“What is more mortifying than to feel that you have missed the plum for want of courage to shake the tree?” Logan Pearsall Smith
Petite Whole Wheat Plum Cakes … some desserts are so homey and comforting that they hit the right spot. These little cakes fell straight into that category. Simple, earthy, flavourful and above all whole grain. Nothing spectacular to look at, so I didn’t take many photographs. I didn’t have the time too. A few clicks and we all dived in!
Dorie GreenspansBaking With Julia that sweet Suma gifted me is a book I often leaf through. For inspiration, for entertainment, for sheer reading pleasure, the book works every time. There were some oven roasted plum cakes that have inspired mine.
It isn’t easy to hide my love for stone fruits every summer. Peaches, plums, mangoes, cherries … they charm, then entice, they leap off the shelves at the bazaar, they beg me to take them home. We chomp a few, then toss plenty into smoothies. Summer also means fro yo to tease our palettes, and fruit salads that play with our senses. All light & refreshing!!
Abundance of fresh seasonal produce makes summer more than worthwhile. So much so that just turning the oven on in this blistering heat to see stone fruit juices bubble over is a delight. A virtual treat. I often wait with bated breath for ‘the moment’. The juices ooze over and run down the sides. Baking nirvana. Small things, immense pleasure!
These petite whole wheat plum cakes turned out to be hidden gems. Quite unassuming in appearance, yet packed with flavour and texture, the lad immediately asked if he could have another!
A drizzle of low-fat unsweetened cream added to the deliciousness. Alternatively, you could always try some vanilla ice cream or custard on the side.
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Recipe: Petite Whole Wheat Plum Cakes
Summary:Petite Whole Wheat Plum Cakes … some desserts are so homey and comforting that they hit the right spot. These little cakes fell straight into that category. Simple, earthy, flavourful and above all whole grain. Nothing spectacular to look at yet very delicious! Adapted from Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Ingredients:
100g butter, room temperature,
100g brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4-5 drops almond extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
50g almond meal
3/4 tsp baking soda
50ml buttermilk
5-6 plums, halved
Low fat cream or ice cream to serve
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190C. Lightly grease 10-12 individual muffin tins, or ramekins.
Beat butter and brown sugar until light and mousse like.
Add eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat again.
On low-speed add both flours and baking soda and mix.
Fold in the buttermilk.
Divide batter between prepared tins. Top each with half a pitted plum, cut side up.
Place on a baking sheet and bake at 190C for about 35 minutes / until done.
Leave to cool in tins.
Loosen edges with a butter knife and turn out on serving platter. Serve with a drizzle of low at cream or vanilla ice cream.
“It could be argued that there is an element of entertainment in every pie, as every pie is inherently a surprise by virtue of its crust.”
Janet Clarkson
Crack Pie … sweet indulgence. This is Momofukus trademark pie, a classic as craveable as the name implies, one that guarantees an instant sugar high. For once, this is just pure decadence in a sweet sort of way. Nothing healthy about it other than the oats in the base maybe. Yet it’s a pie you have to try. It’s one I watched bloggers make and celebrate ecstatically when Momofuku’s Milk came out in 2011.
Rachael frompizzarossa was our lovely June 2013 Daring Bakers’ host and she had us whipping up delicious pies in our kitchens! Cream pies, fruit pies, chocolate pies, even crack pies! There’s nothing like pie!
I had the book on my wish list back then. Somehow never bought it. Had this pie bookmarked. For some reason never made it. Life took over and I forgot about it. Much water flowed under the bridge. Then came this challenge. I was ecstatic when I read “Life of Pie” . What’s not to love?
I made a delicious Strawberry Pie some time back using a pie bird. That was around the time Life of Pi was winning Oscars galore. I really enjoyed making that, yet I enjoyed this challenge more. More so after my recent bout of Smoothie madness, Crack Pie indulgence felt well deserved!
Such an unassuming sweet pie to make. With a name like this, Crack Pie seems enticing. Interpret the name as you like, but the result is the same … an all time delicious sugar high! In the best meaning possible way, {crack adjective. first-rate, splendid} this very rich, chewy, sweet-salty crack pie in an oat cookie crust fits right in!
