Ricotta, Olive oil Bread with a hint of Carom seeds!

I had some low-fat ricotta sitting in the refrigerator waiting to go bad.. So I decided to add some in a bread. Ricotta doesn't add any taste to the bread just makes it a little denser. I added some herbed Olive oil and some carom seeds(Ajwain) to give the bread a different tongue tickle!

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup low-fat ricotta
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon carom (ajwain) seeds
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup herbed olive oil or plain olive oil
• 1 packet quick rise yeast (1.25 teaspoons)

Directions:

1. Warm the water and add the yeast and sugar to it and mix well. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Grease the mixer bowl and add the dry ingredients. Give them a good mix.
3. Add the cheese, egg, butter and oil and the yeast mixture and knead for about 8 minutes in batches or 2-3 minutes. Or knead by hand for the same amount of time till a nice soft non sticky dough is formed. Add more flour or water if needed.
4. Place dough in well oiled container. Spray cooking oil on its top and cover with plastic wrap.
5. Let it rise for an hour in a warm place.
6. Punch the dough down and knead for a few seconds.
7. Make a loaf out of it by pulling on all sides and tucking it under.
8. Place tucked side down in bread pan.
9. Bake in pre-heated oven at 365 degree F for 40 minutes or until nicely brown on the top.
10. Cool completely before slicing. I usually slice it after keeping it in the refrigerator for a few hours for nice and clean slices.

Cottage cheese Ginger muffins!

So I decided to make ginger muffins .. I made ginger cake some days back.. and i keep making something ginger every few days anyway..

Here are some nice , fluffy and a bit dense cheesy ginger muffins.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups self rising flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese nicely crumbled.
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized/candied ginger
• 3 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2/3 cup water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add in the honey, egg , sugar and water and mix well so the sugar almost dissolves nicely.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix them lightly till just about combined.
3. Drop spoon fulls on a greased muffin pan or pan lined with muffin liners.
4. Bake in pre-heated oven at 360 degrees F for about 20 minutes or till the toothpick comes out clean.
5. Remove muffins from pan and let cool completely before storing.

Pear, Carrots and Oats Bread Loaf.

I had a ripe but bland pear sitting on the counter top waiting to either end up as sweetened juice or in an upside down cake .. I decided to put it in a bread. I keep making atleast one sandwich bread loaf every week. Some of the variations i have tried are addition of oats and bran in the original loaf recipe.

This week I added the pureed pear, pulp , skin and all, some pureed baby carrots and some oats! There was a very slight pear/carrot taste in the bread, and it was mild enough for the loaf to be still used in sandwiches, breakfast, toasted and any other regular loaf uses. In fact, it worked really well toasted with butter with fresh tofu scramble!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 medium pear pureed without seeds
• 1/2 cup carrot puree
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 packet quick rise yeast
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons butter softened (Vegan or regular)
• oil for greasing
• more water or flour if needed.

Directions:

1. Mix the yeast and sugar in 2 Tablespoons warm water and keep aside for 10 minutes.
2. Puree the pear and carrots separately. Use some water if required.
3. In the mixer bowl add in all the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Add in the purees, butter, and yeast mixture and knead in mixer or by hand (total atleast 10 mins) until a soft dough is formed. I kneaded in the mixer 2-3 minutes at a time, to get a nice ball of dough with good gluten development. The dough should be non sticky and soft. The carrots and pear will leak moisture in the dough, so keep it a bit dry and non sticky. Add more water/bread flour if required.
5. Place dough in well greased container. Spray dough with cooking oil spray. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in a warm place for an hour.
6. Take dough out, punch it down and knead for a minute. Use a little bread flour if the dough gets sticky.
7. Using boule technique, pull on all sides and tuck under. Shape into an oblong shape and place loaf with tucked side down, in greased bread pan.
8. Spritz top with oil spray. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.
9. Place bread pan in middle rack of pre-heated oven and bake at 380 degrees F for 25 minutes. Rotate bread pan by 180degrees for even bake and bake for another 10-15minutes .
10. Cool completely on rack before slicing. I usually also put the cooled bread in the fridge for half an hour before slicing. That cools the core and makes it a little stiff and hence easier to slice without squishing.
11. Enjoy them perfect slices!

:)

No Knead Bread!

