Category: BREADS

HAMBURGER BUNS…TO YEAST OR NOT TO YEAST!!

“It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without soup or bread in it.”
M. F. K. Fisher
Hamburger Buns…made at home
“To yeast or not to yeast” seems to be my call these days. It’s been a while since I gained my yeastly confidence, & now, every weekend I wake up early to try a new yeast bread. Last weekend’s choice ended up being hamburgers because I found this nice recipe posted by Nicole Weston @ Slashfood. Looked like just what I wanted…perfect buns, ever so tempting.
The buns didn’t come out as perfect as the ones on Nicole’s post, but they did taste great. Her post is worth checking out…step by step pictures, explanations at every point & beautiful bunny snapshots!! I made one small change to her recipe…substituted 1/2 a cup of flour with whole-wheat flour. The buns were light with a nice wholesome chew to them…I think the addition of oats make a nice difference to the dough. I made 1 1/2 times the recipe & got 12 buns out of them.
…halfway through when the electricity decided to leave us & go away…
Small Breads…they turned out great anyway!!
This little bread thingy is off to Aparna’s diverse Kitchen where she is hosting Bread baking day #12, the theme of her choice is ‘Small Breads’. Bread Baking Day (BBD) is an event started by the very talented Zorra @ 1x umrühren bitte, dedicated to getting bread makers together every month.

Home-made hamburger buns with grilled chicken within!
The recipe for Homemade Hamburger Buns from Slashfood
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups water, warm (110F)
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup quick-cooking (or whole) oats
2-3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading ( I substituted 1/2 a cup with whole-wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

  • Combine 1/4 cup of the water with the yeast in a large bowl. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
  • Stir in the rest of the water, honey, oats, salt and 1 1/2 cups of flour.
  • Turn it out onto a lightly floured flat surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
  • Once it has risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a rectangle. Divide into eight equal pieces.
  • To shape the buns, draw up the corners of each piece of dough and pinch together, forming a tight ball. Place, seam side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet (I used a foil here).
  • Sprinkle the tops with a bit of extra oats or sesame seeds and let rise for 45 minutes, covered with a clean dish towel, until almost doubled in size.
  • Bake at 190 degrees C for 20-25 minutes, until dark gold. The rolls will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. The rolls will soften slightly as they sit. These can also be used for sandwiches.
  • Makes 8 buns.

Made for a nice meal…yum!!

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Posted by Deeba @ PAB

RUSTIC ITALIAN FOCACCIA…IN A RING & MORE!

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”
Robert Browning

as rustic as it gets…

Italian artisan bread…

Thicker than a pizza, this dimpled bread, focaccia, gets it’s name from the Latin word focus, meaning ‘hearth’ , because it was originally baked on an open hearth. Italian bakers use focaccia dough to make many different speciality breads, such as this ring, stuffed with fragrant pesto, or for that matter, with any other flavouring you might like ( quoted from Le Cordon Blue; The Cook’s Bible).

I made one with home made pesto, & the other with a mushroom, garlic, cheese filling (we liked the second one better). Other interesting alternatives include:

  • Chopped fresh sage, crushed garlic, coarse sea salt & olive oil
  • Finely chopped black or green olives
  • Chopped sun dried tomatoes marinated in olive oil, shredded mozzarella & fresh basil
  • Sauteed onions & chopped fresh herbs

Artisan bread is exactly what its name suggests: bread that is crafted, rather than mass produced. Baked in small batches rather than on a vast assembly line, artisan bread differs from prepackaged supermarket loaves in a number of ways. Special attention to ingredients, process, and a return to the fundamentals of the age-old bread-making tradition set artisan bread apart from soft, preservative-laden commercial breads. For a more complex, flavored artisan bread, the ingredients list might expand to include various other items, all of them recognizable: sliced onions, cheddar cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil. Bread has been around for centuries. No chemicals were added to the breads baked by ancient Egyptians or those mentioned throughout the Bible, and none are added to artisan breads now.