Bon Appetit says about Crack Pie, “Anyone who has taken a bite of this Milk Bar best seller immediately knows the reason for the sassy name. Once you start eating this rich, salty-sweet pie with its oat cookie crust, you won’t be able to stop.” A thick, chewy crust filled with an outrageously sweet gooey filling, it’s a wicked sugar-rush. You’ll want small servings!
I bookmarked this the minute I saw the DB challenge. I just knew I would make mini crack pies. I had to! But I procrastinated. So much continues to happen and I finally got my oat crust going on the 26th! Of course I didn’t take into account that the pie needs an overnight rest. That might explain this slightly delayed posting, but I loved making it.
The idea of baking a huge giant sized oat cookie for the crust was entirely charming. It seemed like such fun though I was a bit unsure of a crisp cookie as my cookie batter was a bit soft. Happily enough, it baked up a yummy giant crisp cookie. A little nibble and I knew it should be crumbled asap. So addictive that it might not have lasted otherwise.
Most pictures of the pie online are like ugly duckling pies so I knew there was nothing fancy in the looks department. I did manage to make rustic little versions though. I loved them … plain, simple, whimsical, sweet, chewy, quintessentially Momofuku.
The pie i
It’s a simple pie. A little mix here and there and it’s ready for the oven. A few changes? Yes of course. I didn’t have milk powder so added a spoon of cocoa instead. Also a scraped vanilla bean because I feared eggy aromas from the 4 yolks. And as always, low fat cream instead of whipping cream. Everything worked beautifully!
I wasn’t sure the little pies would leave the tins happily the next day, but they obliged sweetly after a little prodding. So here are my little crack pies, ones I absolutely loved making. I waited for the babies to be ‘delivered‘ with a baited breath. This was one of my more fun DB challenges as I had dreamt of making Crack Pie for long. I wish I had more time, but then I’ve made many pies before.
Thank you Rachael for offering us the delicious Life of Pie. I loved the challenge, especially that you chose Crack Pie as one of the four. Thank you as always Lisa ofLa Mia CucinaandIvonne of Cream Puffs in Venicefor hosting this fabkitchen!! Do stop byhere to dig into more sweet pies!
[print_this]Recipe: Crack Pie
Summary: Crack Pie … sweet indulgence. This is Momofukus trademark pie, a classic as craveable as the name implies, one that guarantees an instant sugar high. For once, this is just pure decadence in a sweet sort of way.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes {plus an overnight chill} Ingredients:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 gm) old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup (70 gm) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling
3/4 cup (170 gm) white sugar
1/2 cup (packed) (100 gm) brown sugar
1 tablespoon (8 gm) cocoa {or dry milk powder}
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115gm) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons (100ml) low fat cream
4 large egg yolks
1 vanilla bean scraped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting
Method:
Oat Cookie Crust
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to moderate 180°C. Line a 13x9x2 inch/33x22x5cm metal baking pan with parchment (baking) paper. Lightly spray or butter 8 3″ mini removable base pie dishes {or a 9 inch/22cm diameter glass or ceramic pie dish}.
Combine 6 tablespoons (85 gm) of the softened butter, 4 tablespoons (50 gm) of the brown sugar and the white sugar in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg and beat until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute.
Dump oat mixture into prepared baking pan and press out evenly to edges of pan.
Bake until light golden, 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to wire rack and cool cookie completely, about an hour.
Using your fingertips, crumble the cookie a into large bowl – there should be no identifiable pieces of cookie remaining. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 gm) butter and 1-1/2 tablespoons (20 gm) brown sugar. Rub in with your fingertips until the mixture is moist and sticks together when pressed between your fingers.
Transfer cookie crust mixture to pie dish. Using your fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish (about 1 inch/2.5cm up the sides if your pie dish is deep). If your pie dish is shallow, place it on a baking sheet in case of overflow.
Filling
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to moderate 180°C. If possible, use bottom-only heat, or the filling may brown too quickly.
Whisk both sugars, cocoa {or milk powder if using}, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Add melted butter and whisk until blended.
Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended.
Pour filling into crust.
Bake 20 minutes {30 for 1 big pie}. (filling may begin to bubble up). Reduce oven temperature to 160°C. Continue to bake until filling is brown on top and set around edges but center still jiggles slightly, about 20 minutes longer.
