (active dry yeast) any brand will do.- 2 packets or 3 tbsps
4. lukewarm water - 1/2 cup
5. Salt - 1 tsp
6. Sugar (raw) or honey - 3 tbsp
7. lukewarm milk (boiled and cooled )- 1/2cup
8. Olive oil - 2 tbsp
9. Some wheat flour for kneading / sprinkling onto the baking tray/bowl
10. Sesame seeds to sprinkle on the bread  - 1 tsp or less
11. Milk - for brushing on the dough (instead of egg wash)
    

Process:

• Microwave 1/2 cup of water and after a few seconds, sprinkle yeast into the cup
  
• Stir and then allow it to stand for 8 minutes for the yeast to dissolve
• Mix 3 cups of wheat flour, oats (rolled and old fashined cooking/instant cooking only - i dont use flavoured oats at home)
• Add salt and honey (or sugar) into the flour mix
• Then add dissolved yeast and continue kneading with milk and oil
• Empty onto a well-floured chopping board to manage a better kneading for about 2 minutes (use both hands)
• Grease you tray or the bowl you wish to bake your bread in and shift this well kneaded dough 
• Cover the bowl/ tray with a wet (not dripping though) muslin cloth
• Let the dough rise until double in volume 
• Transfer the dough onto a slightly floured board and gently punch out the air
  
• Divide the dough into three equal parts and roll them into long strips
• Work these strips into a cute braid and cover it again
• allow it to rise until double for the second time.
• Brush a little milk on the dough and sprinkle sesame seeds
  
• We are all set to bake our bread - 375 F for 25 to 30 minutes. (I generally put it into the oven during the pre heat stage to save energy.) 
• Take care not to over-bake the bread
  
• Once done , remove from pan in a few minutes (heat from your bowl/tray will burn the bread)

Cool and slice to serve!

This bread works great as a garlic bread too. Just slice up a garlic into half and smear it onto the slices. Sprinkle parmesan and mozarella onto it and bake it for five minutes at 350 F ....YUM!!!!

PS:

• I generally bake a small loaf to allow even baking and easy slicing.
• One thing to note about baking is oven settings. It is better to adjust your baking time and temperature settings to suit your oven. For example, smaller the oven , quicker it is heat it, and so is the cooking time. Mine is a 27" whirlpool oven and teh temperature and time settings are to suit similar ovens.