We had company for dinner. I wanted to make bread. I had to make bread. DH suggested savoury Danish coz he fell in love with it after the last DB challenge, in June. I was tempted but that much butter was just not on…not twice a month & not in summer at least! So that morning I sat with my faithful pile of cookbooks around me, almost getting carried away to try something very challenging. Almost thought I would just go bake the Danish, & then saw this focaccia in the Le Cordon Blue Cook’s Bible. Made up my mind really QUICK!! It had to be this…I love rustic, artisan breads! It didn’t disappoint at all. I am posting this urgently on a request (3rd reminder today) from my SIL who was over for dinner & loved this bread. Without further ado…here we go. (I got 2 flavoured rings & 2 smaller shaped loaves out of this dough)
Focaccia dough as adapted from ‘The Cook’s Bible’, pg 239
Ingredients:
Active Instant Yeast – 1 2/3 tbsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Warm water – 300ml
Flour – 700 gms
Whole wheat flour – 200gms
Salt – 2 tsp
Olive oil – 4tsp
Dried Italian Herbs- 2-3 tbsps
Filling of your choice ( I did one with mushrooms + garlic, recipe here; & the other with basil-almond pesto, recipe here)

Method:

  • Proof the yeast by sprinkling it over 2 tbsps of warm water from the recipe & 1/2 tsp sugar. Cover & leave until frothy.
  • Stir the flours + salt + dried Italian herbs into a big bowl & make a well in the centre.
  • Add yeast + remaining water + olive oil. Mix to a dough.Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes.
  • Shape into a ball, & place in a oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth, & let rise until doubles (1-2 hours).
  • Punch down the dough, knead for 2-3 minutes, then let rest for 5 minutes.
  • Roll about 1/3 of the dough into a 40 X 30 cm rectangle & spread the filling of your choice evenly over it, leaving a 1 cm border.
  • Starting from one long side, roll into a cylinder. Pinch the seams to seal, but not the ends. Transfer seam side down, to a floured baking sheet, shape into a ring, & pinch ends to seal.
  • Slice the ring at 5 cm intervals to within 2 cm of the centre. Gently pull out each slice & twist it over to one side to show the cut edge. Cover & let rise until doubled, 30-45 minutes.
  • Brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle over with coarse sea salt & bake at 190 degrees C until golden, 30-40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
  • Note: I made sandwiches from the other loaves the next day…filling them with shredded grilled chicken, tomatoes, onions, mozzarella & mustard.

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

MAKE WAY FOR THE DANISH BRAIDERS…Ooooops, I mean the DARING BAKERS!!

“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight. “
M. F. K. Fisher

‘Danish Braid’ from Sherry Yard’s ‘The Secrets of Baking’

Hello from a Daring Baker who is now a Danish Braider!! The day is finally here when this ‘daring group of bakers’ present their monthly challenge. This month, we were dared to bake a Danish Braid…a challenge hosted by Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’? What a fun challenge it turned out to be, even though I was overtaken by agony & ecstasy when I read about it.
Agony because anything to do with pastry & oodles of butter doesn’t augur well at 40 degrees C + temperatures…I had visions of rivers of butter & runny pastry dough! Ecstasy because I love a good Danish & would have never attempted such a wonderful pastry had it not been posted in a DB challenge!

Up close & personal…check out my braid!

Thanks to the Danes who have popularised this pastry. It is a wonderful, wonderful pastry… flaky, light, addictive & high on flavour. When I read that cardamom is traditional in Scandinavian breads, I was quite surprised. Don’t often here of cardamom being used in the West; I tend to associate the flavour more with the Middle-East & the Indian sub-continent.
Thoughts flew though my head…the first one obviously being fellow DB Jasmine @ Confessions of a Cardamom Addict! Then thought of how the men in my house would love it because DH is almost a cardamom addict & the son is not far behind. The daughter is an ‘anything Mama makes’ addict….very safe ground for all culinary adventures. The only thought that bothered me was egg in the pastry dough…did put me off initially…but daring I have to be, so firmly banished any such eggy thoughts from my mind!

A delightful experience it was… only wish it were winter. Chilling didn’t matter because of the ‘virtual oven’ outdoors & I procrastinated for LONG! Postponing the bake day by day. Destiny stepped in…the monsoons arrived 2 weeks ahead of time for the first time ever recorded( in a 108 years!!). Waited a day to make sure the weather would hold, & despite high humidity levels got started. Handling the dough was a pain, but the overall feeling was pure JOY!!! Thank you Kelly & Ben (my dear blogging friend who I share my ‘yeastly‘ strengths with)…this has been my most enjoyable & yummy DB challenge to date. Think you can fathom my sheer JOY by the number of pictures I clicked!!