Cool pie completely in pie dish on wire rack. Chill uncovered overnight.
Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into thin wedges and serve cold.
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”
Dr. Seuss
SMOOTHIES! A word set to change the way we look at food. This is a change that I’ve seen creeping in and leaving it’s ‘footprint’ wherever it goes. I wasn’t a smoothie person. For some reason I didn’t experiment. Sometimes it felt too cumbersome {can you believe that?}.
My first real interest in smoothies was spiked thanks to a series of attractive and colourful posts by Sylvie. I was instantly smitten. That was my chosen path. Every morning the kids were woken up to veggie detox smoothies. Initially they got talked into it, but soon they just pretended they were too tired to wake up and have my detox concoctions! This was in the winter that went by.
My real tryst with fruit smoothies began this spring with frozen strawberries and mulberries. The mango-peach and strawberry versions have been in place for years. The kids grew up on banana smoothies. The first 10 years of their life, they woke up to a banana smoothie every single day. Unfortunately, they both detest bananas with a vengeance now. I think I overdid it!Then came summer and with it truckloads of summer fruit. The season began beautifully and smoothie-ly! Changes come about when you least expect them to. Banter with local foodie friends more often than never veers towards ‘who’s doing what‘ with which local produce. I am inherently a very very fruit centric person.
Summer in North India is full of fatigue. Hot, humid, dusty … relentless. Quick cooking is the call of the day. Quick stir frys, grilling, air frying, bbq, wraps and quesadillas all work well for the kids. Salad on the side is understood, and the sauteed beans or broccoli part of the ‘deal‘. Is regimental! The Air Fryer offers french fries whenever desired so the teens are pretty much catered to!
That leaves me and Mr PAB who gladly {or not} eats drinks what I do. With grateful thanks to friend, food blogger and nutritionist Sangeeta, I’ve discovered a whole new world. A world of delicious smoothies, both sweet and savoury! The mind thinks non stop now. Herbs, fruit, veggies, nuts, oats, yogurt, soy milk …
These are what fill my world now. Every morning is dedicated to a good 45 minutes of Thermomix-ing! I churn out one smoothie after another. The kids line up to guzzle chilled tall glasses of watermelon peach smoothie, and literally race for the pineapple ginger. The peach mango is for the diva who sits up half asleep and happily goes through the glass. For me, ginger and curry leaves hold new meaning!
Oooh and before I forget, I even made a lip smacking good fermented pineapple peels drink, kanji. The credit goes to Sangeeta as well. Who would have known that pineapple peels were packed with so much flavour and happiness? To quote her about the food value of this wonderful decoction – “The skin and the pith of the pineapple is quite rich in Bromelain, the digestive enzyme that helps digest dense proteins easily and the vitamin C and Manganese content of the fruit is very high hence the anti oxidant property of this fruit. Manganese helps absorb and utilise many other nutrients and it makes pineapple one of the healthiest foods.” You can find the recipe on her blog!
Are you part of the smoothie gang? What’s your favourite smoothie to go? Tell me, I’m hungry for ideas! The more I experiment, the happier I get!
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Recipe: Pineapple Ginger Smoothie
Summary: Most of the smoothie recipes following suggestions from Sangeeta @ Health Food Desi Videshi. Sugar can be decreased if fussy kids aren’t on the horizon!
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pineapple, peeled, chopped
1 litre of water
40g sugar {decrease or substitute with honey}
1tsp rock salt
Method:
Place everything in a blender/Thermomix. Blend until smooth.
Strain and chill, or serve over ice.
Recipe: Watermelon Peach Smoothie
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Ingredients:
1 small watermelon {1.5kg approx}, peeled, flesh roughly chopped
4 peaches, scrubbed well, pitted, chopped
Juice of 1 large lime
40g sugar {as required}
1 tsp rock salt
Method:
Place everything in a blender/Thermomix. Blend until smooth.
Chill and serve.
Note: I do not strain it, but you can for a ‘smoother’ smoothie.
