Varada's Kitchen and Garden

I enjoyed shaping and baking the  Sunflower bread  so much that I have taken every chance I got to bake bread shaped as something other than a loaf or a bun. I enjoyed baking the coffee bread and the beautiful cinnamon bread . When I saw the spring bread basket I was delighted to try my hand at something new. The edible bread basket can be made with your favorite bread recipe. It is shaped over an inverted bowl that has been covered with aluminium foil. Ensure the bowl is oven safe as the bread is baked draped over the bowl. The size and dept of the bowl decides the shape of your basket. You will need Basic Bread Dough 1 egg as wash Follow the Basic Bread Dough recipe. Prepare a mixing bowl that is oven safe. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover the outside of the bowl with aluminium foil. Keep aside. Transfer the risen dough to a floured surface. Flatten it and roll it into a large rectangle using a rolling pin. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife cut the rectangle into

I am posting the recipe for Shrikhand on the occasion of Gudi Padva. To make a complete meal for this occasion refer to the  Maharashtrian Thali  page. Shrikhand is a very popular dessert and is made on several different holidays like  Gudi Padva  and Dasara. It can also be made as an evening snack or a dessert to complete any meal. To make Shrikhand you will need 1 tub nonfat yogurt 1/2 cup sugar 5-6 strands saffron 1 tbsp. warm milk 3-4 pods cardamom 1 pinch grated nutmeg Invert the yogurt in a fine mesh muslin cloth and tie the ends. Let it hang over the kitchen sink overnight to let the water drain away. Soak the saffron in the warm milk and keep aside. Untie the cloth and transfer the contents to a mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar and refrigerate for at least an hour. Shell and pound the cardamom seeds. Add the cardamom powder and nutmeg to the yogurt. Blend together using a hand blender. Fold in the saffron milk and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before servin

This is a simple basic bread dough recipe that I use when shaping bread. I use commercial yeast and mostly whole wheat flour. You will need 1 egg 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. milk 1/2 cup water 1 1/4 oz. Fleischmann instant yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp. salt 1 cup all purpose flour 3 cups whole wheat flour (I used chappati flour, you can use white whole wheat flour) Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. In a microwavable cup mix the milk and water. Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds or until warm. Combine the milk solution with the beaten egg. Mix in the sugar, oil and the yeast. Sift the flour. Add the flour and salt to the wet ingredients. Knead into a soft dough. This dough is not very sticky. If it gets sticky add a little flour but no more than 1/2 a cup. Knead into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and allow it to rise until doubled in volume. Use to shape as needed.

I made these scones for our monthly baking group Kneading Bakers. It was Megan's turn to suggest a recipe and Megan picked scones for the month of March. She asked us to bake either sweet or savory scones. Her sweet and savory versions had asiago cheese. I chose the savory one. Today it was cold and raining so served the scones with a large pot of soup. They were a hit and were all gone by the end of the meal. You will need 1 large egg 3/4 cup buttermilk 1 cup whole wheat bread (I used chapati flour) 1 cup all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. baking powder 1/4 cup butter 1 cup zucchini, shredded 2/3 cup Asiago cheese, shredded 2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, shredded (I used the packet from Trader Joe's) 1 tbsp. thyme Preheat oven to 375 F. Oil a baking sheet and keep aside. Using a paper towel squeeze out the juice from the shredded zucchini. Cut the sun dried tomatoes into small pieces. Whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Sift the flours, t

I do not drink tea or coffee so I never miss the hard crunchy biscuits that go with these beverages. My husband on the other hand has to have his two cups of tea, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. He enjoys biscotti and other similar snacks. I made these biscotti with all purpose flour and used flax meal in place of eggs. I used very little sugar and substituted some of the butter with oil. The end result is a crunchy biscotti. You will need 1/2 cup pistachio 2 cups all purpose flour 3/4 sugar 2 tbsp. butter 3 tbsp. olive oil 1/2 cup flax meal 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. baking powder For the Flax meal 2 tbsp. flax seeds 6 tbsp. water Prepare the flax meal by mixing the flax seed and water together until the flax seed is stringy. Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare a baking sheet by placing parchment paper on it. Place the pistachios on another baking sheet and roast for about 3-4 minutes. Cut them coarsely and keep aside. Cream the butter and s

There are a variety of ways in which baked potatoes can be flavored. Today I used small red potatoes with chipotle red pepper in adobe sauce and lime. The peppery lime dressing is poured over the top of the baked potatoes. This makes a great snack. You can change the amount of the red pepper to adjust the level of heat. I adapted the recipe from here . You will need 5 small red potatoes 1 tbsp. olive oil salt and pepper 3 tbsp. cilantro For the dressing 1 chipotle red pepper in adobe sauce 2 tbsp. lime juice 1 tbsp. lime zest 1 clove garlic 3 tsp. olive oil Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash and dry the potatoes then cut them in quarters. Sprinkle salt, pepper and olive oil over the potatoes. Toss to coat. Layer them on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes turning over every 10 minutes. In the meantime, crush and mince the garlic and zest the lime. Extract one pepper from the adobe sauce and mince. Remove the seeds before you mince if you want to cut down the heat

The naan from Tajikistan has got to be the most beautiful of flat breads. It is stamped with designs and made to look like a piece of art. The designs range from the overtly embellished suitable for weddings to the moderately embellished for every day consumption. I saw a video of this bread a few months back and added it to my wish list. This bread takes time as the bakers spend considerable effort to get the intricate designs on the bread. They also use a range of stamps to transfer these designs. The trick is to stamp the designs deep enough to withstand baking but not cut the naan. I do not have the tools that are used to create the complex impressions so I improvised. I used steel spoons, bowls, cookie cutters and icing tips. Even my daughter could not resist and had to give it a shot. Though my embellished naan looked nowhere close to the real thing it gave me a chance to really enjoy the making of something as simple as everyday bread. It must be this inner