Just before it disappeared…

The braid was wonderful…more so because I checked out the Julia Child link (it’s fabulous) & a you-tube video before I started; got an immense boost of confidence (which led to slight over browning!!). It was devoured before the day was done…& EVERYONE LOVED IT!! I gave it a ‘peach preserves & marzipan‘ filling (both from scratch as required)…delicious!

Peach preserves that I made the Julia Child way… peel, pit & chop peaches. Put them in a microwaveable bowl with 1/2 cup sugar & any spices you like (I added cardamom & cinnamon to tie up the flavours). Microwave for 18 minutes, uncovered, mash around a bit, squeeze a lime in & cool. Chill until ready to use!! You can find my marzipan recipe here.

Danish pastry is a sweet pastry which has become a speciality of Denmark and is popular throughout the industrialized world, although the form it takes can differ significantly from country to country. The ingredients include flour, yeast, milk, eggs, and generous amounts of butter. A yeast dough is rolled out thinly, coated with butter, and then folded into numerous layers. If necessary, the dough is chilled to ease handling. The rolling, buttering, folding, and chilling is repeated several times to create a dough which is buttery and flaky. Savoury Danish…Mushrooms, Garlic ‘n’ Cheese

We were allowed any deviations in filling & appearance after making the 1 mandatory braid…so the mind began thinking. I made a savoury roll with a mushroom,garlic,cheese filling…

Here’s what I did for the filling…Sauteed some chopped garlic in olive oil for a minute, tossed in finely sliced button mushrooms & stir fried them till all the liquid dried up, added lots of finely chopped coriander leaves, seasoned it with salt & pepper, added the squeeze of a lime…

Cooled the filling, rolled out a 1/4 of the same (very slightly sweet but it was fine) dough to a rectangle. Spread the filling uniformly, grated cheddar on top & rolled it like a Swiss roll. Sealed the 2 open ends, gave it a brushing of egg-white , made some knife cuts on top & gave it a generous sprinkling of sea salt. Baked it for 10 minutes on 200degrees C, & a further 10-12 minutes at 165 degrees C. Was delicious!

Made for a delicious meal with blanched green beans tossed in grill seasoning, a tsp of butter & a dollop of cream cheese; a cold potato-onion salad in hung yogurt with herbs & lime juice; & stuffed grilled chicken breasts. Stuffed the chicken with a bit of the same mushroom filling to tie up all the flavours together!

And the Danish adventure continued…

…In the evening, the last 1/4 of the dough went into smaller sweet Danish pastries. Shapes etc taken from an old baking book, ‘Baking Course’ by Isabel Moore which I had bought more than 20 years ago. Had always looked at the shapes longingly, & never thought I would get as far as making them. I DID!! This challenge gave us 3 days of delecable happiness!You can find the recipe at Bens‘ here or Kellys‘ here…it’s a great experience & shall most certainly be made again in winter, cardamom & all. Please do stop by HERE & see the rest of the Danish Braiders, ooops again, Daring Bakers (DB’s whichever way you look at ’em) enjoying braiding this beautiful pastry!

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

SANDWICCIA ANYONE?…Focaccia sandwiches by another name!

“It has been well said that a hungry man is more interested in four sandwiches than four freedoms.”
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., (American diplomat)
‘Sandwiccia‘…a focaccia sandwich!
Made some Roasted Garlic & Bell Pepper Focaccia again the other day. This very versatile Italian bread has become quite a staple at home since the kids LOVE it. It’s a gratifying feeling that they enjoy garlic & basil as much as we do…which just means that meal times are simpler & fun to plan too. They enjoy home baked breads of all sorts. For me, it’s therapeutic. The mixing, the kneading, the rising & finally the aromas that waft through the whole house makes life just seem more worthwhile. I made a double batch of focaccia, & served up the second batch the next day as grilled ‘SANDWICCIAS‘…my coined phrase for focaccia sandwiches, which quite takes sandwiches to another level altogether. They were obviously quite because they were polished off in next to no time. The kids said they tasted just like pizzas, but better!! So here you go…presenting some cheesy grilled ‘SANDWICCIAS‘!