Recipe: Mango Peach Smoothie
Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Ingredients:
2 large mangoes, peeled, flesh chopped
4-5 peaches, scrubbed well, pitted, chopped
10-15g sugar if required
750ml milk
4-5 cubes of ice
Method:
Place everything in a blender/Thermomix. Blend until smooth.
Serve immediately or chill until served.
Recipe: Buttermilk Currypatta Lassi/Chaachh
Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Ingredients:
900ml cultured buttermilk
200ml yogurt
3-4 green hilies {decrease if required}
1″ piece ginger
20 sprigs curry leaves / curry patta {just le
1 tbsp roasted cumin powder / bhuna zeera powder
Rock salt to taste
Method:
Place everything in a blender/Thermomix. Blend until smooth.
“A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.”
Benjamin Franklin
A Walnut Meringue and Cherry Gateau seemed an unlikely combination. I bravely ventured into unknown territory with my fingers crossed. It turned out to be quite a winner. The meringues baked up prettily. They are delicate creatures and very delicious if you are a nut lover. I love the idea of nutty meringues layered with cream and paired with fruit.
That said, pairing a nutty meringue with pastry cream and fruit is never easy to slice. It doesn’t offer you ‘restaurant’ style neat slices. An ‘Eton Mess’ is closer to what lands up on the platter … but it’s a helluva tasty mess!
This Walnut Meringue and Cherry Gateau was our little ‘celebration’ for Fathers Day. I had some whites left over from the Ginger Lemon Crème Brûlée. I dreamt of revisiting macarons, but it’s been raining cats & dogs the past 2 days. Macarons are fiddly creatures, humidity just adds to their ‘fear factor’.
So I thought of pavlovas, and one thing led to another. I finally settled for a meringue cake, dacquoise type. Eventually what followed was a recipe using anything and everything I had on hand. Walnuts and cherries seemed like strange bedfellows. They proved themselves otherwise!
The recipe was inspired by this Hazelnut Meringue Gateau I found while googling. Often if I’m looking for inspiration, it’s just easier to reach for the ipad or smartphone while working in the kitchen. So when the folk at The Snugg sent me an ipad case, it made me happy! It felt ‘comforting’ to own one!!
Are you part of the growing numbers who use smartphones and tablets to look up recipes and tips whilst cooking? I certainly am. With this in mind, The Snugghas created sturdy, good quality cases to protect expensive devices from the hazards of a busy kitchen! A wipe clean exterior makes it even more perfect for the kitchen!
What did I like about the snugg ipad case? The first thing that struck me was the good quality and the neat design. The fit is fantastic. It’s also compact, like ‘snug compact’, which might explain the name SNUGG! The case has a sturdy feel to it and is very aesthetic. I liked the classic black, though you have a choice of ten colours. Gives your beloved smartphone or ipad a ‘protected’ feeling. A ‘snugg’ feel !!
With the promise of the perfect SNUGG fit, the finest materials and high quality craftsmanship, they are the biggest seller of their kind in the USA. Since the launch of The Snugg, they have been bought by celebrities and big enterprises alike. In fact, custom branded cases have been supplied to Cadillac, GMC and even the CIA!!!! The range is vast – cases for smartphones, ipad, ipad mini, tablets, kindle and accessories too.
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Recipe: Walnut Meringue and Cherry Gateau
Summary: A Walnut Meringue and Cherry Gateau seemed an unlikely combination. It turned out to be quite a winner. The meringues baked up prettily. They are delicate creatures and very delicious if you are a nut lover. I love the idea of nutty meringues layered with cream and paired with fruit.
Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of 2 8″ loose bottomed tins with parchment.Place the walnuts and 50g sugar in processor and grind in short pulses till fine meal.
Reserve in a bowl.
Grind the vanilla sugar if using
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the remianing sugar 1 tbsp at a time and continue to whip to stiff peaks.
Fold in the vanilla extract,vinegar and ground walnut mixture gently but thoroughly.
Gently divide batter between the prepared tins,
Bake at 180C for 40-50 until lightly coloured and firm.
Gently remove from tins and cool completely on racks.
Lay the bottom layer on serving platter and top with pastry cream, followed by balsamic cherries in syrup. Top with the whipped cream {or alternatively fold the whipped cream into the crème patissiere}. Reserve some for topping if desired.