I tried the No Knead Bread last week and it turned out quite nice!.

Heres the step by step picture recipe from Rose !!

Heres another great post on Jugalbandi about the no knead bread!

Here's the great video too. simple and easy. watch the video!

3 cups bread flour.

Room temperature water 1-1/2 cups

Instant yeast: 0.8 grams/1/4 teaspoon

Salt: 10 grams/1-2/3 teaspoons

Proof the yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water. Mix all ingredients. Place in well oiled container, covered for 8-12 hours. The dough will be moist and sticky, for shaping you need to scrape it onto a well- floured surface, and lightly flour the top before patting it down gently. Then use a bench scraper to help lift it for shaping. Latex gloves work wonderfully to keep it from sticking to your fingers if you’re not comfortable with handling super sticky doughs.

Set the shaped dough on a coarse-weave towel sprinkled amply with bran. No need to sprinkle the top as it should have enough flour from the counter. Let rise for another 1.5-2 hours. I baked in stone ware covered with aluminium foil at 450˚F./230˚C for 20 minutes, 10 minutes lid off, transferred to a baking sheet and 10 minutes more.

My problem with these overly fermented artisan breads is that usually the crust is quite crisp and chewy. Though chewy is good, I am not a big fan of too chewy a bread. Also, if you don't bake at higher temperatures as suggested by the recipe, then the crusts are tough! These breads also tend to get stale really soon! :( I have to figure out a way to solve these problems and current solutions are things like adding some commercial additives or adding more fat!. or of course get a big better oven!

I also have started to not like the very white refined flour breads. I love my wheat in breads, coz it feels like you ate something wholesome which will last you for some hours ! Please do look at some of the more recent multigrain bread recipes like http://hobbyandmore.blogspot.com/2011/07/multigrain-multifruit-mini-loaf.html

This one is by far the simplest to make though. I used a stoneware container and used aluminium foil to cover it for the first 20 minutes. I am sure it would come out a lot better with a cast iron dutch oven. but hey I am not sure of investing in it until i find several other recipes I can make in it!

Enjoy!

Cheddar Spinach bell pepper spicy Buns!

Another savory snackable bun!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups bread flour
• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1.5 teaspoon active yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup spinach chopped or frozen cut leaf
• 3/4 cup shredded mild cheddar
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 thai chili chopped
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds( Ajwain)

Directions:

1. Warm 1/2 cup of water and add in the yeast. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flours and spices and keep aside.
3. In a pan, melt 1 teaspoon butter and lightly cook the bell pepper and chili for 5 minutes until the bell pepper starts to brown on the edges. Add in the spinach, pinch of salt and some garlic powder and cook for another 2 minutes. Keep the mixture to cool before adding to the flours.
4. Add the cooled bell pepper spinach mixtures to the flours.
5. Add in the shredded cheese and mix well.
6. Add in the yeast mixture and knead into a soft dough. Add more water if needed.
7. Place dough in well greased and covered container for an hour to rise until doubled.
8. Punch the dough down and make small balls.
9. Tuck the sides of each ball under to get a better upward rise from the bun.
10. Place the balls half an in inch apart on a baking tray.
11. Cover with towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.
12. Bake at 360 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until the tops are brown and the buns sound hollow!
13. Enjoy with butter, olive oil or just a toasted snack!!

Palak Chole! (Garbanzo beans/chana and Spinach curry)

Another variation of the omnipresent chole!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes chopped
• 1 Serrano chili peppers
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon asofetida(hing)
• 3 cloves
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 cup cut leaf spinach
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Pressure cook drained garbanzo beans with 2 cups of water for 2-3 whistles or until soft enough so they get mashed really easily.
2. Take all the non powdered spices(bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves) and crush them a bit using a mortar and pestle or pulse in grinder/blender.
3. In a large pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add all the spices and roast them for 3-4 minutes until they start to give out an aroma.
4. Add in the chopped onions and cook on medium heat until the onions are golden brown.
5. Add in the tomatoes and mix well .
6. Add in the spinach and cooked garbanzo beans and salt and mix well.
7. Cook on medium low heat covered for 15-20 minutes with occasional stirring.
8. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro leaves.
9. Serve hot and garnish with finely chopped onions and lemon juice and serve with Roti or Naan or buttered bread!