Roasted Garlic & Bell Pepper Focaccia – recipe HERE
For the Sandwiccias…

  • Cool the focaccia completely, & then slice horizontally to get 2 flat slices.
  • Spread a layer of cheese spread, followed by slices of cheese, then sliced tomatoes, salt & freshly ground pepper, fresh chopped basil leaves & some grated cheese. (Add any filling of your choice).
  • Grill the focaccia sandwiches on a lightly greased pan for about 3-4 minutes on each side, weighed down with a panini press if possible. (I use a metal plate with a weight on top).
  • The cheese melts & acts as the glue, holding everything together well…& the flavours of the focaccia come through really nicely.
  • Quarter & serve warm, with potato wedges & a salad / pasta.
  • I served ours with ‘roasted garlic & pesto’ oven-baked potato wedges, & fusili in a light cream coriander sauce with red & yellow bell peppers.

This yummy sandwiccia is off to the Sandwich Festival 2008, an event hosted by Anupama @ Food n More. In her words…”I love bread and am constantly looking for ideas to make different kinds of sandwich creations. They are great in lunch boxes and perfect food when you are on the go. They are also a healthy option when you are too tired to cook and whatsmore a sandwich is something that even husbands can make on their own without grumbling too much. “

I agree with her… I’m always game for creative sandwich ideas too. Am now beginning to go a step further; I sometimes try & make the bread too! This ‘sandwiccia‘ was the result of one such culinary adventure…one that was very satisfying!

Full of flavour…ENJOY!!

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN…MAKE WAY FOR DINNER ROLLS!

“Bread, milk and butter are of venerable antiquity. They taste of the morning of the world.”
Leigh Hunt
Knotted All Over…for dinner!

I’ve had dinner rolls on my mind for a while with the Chuck Berry song that hums in the background. Yeastophobia being a thing of the past, I’m gingerly inching my way forward to make things I dreamt about for long. The last time I bought dinner rolls was the last time I bought them. They were so ‘not real’…nothing to them. So I got on & read a few baking books about shaping & knotting breads…what fun!

Dreaming of Garlicky Dinner Rolls…

Then came the time for recipe searches. I had a couple ingrained in my brain for months, but the one that kept coming back was one @ Aparna’s My Diverse Kitchen. I made these pretty rolls adapting her recipe. Changes…hmmm…plenty because of overconfidence! Measured all wrong, mixed everything together & did a double take; too late. March on you daring baker, there was only one way to go. ROLL AWAY!! Other regular deviations of my kind were to add some minced garlic for a subtle flavour. I LOVE garlic…& if I can stick it into the dinner roll too-YAY!! Also didn’t have wheatgerm (what I had was well past its date) so substituted flour for that. The rolls were a GREAT hit. They looked pretty too & I had a blast shaping them to my dreams desire! A brush of milk, a sprinkling of seeds…plenty of choice. Thank you Aparna…they were really great!
Voices heard…” The snail is mine, ooooh there are 2 of them; I’ll have the knot please; Can I have the braid Mama?“…
The recipe, as adapted from My Diverse Kitchen.

Ingredients:

Flour – 2 cups (can substitute 1/2 cup with wheat germ)
Wholewheat flour – 1 1/2 cups
Warm milk – 1 cup
Sugar – 1 tsp
Dry Yeast – 1 3/4 tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Sea salt – 1 tsp
Garlic – 2-3 cloves / minced (optional)
Warm water – 1/4 cup/ as required
Polenta for dusting the baking sheet
Milk – 1/8 cup for brushing
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds if desired.
Method:
  • Add the sugar and yeast to the warm milk, mix and allow to proof for about 10 minutes till nice & bubbly. Then stir in the oil, garlic & salt.
  • Mix both the flours, add the milk-yeast mixture & pull together to make a soft pliable dough. Add some warm water if required.
  • Turn out onto a floured surface & knead well for 5-10 minutes till smooth & elastic.
  • Lightly oil a large bowl & place the ball of dough into this, turn over to grease under side, & leave to rise in a warm place till doubled. (about 2 hours).
  • Punch the dough back & divide into 12 equal portions. Shape into rolls as desired with lightly oiled hands.
  • Place on a sheet dusted with polenta & allow to rise for a further 10-15 minutes in a warm place.
  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
  • Brush the rolls with milk & sprinkle with poppy seeds , toasted sesame seeds etc. Do them one by one as the milk tends to dry up quickly.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes till nicely browned. Tap the bottom to see if you get a hollow sound; an indication that they are done.

  • Cool on a rack. I placed them in a preheated oven (switched off after preheating) for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with olive oil or some yummy butter.
All knotted up & headed for dinner…
Pretty picturesque rolls. We loved them!