Top the filling with second layer.
Spread some pastry cream over the top, drizzle some leftover cherry syrup and garnish with fresh cherries.
Chill for a couple of hours to moisten the meringue slightly to help slicing a little easier. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice.
Crème Patissiere
Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk, cream, vanilla bean and cream with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil. Remove from heat.
Beat the eggs into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
Continue whisking {this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook} until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat, pass through a sieve, cover with plastic film and allow to cool. Chill until needed. can be made a day ahead {makes 350g}.
Balsamic Cherries
Place ingredients in a non reactive pan and simmer until the cherries release their juices and begin to get soft and hold their shape, about 4-5 minutes. {Don’t overcook or the cherries will break down and lose shape}
Remove the cherries to a bowl. Place pan with the liquid on medium high heat and reduce to about a third, nice and thick. Cool.
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Have you entered the premium baking extract giveaway? Do stop by here. Its a worldwide one.
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India
” A pure extract is the most important ingredient.”
Marcus Camisoni
Ginger Lemon Crème Brûlée … the boy discovered the chefs torch one day while scrabbling through my cupboards. I had a hard time keeping my cool as I don’t like anyone going through my stuff! He said he was looking for ‘something to do’!
“Found it mama“, he announced. “Now lets make Crème Brûlée”! Thein house baker is used to getting sudden requests and is always game for inspiration! Even though eggy desserts don’t feature prominently in my list of ‘want to bake now‘, it’s nice to try something different! I really wanted brûlée ‘something’. The lovely Finla had sent me a chefs torch through her better half some time back. I was glad to have an opportunity to put it to good use.
Summer vacations, a keen new interest in honing his culinary skills, and the need for dessert on the pooches birthday seemed reason enough for him. “Coco has cake, but what about us”, he whined. Then charmingly suggested, “Crème brûlée”?I gave in quite easily because I had more reason. The sweet Carmen Rossi from Camisoni, a premium cooking and baking extract company, founded in Portofino, Italy, had sent me some extracts to sample – lemon, vanilla and coffee!Lemon was what I reached out for to make my summer crème brûlée. The deep, heady aroma almost knocked me out when I unscrewed the generous glass bottle. One small whiff and you realise how potent the stuff is! I ran it past the rest of the folk at home, and each one had this surprised expression. Whoa … that is strong!!
This was good stuff, and I soon figured what my crème brûlée flavours were going to be. A dash of ginger would pair well with lemon. Fresh root ginger is something you will always find in Asian homes. Turned out to be a beautiful choice.
Lemon and ginger both lent delicate undertones to the well set crème brûlée. It was fun to see the lads brûléeing enthusiasm. Under my watchful eye, E A C H grain of sugar was lovingly caramelised.
This was the first of my adventures with the rich aromatic extracts that I received from Camisoni. With vanilla, lemon and coffee extracts on hand, I dream of the good days that lie ahead. I also tried the coffee extract which has a real full bodied, deep coffee aroma. The resultant cake was love at first bite!
Watch out for that post to come. Until then, please leave your favourite and trusted / trick as a comment and get entered into the Camisoni extract giveaway.
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Please send in one culinary tip/trick you swear by. Be as creative as you can be. I am sure each one of us has ‘one special magic trick‘ under our belt.
Please LIKECamisoni Extracts on FB {include having done so in your comment}.
Preheat oven to 170C°. Place 4 3/4 cup ramekins in 1 pan.
Place cream, sugar, ginger and vanilla beans in a heavy-duty pan over low heat. Simmer until the sugar melts, stirring often. Turn off heat, cover and allow flavours to infuse for 10 minutes.
Place yolks in a large pan and whisk with a balloon whisk. Strain the infused mixture over the yolks and blend well to mix.
Divide between the four ramekins. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come up halfway up the ramekins.
Carefully transfer pan to oven.
Bake custards until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken, about 45 minutes.
Using metal spatula, transfer custards in dishes to cooling rack.
Chill for at least 3 hours. {or overnight}
Make Crème Brûlée:
Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each custard. Working with 1 custard at a time, hold blowtorch so that flame is 2 inches above surface. Direct flame so that sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes.
Refrigerate until custards are firm again but topping is still brittle, at least 2 hours but no longer than 4 hours so that topping doesn’t soften.
“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”
James Beard
Focaccia … bread that comforts. Just simple bread is good enough sometimes. I am constantly torn between my two crusty favourites, the fougasse and the focaccia, both flatbreads that are hearty, chewy, flavourful and earthy. Breads that bring alive words by Robert Browning “If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” Ottolenghis foccacia is one of my all time faves.
I needed to bake something soothing, something therapeutic. I lost a very dear maternal uncle over the weekend. He was the glue that held my mothers side of the family together. Intelligent, largehearted, a disciplinarian, always there, often intimidating, brutally honest, sometimes scathing, but a place we happily headed to year after year to spend two months of the summer vacations. It was routine, and we loved it as kids.
He passed away in Lucknow, the city of the Nawabs, over the weekend. That left a deep void, and restlessness. I knew I had to bake bread. I find comfort in food. It gives me an escape. Bread especially. Getting the dough going, seeing it rise, punching it down and then popping it into a hot oven. Always comforting and therapeutic.
Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread, which may be topped with herbs or other ingredients. Focaccia is popular in Italy and is usually seasoned with olive oil and salt, and sometimes herbs, and may be topped with onion, cheese and meat, or flavored with a number of vegetables.
I remember making a similar focaccia when the tsunami struck Japan. Roasted Garlic Focaccia for the ‘Fukushima 50‘. Those days were devastating even though we were miles away from Japan. The images that rolled over and over again made life look so vulnerable. I had a helpless feeling then and yes, I baked bread.
I added a little whole wheat to the dough this time. The recipe yields two loaves, or two round breads. I baked one for lunch and left the other to slow rise in the fridge. Baked it the next day. Worked fine. I like to flavour the dough. Garlic and herbs are normally part of my dough as I love the depth they lend.
Depending on time on hand, roasted garlic is my first choice. If not, then I throw in some garlic cloves and the Thermomix blends them in with the flour. You can add minced garlic instead. If you love garlic like we do I mean! Else just skip it!!
The rest is pretty much your palette to play with. Once dimpled and looking pretty, give it a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Then dress it up! You can either sprinkle on some fresh herbs and sea salt, or like me, load the bread a wee bit more. I like to add sliced red onions, olives, jalapenos, pickled peppers, cherry tomatoes, even nuts.
I have two Victoria sandwich tins which are perfect for my bread. It’s a nice accommodative dough and the end result is always rewarding. A focaccia sandwich is the perfect answer for any left over bread. Stuff it with balsamic roasted veggies, a relish, cheese, slices of salami. I sometimes grill it too.
[print_this]Recipe: Whole Wheat Foccacia
Summary: One of my favourite breads that doesn’t need much advance planning, and never fails to please. This focaccia is part plain flour and part whole wheat.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes plus rising timeIngredients:
360g plain flour
130g whole wheat flour {aata}
30g vital gluten
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 teaspoon yeast
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½tsp teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp sugar
460 ml lukewarm water
45 ml extra virgin olive oil
Topping
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
4-5 cloves garlic, sliced fine
cherry tomatoes, sliced onion, olives
Fresh oregano leaves
Method:
Preheat oven to 200C. In a large bowl mix with your hands flour, sugar and yeast.
Pour in the water. Add salt, roasted ,if using, and knead in the bowl for 5 minutes. Eventually add more water.
{Thermomix: Place flour, sugar and yeast in TM bowl. Run at speed 10 for 6-7 seconds. Add remaining ingredients, including the olive oil, other than the toppings and run on interval speed for 2 minutes {Don’t leave the machine unattended in interval mode}. Proceed …
Allow to rise covered with plastic wrap for about 1 hour or until it doubles.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Grease a shallow oven dish with plenty of olive oil. Pour the dough into this without kneading any further. {I used 2 round 8″ Victoria sandwich tins}
Generously pour extra virgin olive oil onto the focaccia and press with your fingers to create multiple wells. Add toppings.
The focaccia does not need rising at this stage {but it does not harm it. It will just make it thicker}.
Bake for about 20 – 30 minutes until risen and light golden brown.
Pour over some more extra virgin olive oil if you like.