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

LOAFING AROUND…FOCACCIA with garlic, onion & fresh basil

“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.”
Aesop
VICTORY LOAF….FOCACCIA!
Come spring & you find breads being baked with renewed fervour. Easter holiday breads are popping up all over the blogosphere…from hot cross buns to sweet braided loaves! I too have abandoned with glee my yeastophobia & jumped into the fray… though not with a sweet bread. I decided to make focaccia the other day. For me this finally symbolises victory over my fear of yeast! I’m ready to conquer the world of breads!! What better time but with the advent of Spring…
Fun with dough… mastering the plait!
This flat bread topped with olive oil, spices and other products is an early prototype of modern pizza. The basic recipe is thought by some to have originated with the Etruscans or Ancient Greeks.
Focaccia, known and loved in Italy and abroad, is a yeasted bread dough, often mixed or spread with oil, herbs, or onion, and ancient way of cooking bread dough quickly, possibly connected with offerings made by the Romans to the gods, liba… Early versions were cooked on the hearth of a hot fire, or on a heated tile or earthenware disk, like the related flatbreads. Many have an inventive range of flavourings, the olive oil, rosemary, garlic or onion of the schiacciata alla fiorentina of Tuscany, or the herbs, sage, rosemary, oregaon, onion, and ciccioli of the foccia genovese of Liguria.

Loafing around…

Focaccia is a versatile bread indeed. Full of flavour & full of options. I used a highly rated ‘Rosemary Garlic Focaccia‘ recipe from Recipezaar; substituted the rosemary with fresh garlic & sliced onions, & added a portion of wholewheat flour too. The whole house smelt divine while the loaves were baking…absolute nirvana! We ate 2 loaves the first day with a chicken casserole, baked garlic potatoes, crumb fried fish & salad. The next day I made sandwiches with the 3rd loaf! I believe you can even top it & make it into a pizza! It’s got a lovely light & fresh crumb & keeps for 2-3 days at cool temperatures.

Redolent…in the rays of the setting sun

I saved some dough & plaited it into a braid… it’s been my dream for many years to plait a loaf of bread! Strange but true!! I used to drift through baking books wondering how such beautiful braided breads were possible. My first attempt wasn’t too bad as I made the plait from my mind; have since found out that I needed 4 strands & not 3 as I used! Until next time then…

The recipe as adapted from Recipezaar…

Ingredients
Yeast – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 1/2 tsps
Flour – 4 cups
Wholewheat flour – 1/2 – 1 cup ( I substituted a bit of the flour with this)
Salt – 1 tsp
Olive oil – 3 tbsps
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Onion – 1 sliced
Garlic – 4-5 cloves / sliced
Roasted sesame seeds & poppy seeds
Sea salt – 1 1/2 tsp

Method:

  • In a bowl, stir together yeast, sugar and 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water and proof yeast for 10-15 minutes, or until foamy.
  • Stir in 3 cups of flour + 1 cup of wheat flour, 1 tablespoons of the olive oil and the salt, adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary to form a soft and slightly sticky dough.
  • Transfer to a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, and let rise, covered, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until double in size.
  • Knead dough down and press with lightly-oiled hands into 2 well-oiled 8″ round sandwich loaf pans, saving some for a braided bread.
  • Make a braid with the remaining dough, tuck in the ends underneath & let them rise, covered loosely, for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set rack in center of oven.
  • Dimple dough with your fingers in places, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over and spread over dough; sprinkle with onions, basil, garlic and sea salt. I drizzled oil over the braided loaf & sprinkled sesame & poppy seeds all over it.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until pale golden.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

A loaf I’m quite proud of…

‘Breadbakingday‘ the monthly event was started by Zorra for passionate and to-be bread bakers, who bake bread and share recipes and experiences on the first day of every month. This month’s ‘Breadbakingday’ is hosted by someone who I’ve been in awe of for LONG…Susan @ Wild Yeast. She says…”As one of the oldest and most universal of foods, bread is associated with celebrations in every part of the world. For this month’s BreadBakingDay, you are invited to share your own spring holiday bread tradition, explore one you’re not yet familiar with, or start a new one. Choose any seasonal holiday or event you’d like to honor with a special bread.”

My new found freedom from yeastophobia is event enough to announce the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I’m gonna celebrate it with this braided loaf & am sending it off to Susan’s. I recommend you check out her blog & marvel at her ease with yeast…especially if you are yeastophobic like I was.

Posted by Deeba @ PAB
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